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From The Sunday Times

January 20, 2008

26 avalanche deaths in 16 days

The Ski Club of Great Britain is recommending that skiers heed local avalanche advice and ensure that they are properly equipped and experienced before venturing off piste after a chilling start to the new year.

Avalanches have killed 26 in Europe since January 1, and most resorts in southern Europe remain on high alert. In France, ski stations in the Haute Provence, Haute Alpes and Alpes Maritimes départements have raised the risk assessment to four – meaning “high” – on a scale of one to five.

Two resorts – La Toussuire and St-Jean Montclar – were at level five late last week, and the avalanche risk is expected to remain high for much of the week as westerly winds bring more snow to the region.

The French ski guide Marc Ambrault says that British skiers frequently overestimate their ability. “Guys come to me with all the latest kit and tell me they’ve been skiing for 10 years,” he says.

“What they don’t seem to realise is that if they’ve been coming once a year, it means they’ve been skiing for just 10 weeks. They think they are experts, but the real experts round here are the ones who aren’t heading off piste.”

“We fully agree with that,” says the Ski Club of Great Britain. “Anyone venturing off piste should be carrying a transceiver, a shovel and a probe, but they’ll do you no good if you don’t know how to use them.

“If you’re buried by an avalanche, you’ve got a good chance of survival if you’re found in 15 minutes. After 30 minutes, that chance drops to 50% – and skiers should bear in mind that, on average, it takes rescuers 45 minutes to reach the scene. The message is, you’re relying on those you’re skiing with to be competent enough to save you.”