What do people make of this warning! Off piste safety.

Not gonna wade in to the sensibility of these notices. I do however have a question about liabiity which close to my heart. As someone who is no more at peace with the world than when he is on his own with a snowboard on a big mountain, someone who is a little further progressed than groomer riding and someone who lives in a ski resort supposed to get the best from his days off work? A shovel, transciever and probe are bog all use to a solitary rider.

I had a demo of an ABS system last week and am seriously considering a £800 - £1000 investment. All well and good, but if my insurance (which says nothing about back country alone) would refuse to pay due to these public notices, what possible justifcation can I make to my girlfriend/parents/daughter for doing so?

Insurance used to be a co-operative, and some still is in some respcets, I recenltly joined the Austrian Alpine Club for mountain rescue which on the face of it have a very sensible policy for getting you off the hill at least.

Seriously though, does insurance cover two well heeled novices off piste with all the right kit, but not an experienced individual with the best protection he can get? I'm not that individual yet, I'd like to be, but the investment in avalanche training, paying guides and getting the safety gear seems frivolous if I can't use it cos my insurance won't pay out.

Sorry, rant over.

I am very pleased to see that posting this info and asking these questions have stimulated some very interesting responses. The fact that the French authorities are now looking into the whole issue of safe off piste riding means we all need to take great care out there to look out for each other. If I come across anything else like this that might be of interest I will post it as well. Fun and Safe Riding everyone

Here is the reply in full that I have received from Russell Dadson, Director, Snowcard Insurance. I hope you all find his reply as helpful as I have. Basically, if you are insured by them, the notices in Tignes/Val 'd'Isere are considered local authority advice and therefore should be followed.

Hi Chris,

Thanks for your email and sorry for the delay, I've been away skiing this past week!

No off piste unfortunately – just sheet ice and no powder in sight in the Trois Vallees!

We do ask clients to follow piste authority advice – in the case of your quote below it would appear to constitute advice which would have to be followed.

Level 2 warnings are a moderate warning – having said this, the way different slopes or snow conditions may affect the local piste authorities view on safety will vary from region to region. If Espace Killy post a warning like that they must have good reason, either that or they have had enough of rescuing ill equipped or inexperienced skiers and are trying to enforce a greater sense of responsibility for off piste activity.

In connection with Henry's Avalanche Talk (an off piste forum) we have tried to clarify what following safety advice means in practice. I think what you have below is a clear example of the sort of advice that shouldn't be ignored. If they recommend transceiver, probe and shovel then they should be carried.

I have heard that Espace Killy operate a list of insurers they will not bill directly and will ask for payment at the time of rescue. Snowcard is not on that list and as far as I understand, it is the budget insurers who exclude off piste cover without guides that have caused the problem. Espace Killy must have reason to behave in they way they are, I am not aware that other ski areas are acting in this way but this season it does seem that the whole issue of off piste safety is being debated a lot more. I know there is a lot of concern that ill equipped and inexperienced skiers and boarders are causing problems not only for rescue authorities but also insurers.

Having insurance for off piste activity is not something that skiers and boarders should take lightly – if they want the cover they must use common sense and have the skill levels and equipment to do it safely. If they don't, I can see many insurers withdrawing from the market and the likes of Snowcard will have to either tighten our rules or charge more. It is a fine balancing act and a topic I keep a close eye on.

Our info page is:

http://www.snowcard.co.uk/activities-ski-board.php

I hope this helps.

Kind regards

Russell Dadson, Director, Snowcard Insurance

Also, Mondial Assistance in a statement provided some time ago to another person and posted on my facebook group confirmed that they would expect skiers to comply with local authority advice (see my facebook group discussions page for the full details).

In brief they wrote: Mondial Assistance: The following applies to all travel Insurance policies that Mondial underwrite in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

General off piste guidance (which we would expect insurance customer to observe) are as follows:

· Do not ski/board alone
· Always ski with a guide/instructor unless you are very familiar with the resort/area
· As a minimum, a shovel, probe and transceiver should be carried
· Check local weather forecasts and avalanche warnings every day
. Do not ignore any warning signs or local advice
· Do not ski if the avalanche warning is 4 or 5

So the recommendations seem to be quite clear. At least from one Underwriter and one Insurance Company. It would be interesting to know how others interpret these replies.

For those interested. I have posted the remaining pictures of the Avalanche information boards on display in Tignes, which are now permanent and considered by some Insurance companies as 'local authority advice'. Take a look, well worth a read and they can be enlarged to make it easier to read or download. You will find them all on my facebook group page. Link below. Happy and safe riding everyone