Within seconds, a 60-meter-wide slab of snow, weighing a thousand cars, fell from a mountain. "Avalanche! Elise!" a voice shouted. Ten frantic minutes later, Elyse was found 500 feet downhill, her nose ring torn away, her airbag collapsed, trapped in freezing snow. But she was alive. Three others never made it home.
This didn't happen to me, but to 2008 freeride world champion Eylse Saugstad and 15 friends in North America on February 19, 2012. The scenario was described in a Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times account of that fateful day, entitled Snow Autumn : the avalanche at Tunnel Creek.
Myself and twenty other skiers had been given this article to read as homework. We were at the Tignes resort in France, training to become a representative of the Ski Club of Great Britain, where we were taught by the ski industry's top brass. We all completed an 11-day Mountain Safety and Leadership Course, and this was part of our three-day American Avalanche Level 1 qualification.
It was one of four modules - including performance on snow, all-terrain skiing and "how to have a good reputation" - that we had to pass for the refresher course, which, astonishingly, hasn't changed much in recent years. year.
Revival of the repeats
Last November the Ski Club announced they would be expanding their resort representation from 18 to 24 resorts in 2022/23, to 30 this winter and 50 in 2030, making hundreds of extra places available for enthusiastic volunteers. I had signed up, along with a lot of others. It was a dramatic turnaround from the summer of 2019, when they canceled the service completely. On legal advice, they changed the old leadership model of "blue coats" to "social skiing." The jackets are banned and representatives are no longer allowed to lead.
Our role? Be one of 230 volunteers (aged 19 to 71) who act as social ski concierge for the 17,000 members of the club - the oldest and largest of its kind in the world. This includes hosting members at resorts or during the Club's Freshtracks holidays, organizing social skiing and events. It is not paid, but costs are covered and the slots range from a long weekend of off-piste hosting in Europe to three weeks in Canada.
The story continues
Most on my course were mid-life professionals, empty nesters, or early retirees. They were all talented skiers, most had skied for a season and two were BASI instructors. We shared a common passion: more skiing, with a purpose.
For retired finance director Philippa Oram, who has been skiing for 36 years, her raison d'être was 'having fun with other like-minded skiers'.
"My husband doesn't ski and it's my passion," she explained.
A general vibe of, if not now, when? increases the number of registrations. Mike, whose 18-year-old daughter was considering a ski season, had signed up to relive his own season days while he could afford to take time off work and was still "relatively young and fit."
Peter Knight, who grew up not knowing anyone who skied, was grateful for the opportunity to ski more resorts in that role. However, he felt strongly that the Ski Club's demographic needed to diversify. "My SCGB representative experience has been entirely positive, but I would like to see more diversity in the skiing, membership and cohort of representatives," he said - less than a third of ski club representatives are women. "I am now aware that I fit perfectly into the stereotype of white, male, middle-aged and classy, but I do hope that this can change."
Learning to be an insider
Each module of the course connected to the next. In addition to the essential avalanche safety training, we spent time on the slopes taking carving lessons and listening to advice on ski equipment. On another day, club president Angus Maciver talked us through the art of a good representative: route planning; learn chairlifts and mountain restaurants by name; knowing the closing times and always looking for alternative, easier (or more challenging) routes down for skiers of all levels.
But perhaps the golden nugget takeaway was simply the rep's WhatsApp group - which has been an invaluable source of information. There's all kinds of information shared by representatives in all corners of the world, from the best insurance to weather apps, kit reviews to gear discounts, powder dumps to avalanche warnings.
Life-changing lessons
On the last day of the course, after completing our homework and discussing key insights from Saugstad's Pulitzer-Prize article, we were let loose in the Tignes ski area and skied the white gold, enjoying the turns. Then, disaster. While looking for a new spot, we came across an avalanche scene of our own. Kit was scattered across the rubble field. "Aidez-moi!" a voice shouted. It was as if we had switched to rescue mode on autopilot, putting all our new skills to the test.
At least in theory. This was our exam. "First of all: well done. Successful result. You got them all out alive," said Bruce Goodlad, co-founder of Avalanche Geeks and the Club's safety advisor since 2018. "12 minutes. Not bad. Up to 15 minutes, 80 percent chance of survival. After 15 minutes there is an 80 percent chance of death."
Then he said something that gave me chills. I'll never forget. "Make no mistake. Avalanches are not black swan events or the wrath of God. Nine out of 10 are man-made," Mike reiterated. "If you're not sure about the risk, don't ski there. That's what we do here are to teach you. If there is only one takeaway from this course, take this. Make good decisions. Safe skiing."
And with that the course was over. Everyone agreed that it had been 'excellent' and much more detailed than any of us had hoped. We returned home to our families at Christmas, with a new world of on-piste possibilities now at our fingertips.
What is it like to be a representative?
Britain's longest serving Ski Club representative, David Baker, 71, reflects on his 54 years of volunteeringI have skied with thousands of members at over 30 resorts over the past 55 years. My daughter Anna (34) is also a representative. Last year we were present together in Zermatt.
I have always loved skiing. I went skiing for the first time when I was three (1955) in Andermatt, Switzerland. My brother had tuberculosis and we had gone for 'fresh air'.
At the age of 17 (1969) I took part in the Davos rep training. Like today, it was about avalanche safety, route finding, ski performance and social skiing (ski skills tests, weekly races and drinking events at the resort).
Off the slopes we tied 10 meter red avalanche ropes around our waists. Transceivers or avalanche airbags came later.
The club was very social. The clubhouse in Eaton Square was jacket and tie and had a bar, dining room and rooms. The black tie ball at Hurlingham was a highlight.
Before the Internet, there was an Arnold Lunn Library and an Equipment Advisory Center with resort maps and paper files. I stopped by to look up places and check out the season's new skis, boots and bindings.
Just like today, it was a volunteer position, unpaid but paid with a mandatory refresher course every five years. We had an annual paper review manual of 120 pages. Now we have the Ski Club website and app. Until the 2000s, we also represented families and school trips and sent snow reports to newspapers.
I have skied at Grimentz, Engelberg, Flaine, La Grave, Whistler and the Tarentaise resorts. I am extremely grateful and I hope I reach 60 years as a representative - only six more to go!
Essentials
The Ski Club of Great Britain's Rep course costs from £3,299 (2023 price), for 11 days of half-board accommodation and transfers. Training includes skiing with fully qualified mountain guides and instructors, expert lessons, personal video analysis and American Avalanche Association 'Avalanche Safety Course Level 1' qualification. Prices and dates for 2024 are yet to be confirmed. Find out more and apply at skiclub.co.uk/ski-club-reps.
