Latest posts for the topic "Ski Club Of Great Britain."

Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 20:12:19 GMT

Is anyone a member?

I just noticed that as a member you receive 25% off all Neilsen holidays. Thats a good deal!

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 20:16:36 GMT

Not a member, but I thought it sounded too good to be true so I looked at their website. It says members get "up to 25% discount". The key words are "up to". I wonder how many people get the full 25%?

Allie

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 20:17:38 GMT

acarr wrote:Not a member, but I thought it sounded too good to be true so I looked at their website. It says members get "up to 25% discount". The key words are "up to". I wonder how many people get the full 25%?

Allie

Which site? Neilsen or Ski Club?

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 20:18:21 GMT

Ski Club.
Here's the link

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 20:21:43 GMT

I didn't see the 'UP TO' clause. I was on this page where it simply states 25%

http://www.skiclub.co.uk/skiclub/theskiclub/discountscalculator.aspx

I have seen the 'up to' now on another page where it also states its a guaranteed 10% which still isn't bad.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 20:26:49 GMT

Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick :lol:

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 20:32:11 GMT

acarr wrote:Better than a poke in the eye with a ski stick :lol:

Who have you been skiing with? Not the stick waving brigade? :lol:

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 20:41:53 GMT

I've been a member for a few years, the discounts usually more than cover the price of membership (pages and pages of discounts), plus skiing with the resort reps is always excellent.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 21:09:28 GMT

Yep, we're members. The eurostar discount pretty much covers the membership fee. 10% off Ellis Brigham items also useful.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 23:06:43 GMT

Yes, I am a member. I find the discounts very useful, plus I have skied several times with their 'Leaders' in resort.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 06:48:34 GMT

I'm NOT a member .... never really felt the need :thumbdown:

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 10:47:35 GMT

Sounds like a bit of a cult to me ;)

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 11:19:19 GMT

Iceman wrote:Sounds like a bit of a cult to me ;)

There is a special handshake you get taught after initiation.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 11:39:59 GMT

...and show your left nipple? :roll:

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 13:11:58 GMT

This explains why some skiers have one leg of their pants rolled up on the piste 8)

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 16:47:48 GMT

Iceman wrote:...and show your left nipple? :roll:

Only above -15c

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 16:48:50 GMT

andyhull wrote:

Iceman wrote:...and show your left nipple? :roll:

Only above -15c

Unless you are from Norfolk. Then you show the middle one.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 16:57:22 GMT

Just worked out that I'll get GBP82 off the new skis I'm buying with Ski Club discount. Nice.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 13:26:55 GMT

Snapzzz wrote:

andyhull wrote:

Iceman wrote:...and show your left nipple? :roll:

Only above -15c

Unless you are from Norfolk. Then you show the middle one.

I can categoricaly say that Mrs W is not my sister ...... she turned me down :( :(

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 21:30:19 GMT

This thread was going so well. I even found it useful for about 3 seconds.

Always contemplated joining but could never justify the fee, assuming you book through the club then the fee more than covers any discount - is that a fair comment?

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 07:29:19 GMT

andyhull wrote:Just worked out that I'll get GBP82 off the new skis I'm buying with Ski Club discount. Nice.

Is that GBP82 off the hugely inflated full retail price? :D

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 12:50:43 GMT

We were members for a couple of years but never got the money back in discounts. There are always discounts on the things I thought I'd use it for that were usually better and not compatible. Saying that I probably didn't try hard enough. We ski as part of a group so the holiday discounts never came into use. Chill Factor, I used their discounts. Ellis Brigham, I rarely buy a huge amount from there in one year. I wouldn't say it's not worth the money. Just that I didn't get enough out of membership.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 13:55:00 GMT

NellyPS wrote:This thread was going so well. I even found it useful for about 3 seconds.

Always contemplated joining but could never justify the fee, assuming you book through the club then the fee more than covers any discount - is that a fair comment?

