Right this moment (February 10, 2025) is Worldwide Ski Patrol Day, once we all have fun the work of our slope security heroes. Forward of the massive day, Seb Ramsay spent a day with the Les Grands Montets ski patrol within the Chamonix Valley. In addition to discovering out how the crew labored, he caught a glimpse of the real-life pressures behind the glamour of the uniform.
A shadow flicks throughout Laurent Langoisseur’s face as speak turns to the notorious Montroc avalanche of February 9,1999.
Twelve folks died when a 300,000 cubic metre avalanche spilled into the tiny Chamonix Valley hamlet at 60mph, smashing buildings and wreaking devastation.
Assistant chef of Les Grand Montets ski patrol Laurent, 58, wears the duty of his put up with a simple humour however the lack of a colleague that day is a reminiscence that weighs closely.
“I feel all of us do not forget that day. Folks my age actually do,” he says, “We misplaced a good friend. One of many casualties – Daniel – was once a ski patroller.”
(The crew determine and mark hazards on Grands Montets cliff, rock and gully-peppered 28km of piste. Pic credit score Olly Bowman)
Later that 12 months, the mayor of Chamonix was sentenced to a few months in jail for ‘murder and involuntary accidents’ for not having evacuated the chalets within the avalanche’s path.
The significance and duty of the ski patrol is such that tragedy and loss are very a lot the on a regular basis.
Simply 4 days after I spent a day with the ski patrol at Les Grands Montets, an avalanche killed a person snowboarding off-piste in a closed space. I used to be a visitor of Norwegian clothes firm Helly Hansen who present the crew’s package.
(Casualties are immobilised with an inflatable physique forged that permits them to be transported by sled. Pic credit score Olly Bowman)
Les Grands Montets is especially well-known for its off-piste runs however, whereas conserving tabs on these, the ski patrollers stress that their focus have to be the pistes themselves and it’s these runs that they work to make secure.
Former Alpine soldier Laurent explains that it’s seldom not busy. Throughout the Chamonix valley, the varied ski patrols cope with round 1,000 accidents a 12 months and a few 380 in Les Grands Montets alone. The resort above Argentière is Chamonix’s largest and hottest ski space.
The day started for us at round 7am getting on the telecabine carry to Plan Joran some 750m above Argentière. It’s been snowing fairly closely for a couple of hours however there’s little wind which is vital to the security of the slopes.
Laurent, who has accomplished 30 years as a patroller, take us to the climate station near the ski patrol cabin at Lognan and explains his first job. Firstly he measures the depth, temperature and humidity of the brand new snow that’s fallen within the final 24h. At round 8am there’s been 15cm of contemporary snow and 142cm within the complete snow pack. The snow is at 0C – heat – and the humidity is 97%. He additionally takes the utmost and minimal temperatures over the past day. He shares these figures with the entire crew and the carry employees through his radio after which they’re used to tell the day’s briefing.
Laurent makes use of an app to hook up with a sensor that measures present temperature plus most and minimal over the previous 24 hours. Pic Olly Bowman.
Ski patrol chef de piste Christophe Bonoyan conducts the briefing, addressing the 10-strong crew within the cabin. The patrollers will work in pairs with two completely based mostly on the highest level of the piste community in order that they will reply shortly to any experiences of an accident. The remainder will spend the subsequent hour or two ensuring that the pistes are secure to be opened and the lifts gained’t begin till the crew are 100% happy.
Christophe talks with the crew concerning the areas the place new snowfall threatens to avalanche on to the piste beneath. Within the spots which are simply accessed, the groups will use their skis to provoke the slide by slicing the slab just by snowboarding throughout. Within the more durable to achieve areas there’s a community of pipes referred to as Gaz-Ex that are positioned to direct a gasoline explosion to set off an avalanche. The distinctive blasts may be heard all through ski resorts early within the morning following a dump of snow. There are additionally areas the place overhead pulleys are used with explosives. Patrollers use timed fuses to verify the fees ignite in the precise spot.
