Ski Club 2.0 Home
Snow Reports
FAQFAQ

Mail for help.Help!!
Log in to snowHeads to make it MUCH better! Registration's totally free, of course, and makes snowHeads easier to use and to understand, gives better searching, filtering etc. as well as access to 'members only' forums, discounts and deals that U don't even know exist as a 'guest' user. (btw. 50,000+ snowHeads already know all this, making snowHeads the biggest, most active community of snow-heads in the UK, so you'll be in good company)..... When you register, you get our free weekly(-ish) snow report by email. It's rather good and not made up by tourist offices (or people that love the tourist office and want to marry it either)... We don't share your email address with anyone and we never send out any of those cheesy 'message from our partners' emails either. Anyway, snowHeads really is MUCH better when you're logged in - not least because you get to post your own messages complaining about things that annoy you like perhaps this banner which, incidentally, disappears when you log in :-)
Username:-
 Password:
Remember me:
👁 durr, I forgot...
Or: Register
(to be a proper snow-head, all official-like!)

Beginner avy safety course options?
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead

Planning on taking a safety course this season, as all my current knowledge is from what I've read and have very little practical experience, and I was wondering if anybody had any good recs? It'd have to be somewhere in the alps, and anything that involves touring is off as I don't plan on starting anytime soon. Cheers!
snow conditions
snow conditions
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person

Did you look at the chamex L1 course in chamonix?
snow conditions
snow conditions
 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

If you read and fully take in templers how to stay alive in avalanche terrain you are ahead of where any one week course will get you. Not that you shouldn't do the course as well, practice actually putting theory I to practice (e.g. beacon search, digging etc.) is also key.

Not sure about courses in Europe, but I'd be tempted to try and arrange a 1:1 guide for the day and explain I want to do/learn/practice x,y,z.
ski holidays
ski holidays
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.

Tremper is a good book. A very good book. It's accessible, well explained and comprehensive...BUT it really isn't a substitute for a taught / practical course. To sink in, stuff needs to be practiced and an L1 course really does that well. L1 includes route planning so there's likely to be a touring element - at least there is with the excellent Avalanche Geeks course run out of Megeve. You may end up being limited unless you get something bespoke (my bro arranged a group of work colleagues to do a day or two's course with a local guide).
ski holidays
ski holidays
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I think it’s a great idea to take a safety course before venturing into the alps. You can never have too much knowledge or practice. You can try courses from Avalanche Academy or Course by Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust.
latest report
latest report



Terms and conditions  Privacy Policy