Pretty much what I feel too

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 16:58:41 GMT

Not going to share with us what this seasons skis are Andy?

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 19:27:21 GMT

If Fall-Line ski magazine ski test says it's the best out there, then that'll do for me.

If I get as many holidays out of them as my trusty old Rossi B2s, then they'll be a great investment.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 19:44:15 GMT

is it me or is it the angle that vid is shot from but those tips really seem to curl up massively.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 22:02:48 GMT

Nice. You will have to report how they ski.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 22:10:44 GMT

I have never been that impressed with the reps from Ski Club GB and frankly couldn't see how membership was cost-effective. But this may just be me. In resort, the reps seem to spend a lot of their time trying to sell memberships and quickly hit on likely punters early on. I've eavesdropped on some of their advice to members in resort and have often disagreed. But this isn't a systematic survey, so I may just be unlucky.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 23:18:53 GMT

Andy, 20m rad, going retro!

I guess the challenge now, Andy, is for you to give the SCGB discounted price for the skis, and let Bandit prove/disprove the theory that this would be a percentage discount off the top line price. AND, that this could be found at a more competitive price.

Full offer definition required!

My experience allows me to place a side bet on Bandit ~ but then you never know.....

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 13:39:53 GMT

Dave Mac wrote:Andy, 20m rad, going retro!

I guess the challenge now, Andy, is for you to give the SCGB discounted price for the skis, and let Bandit prove/disprove the theory that this would be a percentage discount off the top line price. AND, that this could be found at a more competitive price.

Full offer definition required!

My experience allows me to place a side bet on Bandit ~ but then you never know.....

Oooh the pressure :shock:

20m radius rad? I don't think so, my little 165's have a bigger turn radius, and will ski anywhere. Still, this is an interesting ski, longer turns on the tip and tighter out of a turn using the tail, so I suppose if you can work the full length of the ski it should prove quite versatile. It will be a world of difference from a B2*.

Amateur, non expert view* :mrgreen:

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 16:30:08 GMT

I'm with Msej449 on the behaviour of some SCGB members and their Reps. I've sat and listened to their behaviour in restaurants in France and Switzerland, and seen them behaving badly in the place where I hang out. They've not been back there in the past winter or two, it's nothing I said, as I pretended to be a local :D

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 19:18:41 GMT

Mine are the original B2s, which the following season became the B3. So the Alibis would be that different, just wider under foot which is what I'm looking for.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 22:16:03 GMT

I am sure I have recanted the story about the SCGB rep that came to Niederau in the 70s. He introduced himself as "Wichard Wobertson". Poor fellow, after that, he never stood a chance.

But that wasn't the story.......

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 09:58:26 GMT

I have met the odd complete pratt in skiclub reps clothing, but I'd argue that they are the tiny minority. Unfortunately with any large organisation you'll always get a few individuals which perform badly.
Those that last end up getting the bigger resorts as their experience is vital.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 18:22:09 GMT

andyhull wrote: Those that last end up getting the bigger resorts as their experience is vital.

Like the one who was charged with manslaughter, after one of the group she was leading was killed at Verbier in 2007.

The B3 was wider and stiffer than the B2. The Theory is perhaps a closer in concept to the B2.

Ski prices for the coming season are normally fixed in April. If the Euro continues to fall against the pound at its current rate, they will be probably be considerably cheaper from one of the Euro zone retailers.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 22:37:03 GMT

andyhull wrote:I have met the odd complete pratt in skiclub reps clothing, but I'd argue that they are the tiny minority. Unfortunately with any large organisation you'll always get a few individuals which perform badly.
Those that last end up getting the bigger resorts as their experience is vital.

I agree, Andy. I am not having a go at the SCGB. The guy was a pretty reasonable skier, but a people person, he was not.

The end of the story is best told after a pint or two.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 11:43:55 GMT

SwingBeep wrote:

andyhull wrote: Those that last end up getting the bigger resorts as their experience is vital.

