 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
I'm a fairly strong off-piste skier and am interested in doing a course on avalanche safety for off piste skiing/ touring. Has anyone done such a thing? I would go anywhere in the Alps (as long as there is good off piste!) I've attended Henry's avalanche talk in Val, which is great, but I want something more in-depth and practical, on the snow. Any recommendations?
Thanks! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Lovessnoow, Does Henry not do any courses ?
I can't recommend any directly I would suggest a visit to Amazon to stock up on some reading material. There are a few threads on here covering good reference material. You might also have a look at http://www.pistehors.com/
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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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Lovessnoow, These guys Mountain Tracks offer avalanche courses in the Alps. I listened to two talks from one of their guides (Matt Dickinson) during the PSB and learnt a few things. Matt is also a snowHead so he might appear at some point to offer some advice
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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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I did the advanced Mountain Tracks course in Chamonix a couple of years ago. Highly recommended. Chamex in Argentiere are now running a level one AAIRE course (the first stage in the US avalanche curriculum). I haven't got direct experience of that course but I did my initial off piste training with Chamex and they were also excellent.
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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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I'm giving the Chamex AAIRE course a try in a couple of weeks so will report back if it's any good.
A bit of snow would be nice before then obviously 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hi.
We offer two levels of Avalanche course, usually in Chamonix but we travel for groups.
Foundation: 2 days plus an evening session
Advanced: 3 days plus an evening session
The foundation course is aimed at recreational skiers with no previous avalanche training, focusing on the basic essentials. The advanced course is aimed at intermediate level recreational skiers and mountain professionals who take their backcountry skiing seriously and who are going to be travelling independently (unguided) in backcountry terrain.
If I can be of any further help please contact me.
Matt
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We do Avalanche Safety Courses - and nothing else. We are the first and only dedicated avalanche training school in Chamonix. We have four courses running every week in Chamonix from mid December until the end of March. Also, our courses are guaranteed to run, regardless of booking numbers. All safety equipment is provided free of charge and is top quality.
Have a look at http://www.avalancheacademy.com
If any Snowheads e mail us we will give a 10% discount on bookings made before Christmas.
Stay safe this winter
Stuart
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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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Excellent, thanks a lot for all the info. I love Chamonix, so I will have a look at the websites.
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Lovessnoow, if you haven't yet booked I'd recommend Stuart at the Avalanche Academy. He's also an IFMGA mountain guide and I did a day's avalanche training with him last season. It really set me up to feel able to assess the risks when off-piste without a guide, rather than just taking uneducated guesses.
The theory talk while we skied was of the kind you can actually use and the instruction was professional but still with a bit of banter! I was in a group of five and we covered many topics including equipment choice, avalanche report interpretation, route finding, using the terrain features (importance of aspect and slope angle), effects of weather and wind both long term and short term, how to move in a group, and digging snowholes to analyse snow pack stability. We also did some practical exercises involving single and multiple burial scenarios where the emphasis was on starting with a properly organised rescue effort, accurate beeper locating and correct digging techniques.
Not only that but I had a brilliant day off-piste skiing in places I didn't know existed!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I think that this thread, or something similar, should be a sticky in the off piste forum.
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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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Lovessnoow, I can reccomend the Avalanche Academy, used Stuart and the guys for some training prior to an ISIA exam and they were excellent.
Could not reccomend them more.
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