Offpiste advice for noobies

Good morning.
There has been some incredible and wonderful snowfall across Europe this past week or two and I as much as anyone is itching to get on it. Those lucky enough to be there at present must be having a great time.
However, there have been some well documented problems and it seems that people are going out to enjoy the amazing conditions but taking risks with it.
Ignoring advice and not listening to people is downright stupid in an alien environment, which is what the mountains are to pretty much all of us.

So, decent skiers like myself get to a stage where they are looking to try something new and different, and the past few seasons I have been venturing off piste. I started this in Verbier with some of the so called marked ski routes and have enjoyed some itinerary routes in St Anton and Alpe d'Huez for example. However, we have also skied on terrain which has been outside of the boundaries of the marked ski area in Zurs which was amazing and great fun, but there is a serious side to all of this as well.

No one, myself included, ever really thinks anything will happen to them. But it could, no matter what you do or how good a skier you are, s**t can happen and as we have seen recently, snow moves fast.

I'd like to consider what should be looked into for those of us looking to venture into the world of off piste skiing to keep it safe but enjoyable. I understand that rules and regulations about where you can and cant ski vary from resort to resort, area to area, country to country. However, lets say for arguments sake that you are looking to ski between pistes, or on a ski trail shown on a map, or a bowl served by a lift with open terrain. What should be considered sensible to do and take with you?

I know for serious tourers and off piste thrill seekers, theres transcievers and shovels for instance. But for us recreational skiers who are just looking to play in some fresh powder, do we need to consider all of this? And is it essential, legal, or suggested to take a guide and do it properly even if you're still learning how to ski in deep and on steeps for example, and you only want to "have a bit of a play in the freshies".

Please dont for one minute think I'm taking any of this lightly as I'm not. I have ventured into territory that would possibly invalidate my insurance without even thinking about it; the rush of seeing something spectacular that you want to ski and you are PROBABLY good enough to handle takes over at times, and those of us who cannot resist need to be advised whats right and wrong, and what should or should not be considered as sensible.

Thanks, and be safe.

Totally with you TH.....
For me powder is not necessarily the same as off-piste.

Local knowledge, local knowledge and local knowledge will see you through.

I am sure there are safe areas to go and play in the powder in pretty much all resorts, but they do probably get skied out pretty quickly.

I went off-piste once last year - with an instructor but no transceivers or shovels etc. When he pointed I went "gulp" and followed. Wouldn't have gone anywhere near that area without someone like him.

I know a good few places in Courchevel where I would be happy to go a wandering, and several areas I would avoid completely - even though there are tracks....

Without local knowledge I don't think there are any really safe "pointers" to choosing where to go except 12' either side of the piste - even this may not always be safe.

An area that clearly has nothing that could drop down on it from above may have some cliffs or holes in it - or even no way out!

My best suggestion is that should you be lucky enough to be skiing when there is good powder around then bite the bullet and pay someone to take you.

Great, can you see how it's possible to have fun in a small resort. Your descents are only limited to your technical ability :D

There are several ways to learn enough. You might enjoy a weekend course learning to look at the risk from the terrain whilst you ski off piste.
There are lots of good books available, if you want to read up 1st. It's time to start looking at the weather forecast posted up in your resort. This will give you clues about safe slopes to head for.

Skiing offpiste requires you to take responsibility for your route choices, including knowing when to turn back.

It's fun skiing between the pistes, but it IS offpiste, and you must consider buying the correct kit and learning how to use it. Snow is lovely and light until it binds together, then it becomes incredibly heavy and quite dangerous.

The nice powder stashes between the pistes have usually been left for a good reason (the terrain), so I'd consider it quite important to be properly prepared to ski an area that the lift company has skirted around, they see it in summer too!

I think (not 100%) that probe/transceiver/shovel must be carried offpiste in Italy by law. Don't quote me on that :mrgreen:

Really good post this, I ventured of Piste last year in fresh snow and loved it, but looking back I was very stupid to have done so as I was skiing alone in Sauze d'oux and was down the side of a very steep black, the resort had been very dry during the whole of January and then had a massive dump at the end.

Excitment just over took me and I was off, the visalbilty was very low and I didn't have a clue as to what I was skiing into and lauched myself off a quite a drop with out knowing, lucky for me when I landed i managed to stay on my feet and that was the end of my off piste sking, a little scared but unharmed.

Good question...

Yes, if you're leaving the piste at all then you should really be thinking about this. People die under avalanches within metres of pistes and - wot bandit said - sometimes the bits between the pistes are not pistes for a reason... and they are most certainly "off piste".

There's a lot of good stuff online and in print nowadays.

For online, the Canadian Avalanche Centre is a good resource and they even have an "online avalanche course" that is a great intro to get you thinking...

http://www.avalanche.ca/cac/training/online-course

Another good intro is here http://www.avalanche.org/tutorial/tutorial.html

Definitely spend a tenner (including postage!) on Robert Bolognesi's little book "Avalanche" from Amazon in time for Xmas. It covers all the basics and is small enough to go in a jacket pocket for a quick read next time you're waiting for a plane... 8)

Pistehors is an excellent source of information and his reviews of past seasons are worth a read.

Incident reports from the authorities, and first hand accounts from survivors often illustrate the warning signals that were ignored and the human factors that contribute to avalanches. They're also good reminders of the consequences.

Read all the above, then book yourself a day out with a guide; you'll probably have a fantastic time and any decent guide will be happy to explain their choice of slopes.

Get the gear, practice with it, and take it.

And always take local advice - the lifties are often people who know the mountain well and they'll be happy to advise. Learn to recognise the flags (that's the easy bit) and look for avalanche bulletins pinned or scribbled on boards by the lifts.

...and... "If in doubt, back out".

So does this mean we shouldn't even be ski-ing between pistes without shovel, probe, and transceiver and doing the rest of the avalanche research?

The only thing I have is Recco on my ski boots, and I remember someone saying on here that it's only useful really for finding dead bodies!

Might I suggest attending something like one of the truly excellent Henry's Avalanche Talks.
Henry himself spoke clearly, simply and enthusiastically about the joys and dangers of venturing off-piste.
I was struck by some of the slides he showed that demonstrated that you can die, without too much difficulty, in the inviting areas between pistes.
His advice was just so sensible that it should be compulsory for anyone venturing off the marked track.
Try it, but do it safely with the right kit, the right advice, guidance, the right attitude to marginal weather, conditions etc. Any doubts - come back another day!

Or go to US resorts.

There is no off-piste within the boundaries of the resort. Any area that would be unsafe to ski is roped off, but most of the area is checked for avalanche hazards, and made safe.

Anywhere within the yellow boundary line is fair game.