Like the one who was charged with manslaughter, after one of the group she was leading was killed at Verbier in 2007.

The B3 was wider and stiffer than the B2. The Theory is perhaps a closer in concept to the B2.

Ski prices for the coming season are normally fixed in April. If the Euro continues to fall against the pound at its current rate, they will be probably be considerably cheaper from one of the Euro zone retailers.

Wasn't she found not guilty in the end?

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 12:08:36 GMT

andyhull wrote:Mine are the original B2s, which the following season became the B3. So the Alibis would be that different, just wider under foot which is what I'm looking for.

98mm underfoot is an awesome width, really versatile.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 21:04:32 GMT

verbier_ski_bum wrote: Wasn't she found not guilty in the end?

She was found not guilty in the court of first instance in Martigny, the last I heard was that the public prosecutor was going to appeal the verdict in the Cantonal Court. It's not unusual for these cases to go all the way to the Supreme Court.

In the mean time the SCGB has changed the reps off-piste rules and Canton Valais has introduced a law which defines who is allowed to provide guiding and ski instruction here http://www.vs.ch/Navig/navig.asp?MenuID=23067&Language=fr have a look at the FAQs. A national law will come into force in 2014. It could be that the SCGB's leading activities are no longer legal here.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 23:30:37 GMT

Well, it seems the law has a purpose to secure the jobs of locally qualified guides. But from whatever little is known of the case it doesn't seem that the accident would have been avoided if it was someone else but a ski rep leading. And in this case the law can be very misleading as it may lure people to believe that if they ski with a "real" guide nothing can happen to them which is not true at all. Absolutely anyone can slip on a traverse, and even on fairly easy routes not requiring any advanced skills there are often traverses that if you slip you will probably end up in a body bag, and I can't see how qualifications of a group leader can change this.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 19:54:24 GMT

verbier_ski_bum wrote: Well, it seems the law has a purpose to secure the jobs of locally qualified guides.

That would be in breach of the agreement on the free movement of persons that Switzerland concluded with the EU in 1999 in order to get access to the single market. There is no shortage of work for local guides or ski instructors.

The law was enacted following a series of fatal accidents in the mid noughties, the worst of which was the Saxetenbach canyoning tragedy in which 21 young people lost their lives http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/Home/Archive/Canyoning_trial_to_open_in_Interlaken.html?cid=2398350 Anxious to prevent something similar happening here the Cantonal government decided to regulate the burgeoning mountain sports guiding and instruction business. They came up with a simple system which requires that any guide or ski instructor (Valaisan, Swiss or non Swiss) acquiring clients in Valais obtains a license. This involves downloading and filling out three very simple forms and sending them together with copies of your qualifications and proof that you have liability insurance to the value of 10 million Swiss francs to the Cantonal authorities in Sion. Guides and instructors who acquire their clients outside Valais and leave Valais at the same time as their clients are not subject to the law. Before the law came into effect schools used to recruit parents to look after the kids on school skiing days, now they have to use ski instructors.

When the accident happened the group was walking along a path beside an irrigation channel (bisse) these often pass through exposed terrain and are therefore not used by the locals in winter. The rep had never followed this route before and was not carrying any of the equipment that would normally be carried when exploring a new route i.e. a rope. They eventually got to a section where the path had been swept away, presumably by snow avalanching down a gully. The rep told everybody to put their skis back on so that they could traverse across the snow, unfortunately one of the group was on a snowboard and as you can't traverse a slope on a snowboard in the way you can on skis he went on foot. The rep went first and he followed, he slipped and fell to his death. If she had taken a rope and some basic mountaineering gear as a "real" guide almost certainly would have done, she could have secured the exposed section. She could also have turned back or even called Air Glaciers and asked them to carry out a preventative rescue. They would much rather rescue somebody before they are killed or injured than afterwards.

If you believe you're going to be as safe with a SCGB leader as you would be with a fully qualified mountain guide then all I can say is, the best of British!

