Supported by Ellis Brigham, ORTOVOX and the Ski Club of Great Britain
- NEW webinars launched, free of charge
- Live talks in 3 cities presented by Henry Schniewind
- Henry speaks at The Kendal Mountain Festival
- Emphasis on the risk of skiing or snowboarding off-piste
- How will climate change affect snow conditions in the Alps
Henry's Avalanche Talk (HAT), the organisation that helps off-piste skiers with essential training and advice, has launched its new 2023 UK autumn tour as well as a series of new online free webinars.
During the webinars, Henry Schniewind, founder of HAT, will help to answer the question about what the risk of skiing or snowboarding in off-piste terrain actually is.
The aim of HAT is to educate skiers and snowboarders so that when heading into off-piste terrain, the risk is no more than driving a vehicle on UK roads, which are some of the safest statistically in the world.
The key to HAT's message is in the application of knowledge, something that initially sounds obvious but is what is often missing in many avalanche incidents that often involve highly experienced skiers and snowboarders, including mountain guides.
The four online webinars precede the UK tour which includes HAT's Essentials Talk (for anyone considering heading off-piste) and In-Depth Talk (for those that have already attended at least one Essentials Talk). The tour also includes a number of Avalanche Transceiver Training sessions where participants can learn and practice the rescue techniques used with a search beacon in the event of a victim burial – something which HAT strives to prevent in the first place.
There's also a scheduled slot for Henry at the Kendal Mountain Festival on Saturday November 18, 2.45pm. This is titled: SAFETY IS FREEDOM presented by ORTOVOX & Henry's Avalanche Talk and takes place on the Basecamp Stage and designed to give festival goers a framework to help them benefit most from their time off-piste and when ski touring.
Henry Schniewind said: wrote:"We have discovered that if you enter avalanche terrain and do not apply good risk management then it can be as risky as base jumping. However if you apply good risk management, then you can make it no riskier than driving to the resort".
During the webinars, Henry will also touch on the impact of climate change on snow conditions and how this might affect decision making in the future. Henry said: "It's obviously hard to predict what kind of winter we will have in advance but the obvious thing for people to think is that with climate change, we might get less snow and therefore less avalanches. But this is not necessarily the case, it's more complex and in certain conditions, a warmer climate could cause a number of things, including more precipitation, which during the winter would be snowfall, at higher altitudes".
Henry will be presenting the live webinars and all of the talks in person – participants can register on the HAT website.
ORTOVOX Off Piste Awareness Tour 2023 schedule
WEBINAR EVENTS – start times all 6pm, webinars run for approximately 45 minutes including Q&A's and discussions. Cost, free of charge
- October Thursday 5th, Tuesday 10th, Monday 16th and Monday 23rd
Register: henrysavalanchetalk.com/uk-events/safety-is-freedom-webinar-programme
ESSENTIALS TALK – talks are held in Ellis Brigham stores. Cost, £19.50 per person, with reductions for buying 2 or more tickets. This includes a copy of the HAT Pocket Guide and NEW Safety Rescue Card.
- Covent Garden, London – Monday 30th October, 8pm
- St Pauls, London – Wednesday 1st November, 7.15pm
- Manchester – Monday 13th November, 6.30pm
- Glasgow – Monday 20th November, 8.15pm
Register: henrysavalanchetalk.com/uk-events/essential-talks
IN-DEPTH TALK – talks are held in Ellis Brigham stores. Cost, £19.50 per person, with reductions for buying 2 or more tickets. This includes a copy of the HAT Pocket Guide and NEW Safety Rescue Card.
- Covent Garden, London – Tuesday 31st October, 8pm
- St Pauls, London – Thursday 2nd November, 7.15pm
- Manchester – Tuesday 14th November, 6.30pm
- Glasgow – Tuesday 21st November, 8.15pm
Register: henrysavalanchetalk.com/uk-events/in-depth-talks
KENDAL MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL – the UK's biggest adventure festival. November 16-19, Kendal, Lake District. SAFETY IS FREEDOM presented by ORTOVOX & Henry's Avalanche Talk, Saturday November 18, 2.45pm, Basecamp Stand. Register here: kendalmountainfestival.com
AVALANCHE TRANSCEIVER TRAINING – these are outdoor events and all start at 11.30am and run for 3 hours. Cost, £75 per person, including transceiver hire if required. Also includes Henry's Accident Reduction card plus the NEW Safety Rescue card and the ORTOVOX Academy Safety booklet.
- Wimbledon, London – 7th October
- Wimbledon, London – 4th November
- Wimbledon, London – 12th November
- Wimbledon, London – 26th November
- Wimbledon, London – 30th December
- Manchester – 18th November
- Manchester – 19th November
- Sandbanks, Poole – 5th November
- Sandbanks, Poole – 25th November
- Sandbanks, Poole – 29th December
Register: henrysavalanchetalk.com/uk-events/transceivertraining
