 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm looking for avalanche instruction in the French Alps - based in Southern Alps (so La Grave or Briancon area would be ideal), but could travel if needed. More interested in assessing snow pack and decision making than on companion rescue. Bonus points for following a curriculum, such as AIARE or similar. I'd be looking to join an existing course due to costs. Any recommendations from the snow heads hive mind?
I'm a ski tourer, my aim is to be safer and make better decisions, both when planning tours and when out on tours.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Euro avalanche school run a course in LG early in the winter.
On specific instructors, I'd recommend Steve Jones who works with Euro Avalanche school but lives in Leysin. I'd also recommend Stuart Macdonald who works out of Chamonix.
Avalanche Geeks look very strong on paper but I have no personal experience of their training courses.
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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?
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| wimpytwo wrote: |
| .....I'm a ski tourer, my aim is to be safer and make better decisions, both when planning tours and when out on tours...... |
Yep that's exactly the reason why I investigated what was on offer.
I did the week-long Euro Avalalnche Course in La Grave, which I only heard recently from a guide mate who helped run the course, with the two Brits, that it has not run since Covid, even though the website is still up!
The course was classroom in the morning and fieldwork in the afternoon, so we dug a lot of snow pits and did a lot of profiling, along with avalanche rescue theory and practice.
And at the end of it I was the proud owner of a Diploma, but it didn't stop me a couple of seasons later from seriously getting taken out in one and I had a very lucky escape 
What I really wanted from it more was what you've stated, and I think we only did one afternoon doing that, and ironically in what I call my back-garden ski touring up in the Galibier sector, and I was very surprised at the route they advocated, but I kept schtum.
Really I think the only way is to tour with a guide and explain what you would like to do, though I did that once with one and I had the distinct feeling he didn't like the questions I was asking,
It is very difficult, now I tend to stick to more mellow terrain, only doing steeper stuff in Spring when the snow-pack is more stable, depending on time of day/aspect etc
I find FatMap now invaluable in planning routes in new terrain, which I was doing yesterday, and looking at the avalanche overlay to reinforce my decisions.
Also on French IGN mapping you have the ski-tour routes as dashed blue lines (blue dots when steeper) not to be confused with torrents, and they always tend to take a mellow safe line.
There's a route below Pic Blanc, which is like the M25 because it's so popular, towards Trois Eveches / Vallons Roche Noire and I'm always amazed how nigh on 75% of ski-tourers (hopefully @KenX will be along to confirm at some point) do not take the mapped ski-tour route, which is not only faster/safer but a lot more comfortable as you're not on a flat ankle busting camber for two km.
So if you find yourself with a guide ask him if you can be a PITA 
That said huge chapeau for a couple of the routes that you've already done this season here !
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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From the tour planning perspective I found Powder Guide: Managing Avalanche Risk https://amzn.eu/d/dsz8SpR invaluable as well as Jimmy Oden's book on freeskiing.
Obviously neither is a substitute for instruction but the reduction method is an excellent starting point for beginning to be autonomous in avalanche terrain.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Thanks @weathercam, v helpful as always! Oh and you were spot on re the jump on people from Sunday to Monday. Now grateful for my ski addict pass!
@gorilla: I'll check it out. I've found "staying alive in avalanche terrain" pretty informative. And the book title appealed as it's exactly what I'm after.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I'd second a lot of what @Weathercam, said.
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Really I think the only way is to tour with a guide and explain what you would like to do
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Imo this is the most optimum way to learn. Ideally a week in a backcountry hut or refuge touring everyday picking their brains.
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I've found "staying alive in avalanche terrain" pretty informative.
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If you can take in that book you're already ahead of the majority out there!
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| gorilla wrote: |
| Euro avalanche school run a course in LG early in the winter. |
If you can get a space (and it's running) this is probably the best snow science course available in Europe. UK and Swedish mountains guides use it as their intro to snow safety
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I can vouch for the Avalanche Geeks - a vast amount of experience between them: Mike spends some of his winter as an avalanche forecaster in the US and Bruce is an accomplished guide.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Hi
For any kind of recognised courses you will probably need to travel. Avalanche Geeks are very good but their courses fill up very quick.
Around Briancon there are a few guides who do run stuff but not often, I have run a few courses with guides but only when on demand from a group.
Most good courses now have a good split with planning and decision making vrs rescue skills, quite a lot of the recognised course have a lot of the snow science stuff in their level 2 course and you often have to have done level 1 first, something to think about.
I am just off out for a tour, will see if I can come up with any local names that are running stuff this season.
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Regarding books, I may be a little out of date because I know it's been updated but I found Staying Alive to be excellent on the snow science but it's not immediately obvious how to apply the knowledge.
The key thing the first morning after it has snowed is knowing where to start poking around and to have an 80% idea of what's your first move before you have finished breakfast. That means being able to predict, using a rules framework, what's likely to be good and what's likely not to kill you. I appreciate the reduction method basically works by keeping you off steeper north facing slopes (where the best skiing is) but it is a great tool for starting to make decisions with real consequences in a dangerous environment.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Hence the book suggestions. Oden has a specific chapter on how to manage decision making on powder days based on his experience of Verbier (where you will see all sorts of stupid stuff).
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Another vote for Stuart Macdonald from me. The two day course I did was excellent. Lots of stuff about decision making, and also good practice scenarios (you can never practice enough, so don't discount that aspect). Practical, informative, easy to digest and put into practice yourself. https://www.avalancheacademy.com/
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You know it makes sense.
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I've also had a couple of days with Stuart and really enjoyed the basic course as a one day intro to get me started.
A great pace of course, mix of theory and practical and focus on avoidance rather rescue, but then some good drills for the last-resort rescue scenario.
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