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 20:46:22 GMT

The new regulations won't prevent adventurous people exploring. They are probably not going to spend around 550-600fr on a Guide for the day to show them around the area, unless they have a specific goal in mind.
Driving out SCGB Reps and Tour Op leaders with regulation and insurance requirements may lead to more accidents.

I suppose the SCGB could send out their leaders on a visiting basis with the members, and they would not be affected by this.

The insurance requirement will certainly help Air-Glaciers recover the costs of rescue.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 21:11:52 GMT

Of course they are plenty jobs for guides but what I mean is that a ski club leader status is not clear whereas a guide's status is. He's a trained professional licenced to do the job.
I understood that ski club leaders were volunteers, not associated with resort but with their ski clubs. So the law might eliminate this grey area. Plus banning leaders from leading will make people either to turn to "real" guides/ski instructors or to explore themselves.
I thought rope was only obligatory when going to the glaciated terrain, same goes for mountaineering gear. Whether the guide would have it depends on a route chosen. Still, we couldn't figure out when it happened where exactly the accident was. It sounded like around Vallon d'Arby area, returning to Tzoumaz but you say that locals do not use this route in winter so must be elsewhere. But description doesn't seem to fit anything I know. Most routes around Verbier do not allow for a turn around once you on it you have to follow through. And everyone else seems to have finished the route safely. So it's difficult to judje how bad this leader was.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Thu, 2 Aug 2012 22:28:59 GMT

A rope is essential when traveling in glaciated terrain it's also useful to have one when entering steep couloirs and anywhere the terrain looks like it might be bit dodgy. We often take one when walking along the bisses as some sections are very exposed.

The accident probably happened somewhere along the Bisse du Saxon in the vicinity of La Tzoumaz, the exact location wasn't given in the report I read. If you look on this map you will see that there a few possible places http://map.wanderland.ch/?lang=de&p&etappe=58.01 the red dots don't mark them. The photos here http://www.alpavista.ch/Alp11/2009/05/10/col-du-lein-bisse-de-saxon/ will give you some idea of the type of terrain they were traveling through, as the guy who uploaded them mentions on image 15 it's strictly forbidden to ride a mountain bike along them. As you can see it would be a barrel of laughs walking along them in alpine ski boots when they were covered in snow and ice.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Thu, 2 Aug 2012 23:41:50 GMT

2 weeks ago, we walked along the Bisse Saxon from la Tzoumaz to Iserables (the route to Nendaz) and came across this. The buildings in the distance are at the base of the Tracouet chirlift up to the Nendaz summit. This section is in the small valley that runs down from Le Fou (above Lac des Vaux) to Iserables. The Bisse originally ran across to about half way up the photo. You now have to climb up above it. This fall has been here for about 5-6 years but is now stable and there's a deviation across the top. There are still signs telling people not to stand still or stand close together!

If you were in the snow, you'd just assume that this was a treeless section. It's more precpitous than it looks and we were climbing with our hands for part of the traverse, even on a fairly clear track.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Fri, 3 Aug 2012 07:39:25 GMT

Thank you for posting this, that explains things. One of the solution for the Club would be to insist that their resort leaders if they want the position learn the area themselves and pass exam on how well they know it. Instead of what they ask for now - first aid and skiing skills. SCGB might have a case here too, though they probably had never even expected something like that and of course they have little influence/control/knowledgge of what ski passes their members buy on their ski trips or what sort of insurance (preventive rescue might well cost 10000CHF - I know people to whom it actually happened) and many trying to shed costs will go for the cheapest options from what I've read on forums. Still it's misleading to designate as "ski leader" someone who doesn't know the area. It's plainly silly to get there in 4 Valles area with so many skiing options if you have the right ski pass. Warning signs there are actually for a reason and more often than not the reason is not that you can wake up a couple of marmottes but that you can actually die. Very sad.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Fri, 3 Aug 2012 10:48:23 GMT

There is also a memorial to a young English snowboarder, Heyden Lamb, on the Bisse Saxon below Pierre Avoi (this is in your slide set). This is on the section between La Tzoumaz and Saxon - right round in the opposite direction towards Martigny. That section also has a couple of 'dodgy' bits where rockfalls run across the Bisse and the drop into the Rhone valley is severe - you definitely wouldn't survive, summer or winter.