On this event, nearly no wind has accompanied the blizzard so the potential points are vastly lowered. Christophe says that wind-loaded faces create probably the most hazardous circumstances and require probably the most preparatory work earlier than the resort may be opened.
(The absence of wind in the course of the day’s snowfall means the chance of avalanche is considerably lowered. Pic Olly Bowman)
Laurent, who was born in Normandy within the north-west of France, explains that when a loaded, avalanche-prone slab of snow has slid, it nearly at all times proves no additional risk.
He says that they will simply delay the opening of the carry and, once in a while, it will likely be as late as midday earlier than they’re completely satisfied to permit skiers on to the hill.
“We attempt to do every part attainable. We all know the locations over time the place there may be issues and we attempt to do as a lot as we will,” he says.
The Gaz-Ex system is completely remotely managed by pc. The massive pipes – typically seen on ridges and couloirs – combine and ignite gases, directing the ensuing blast on to snow-loaded slopes above the pisted space.
(The ultimate sweep rewards the crew with memorable views – pic Seb Ramsay)
There are 13 at Les Grands Montets and a few members of the ski patrol crew will work by way of the summer time season to take care of and prolong the system.
Laurent, whose spouse and daughter each work in Chamonix, says additionally they use a helicopter-mounted system to provide them the pliability to set off avalanches in difficult spots.
“When you may’t go on skis as a result of it’s too harmful you may drop a cost from a helicopter and we now have one other system – it’s referred to as Daisy Bell – it’s like a V-shape and carries some sort of gasoline tanks and we will transfer it to the place we wish it on the mountain. All the pieces else is ready within the mountain and you may’t transfer it.”
As soon as the lifts and ski pistes are open, the extra day-to-day duties of the ski patrol embrace ensuring the fencing defending skiers from hazard areas and piste marker posts are in place.
(Assistant chef de piste Laurent Langoisseur measures the depth of snowpack. Picture credit score Olly Bowman)
Laurent, who works as a mountain climbing information in the summertime, says: “All of the ski patrol will put their gear away after which they’ll go as much as any cable automobiles and chair lifts and begin to go on totally different runs and see if there’s any bother like an avalanche that’s reduce throughout the ski runs after which you may’t ski anymore. Or the fences had been taken down by the wind. It may very well be something however that’s how the day is spent – patrolling, doing rescues and fixing issues with one crew staying on the prime on a regular basis.”
On the finish of the day the crew will sweep the mountain whereas conserving the first-responding crew of two on the prime.
“We return to the highest altogether and preserve one crew for the emergencies and we cut up the teams so one ski patrol will go on that ski run and we go all over the place to verify there’s nobody left. If they’re misplaced or any sort of bother or injured on the ski run hopefully generally we’ll attempt to watch off-piste however principally we do the ski run.
“If we now have sufficient ski patrol and we now have one man free then we’d ship him by way of an space of off piste that we all know has been busy however principally – as a result of that’s the principles, we need to clear the ski runs that we open to the general public.”
Helly Hansen is donating 5% of e-commerce gross sales and choose retail retailer gross sales from February tenth to varied organisations that help ski patrol internationally, together with Fédération Internationale des Patrouilles de Ski (FIPS), Canadian Ski Patrol and The Northwest Avalanche Heart (NWAC).
As well as, anybody who buy new Helly ski gear obtain an extra day on the slopes due to its annual Ski Free programme. The supply is on the market at 50 prime resorts in Europe and North America together with Chamonix, Swiss freeride paradise Verbier and Scotland’s Glenshee.
Photos above and prime credit score Seb Ramsay, pictured beneath snowboarding by way of the Magic Forest off-piste space of Les Grands Montets (pic credit score: Olly Bowman).
Learn Extra – How I Improved My Snowboarding on the Helly Hansen Ladies’s Camps
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