 Poster: A snowHead
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Anyone been? We're in Val Despair next week, thinking we might just mosey on down if it's worth a listen, escpecially as it's apparently during happy hour
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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davidof's been - in fact I think he's given a couple of talks there himself. You could PM him for info...
I might nip up to Val myself next week nbt, so could it be 'nbt' meets 'nbs'? 
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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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that would be great. We're with Ski Val in the Jardins Alpins at the foot of the solaise, if that means anything? Not been to Val mesel' so I don;t know what the village is like
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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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It's like a home from home. East Enders, Coronation Street, Kevin McClean ... and some of the world's best skiing.
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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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From what I hear it's more Crime and Punishment than Emmerdale in Val these days...
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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 went to a talk on avalanches in a bar in Val D'Isere about 10 years ago from a guy who (if I recall correctly) had a degree in "snow studies" from the University of Utah (I'm not joking!). Would that have been Henry? It was definitely time well spent, & I'd presume he's got more stories to tell ten years on....
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Next month marks the 35th anniversary of a terrible avalanche in Val d'Isere which engulfed the then youth hostel, killing 40 guests out to enjoy ski holidays, so the town has a permanent and very solemn reason for remembering the dangers.
I've often seen mentions of Henry's talks, so I'm sure they're worth a shot. I'd certainly go.
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Henry has been giving avalanch talks in Val d'Isere for several years. For anyone planning to ski off piste I recommend going to the Monday or Tuesday talks. I have been several times and keep learning more. Did you know that piste security (the pisteurs or snow patrol) are just that, ie piste security. They do not protect the off piste areas. They only visit the off piste to protect the pistes, the roads and the towns.
The Monday and Tuesday talks are general. There is also a Thursday presentation that gives more about conditions local to Val d'Isere and often has a guest speaker or a theme. A frequent visitor is one of the Fornet sector pisteurs, "Fab". He is one of their explosives experts, he has an interesting sense of humour and a lot of stories.
Spending a couple of non-skiing hours learning about skiing safer seems good value to me. You can also feel good about supporting the local economy by buying their beer. Please go to Henry's talks at Dicks Tear Bar for 6pm. Also visit
http://hat-enterprises.dnsalias.com/avalanchetalk/
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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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| Julian T wrote: |
| I went to a talk on avalanches in a bar in Val D'Isere about 10 years ago from a guy who (if I recall correctly) had a degree in "snow studies" from the University of Utah (I'm not joking!). Would that have been Henry? It was definitely time well spent, & I'd presume he's got more stories to tell ten years on.... |
Yes that would be Henry, although he's still very youthful, must be the mountain air. The talks are well worth attending. If you are in other resorts there are some alternatives, notably the Free Respect events at les Deux Alpes.
Here is a list of other avalanche training events that I know about. Apart from our own end of season bash that is.
I gave a talk on Avalanche Avoidance last year and will be back to present a review of last years accidents in France sometime soon. I will let snowheads know the date.
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Definitely worth going. We caught the tail end of his presentation at the Daily Mail Snow show this year in London. Very informative, and if you're an avid off-piste skier/rider, it's essential information!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Buming this back up, I can highly recommend a visit. Although it used to be free, the 5 euro entrance charge is no big deal, and if you arrive early enough you can double up on drinks @ happy hours prices - 3 euros a pint until 6 pm, when the talk starts. We went to the monday session rather than the more established tuesday session and I think attendance was lower for our sesion
Henry's presentational style is not what one might call polished, which is a surprise given that he's been doing this for twenty years. The information he presents, though, is worth listening to. the majority of what he tells you seems to be common sense, and the vast majority of it was ringing entire peals of bells in my head, yet I'd never linked it together in the way he did : for instance, I quite often punch at the ground with my ski poles, and note that the basket goes through a crust into much softer snow underneath, but I didn;t know the technical reason why (depth hoar, or "goblets" in french, which is formed when snow starts melting from the ground up since the ground is always warmer then the snow above it, apparently)
We also came back for the more in-depth discussion later in the week, witha much larger attendance. However I only saw the first half as Henry's one-hour talks are not exactly times to the minute, he does take a very continental approach to timing - if you have to get back for a chalet meal, have a quick word with him before the presentation starts so he doesn;t let it go on too long. And as has been pointed out, it's quite sobering when he shows a picture of a piste on whic you;ve recently skiied, buried under several metres of avalanche debris.
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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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Considering the conditions, I thought this was worth a bump. I have known Henry for all the time he has been doing these talks and while his presentation style isn't the most polished and his timekeeping is bad, there is nobody who has done more to promote safe off piste skiing that I know of. Go to his presentations - not just once but time and again. If each time you remember just one mor ething it could save your life. Henry also organises transceiver training sessions which are well worth while. Henry is also assisted by Andreas, who for those who have met him, has just become a Dad!
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I just did Henry's transceiver training on Sunday, in waist deep powder, and I can say that it is probably the most worthwhile day of training I have ever done. Conditions were thick blizzard, minimal visibility, tonnes of snow everywhere, freezing cold and wet through, but I learnt so much and now feel confident I would know what to do if the worst happened. The importance of everyone carrying emergency equipment both for their own safety and for the safety of those they are skiing with cannot be stressed enough. The most important piece of information we gained was why only one person at a time should head down off piste, as finding multiple peeps is a very confusing task, and the time lost trying to decipher which signal is which could mean life or death. Go and take this training!
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