It was a great surprise when we came across it, as we couldn't work out how he could possibly have got there, even in a whiteout. We had thought that he had traversed below Chez Simon somehow, thinking that he would hit LTZ. In fact, if you look at the piste map, the previous version was completely wrong - the left hand red down from Savoleyres down to the Chez Simon 6-man chair was marked as going over the arete (above the Bisse). On piste, it's obvious where to go but if you followed the map slavishly then you might go that way. But it didn't seem likely.

However, I can see that if you were guided that way, then you might do it. If the guide used the summer walking map, they'd perhaps think you could traverse below Chez Simon down to the Bisse and then take a spectacular walk around to La Tzoumaz. But no one who had actually walked it in the summer would consider for a second doing it in the winter, however well-equipped they were.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Fri, 3 Aug 2012 12:44:25 GMT

I know how, this is how people I know ended up paying for their rescue. They took too far to the left on the back of Savoleyres (from top of Tournelle liftand when realised started climbing back but in December it got dark very quickly, so they had to call a chopper. untracked powder at 2pm stays untracked for a good reason. Nice place to ski but you need to steer as close to saxon piste as you can. Untracked stuff to the left can be a death trap.

But there are warning signs, though not every 100m, so some may think if the move further ahead then it would be OK to go in the direction the sign they just passed warned them against.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Mon, 6 Aug 2012 17:08:04 GMT

Msej449, looks like you were lucky with the weather, it's been very poor so far this summer.

There are insurance issues regarding preventive rescues. Insurance companies (not only UK based ones) often don't regard them as proper rescues so they are reluctant to pay out. There are also issues with helicopters being used to rescue people who are not (in their eyes) seriously injured enough to warrant the use of a helicopter. To avoid any problems I have a rescue card (Carte de sauvetage) it provides cover when the insurance company won't. I get mine from Air Zermatt, because I live in the region they cover. They are also issued by Air Glaciers and Rega, it could be the best 35 francs you ever spend. Rega have written a guide on calling out a rescue helicopter http://www.rega.ch/pdf/einsatz/Merkblatt_Alarmierung_Rettungshelikopter_en.pdf The number to call in Canton Valais is 144. If you have a smart phone it's useful to have an app such as SwissGrid which displays your location in Swiss grid coordinates, so that they can locate you as quickly as possible.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Sun, 12 Aug 2012 09:32:38 GMT

SwingBeep wrote: I have a rescue card (Carte de sauvetage) it provides cover when the insurance company won't. I get mine from Air Zermatt, because I live in the region they cover. They are also issued by Air Glaciers and Rega, it could be the best 35 francs you ever spend. Rega have written a guide on calling out a rescue helicopter

Now i can certainly see the value in this. Do you know if this kind of cover is widely available in other regions?

However having said that do you think that it could also make the less than expert skiier that little bit braver and possibly reckless knowing that they effectively have a 'get out of jail free' card?

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 13:35:14 GMT

Snapzzz wrote:

Now i can certainly see the value in this. Do you know if this kind of cover is widely available in other regions?

However having said that do you think that it could also make the less than expert skiier that little bit braver and possibly reckless knowing that they effectively have a 'get out of jail free' card?

I have had an Air-Glaciers Card for several years. It covers me everywhere, year round. Repatriation to Switzerland is included. Purchase online, and delivery to any address. AFAIK they don't pay out for outright stupidity, and there have been Court cases over reckless behaviour and claims.

www.airglaciers.ch

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 17:09:00 GMT

Snapzzz wrote:

SwingBeep wrote: I have a rescue card (Carte de sauvetage) it provides cover when the insurance company won't. I get mine from Air Zermatt, because I live in the region they cover. They are also issued by Air Glaciers and Rega, it could be the best 35 francs you ever spend. Rega have written a guide on calling out a rescue helicopter

Now i can certainly see the value in this. Do you know if this kind of cover is widely available in other regions?

However having said that do you think that it could also make the less than expert skiier that little bit braver and possibly reckless knowing that they effectively have a 'get out of jail free' card?

Mountains are not an amusement park and there is no really such thing in skiing as "get out of jail free" card. Insurance doesn't equal a safety margin and is a totally separate concept. Having a good insurance cover is not a safeguard against returning home in a body bag or sustaining severe injuries. You don't need to be an expert skier to understand this. Plus claims can and have been disputed.

I am not sure if you can get Rega or Air Glaciers cover if you don't have a Swiss address, but if you can get it - it's a good thing to have. On the other hand, if you are a piste skier and don't tour, usual insurance you buy with your ski pass is generally sufficient.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 17:58:04 GMT

verbier_ski_bum wrote:

Mountains are not an amusement park and there is no really such thing in skiing as "get out of jail free" card. Insurance doesn't equal a safety margin and is a totally separate concept. Having a good insurance cover is not a safeguard against returning home in a body bag or sustaining severe injuries. You don't need to be an expert skier to understand this. Plus claims can and have been disputed.

I am not sure if you can get Rega or Air Glaciers cover if you don't have a Swiss address, but if you can get it - it's a good thing to have. On the other hand, if you are a piste skier and don't tour, usual insurance you buy with your ski pass is generally sufficient.

Air Glaciers will deliver their card to the UK, along with renewals.
Some UK Insurers no longer cover search and rescue in their European travel Policies. The insurance on sale at ticket offices seems quite limited, and like the Air Glaciers Card will be an add on to a travel policy. For my peace of mind, it's nice to know that I will not have to endure a Call Centre going through a Menu before "approving" my rescue expenditure.

Re:Ski Club Of Great Britain.

Wed, 5 Sep 2012 23:08:53 GMT

Hi bandit and others. Not been on here for some time, but was just told about this thread.

I have just been reading through the legislation mentioned earlier and it seems to me that it all comes down to whether a person taking a group is acting as a professional i.e.. being paid or just out with a group of mates. If with your friends you still have a duty of care towards each other and you should at all times use good judgement, but IMO I do not think you would be breaking any laws.

Whether the SCGB would now be considered working as unqualified professional and therefore breaking this law, only a test case would decide. I know a few leaders that would not want to be the ones in a test case. They are now taking a similar line in France as well, asking for a licensee to be leading even on the piste in the Paradiski and some other areas. Off piste leading would be very difficult now as the SCGB still do not insist on full basic avalanche safety gear for all members of the group and everywhere you go there are signs now telling you what each person in a group should carry as an absolute minimum. Getting stopped and checked off piste could put the leader in a whole lot of bother in many French ski areas now.

At the very least, disregarding local authority advice could nullify ones insurance in case of an accident.

As for the sad accident that took place in Vebier. The details posted earlier seem to fit with what someone I have spoken with who was in the group described. I am pleased to see the details have now been posted. Should they have been in such a place. Not for me to judge, only those there that day can answer that IMO. One point worth mentioning. SCGB leaders are not trained to use ropes and climbing gear so should not be carrying it or going to places where it was needed. Plus it states in the regulations they must follow that the leaders may only go off piste in areas they know well. All common sense really.

As for the Rega Card. I have one for when in switzerland. Very cheap and well worth the money. My advice to anyone is get one. It works in a very similar way to Carte Neige in France. The last thing you want to be doing is worrying about who will be paying the bills if you need a helicoter off the mountain.

Hope to see some of you in Verbier again this season.