Chamonix accidents

You have probably heard the news of the two tragic accidents last
weekend.

The Vallée Blanche accident is really sad and could probably happen to
any of us but when people ski in high altitude off-piste ski areas
should they not accept that there are risks. The mountains are
certainly a dangerous playground and one should not forget this.

What do you think of the following piece:

http://www.roundhaytoday.co.uk/news/...tim.3844817.jp

PS. There are actually very clear sign that are impossible to miss
when you get to the top of the Aiguille du Midi warning people that it
is a very dangerous area and not a piste.

On Thu, 6 Mar 2008 11:25:46 -0800 (PST), in
,
French_Skier wrote:

What do you think of the following piece:

http://www.roundhaytoday.co.uk/news/...tim.3844817.jp

Load of uninformed twaddle, innit? Skiing/boarding is a dangerous
activity and anyone taking part needs to be aware of this. In Chamonix
it's virtually impossible, unless you walk around with your eyes
closed, to see the high level of safety precautions taken by most
serious skiers, and you'd have to be very stupid indeed to be unaware
of the risk, or at least that there may be risk you don't fully
understand.

PS. There are actually very clear sign that are impossible to miss
when you get to the top of the Aiguille du Midi warning people that it
is a very dangerous area and not a piste.

There are signs all over the place, as I recall. What the family
member quoted seems to want would be a US-style rigid enforcement of
"safe" area skiing only, which, all else apart, runs completely
counter to the French ideal of the 'Montagne Libre'.

Very sad when someone dies like this, of course, but really there's no
point in trying to pin the blame on someone else.

Ace wrote:
On Thu, 6 Mar 2008 11:25:46 -0800 (PST), in
,
French_Skier wrote:

What do you think of the following piece:

http://www.roundhaytoday.co.uk/news/...tim.3844817.jp

Load of uninformed twaddle, innit? Skiing/boarding is a dangerous
activity and anyone taking part needs to be aware of this. In Chamonix
it's virtually impossible, unless you walk around with your eyes
closed, to see the high level of safety precautions taken by most
serious skiers, and you'd have to be very stupid indeed to be unaware
of the risk, or at least that there may be risk you don't fully
understand.

PS. There are actually very clear sign that are impossible to miss
when you get to the top of the Aiguille du Midi warning people that
it is a very dangerous area and not a piste.

There are signs all over the place, as I recall. What the family
member quoted seems to want would be a US-style rigid enforcement of
"safe" area skiing only, which, all else apart, runs completely
counter to the French ideal of the 'Montagne Libre'.

Very sad when someone dies like this, of course, but really there's no
point in trying to pin the blame on someone else.

Seems to be the British disease though these days - whenever anything 'bad'
happens these days it's always someone else's fault.....

On 7 Mar, 08:48, " cupra" wrote:
Ace wrote:
On Thu, 6 Mar 2008 11:25:46 -0800 (PST), in
,
French_Skier wrote:

What do you think of the following piece:

http://www.roundhaytoday.co.uk/news/...ski-victim.384...

Load of uninformed twaddle, innit? Skiing/boarding is a dangerous
activity and anyone taking part needs to be aware of this. In Chamonix
it's virtually impossible, unless you walk around with your eyes
closed, to see the high level of safety precautions taken by most
serious skiers, and you'd have to be very stupid indeed to be unaware
of the risk, or at least that there may be risk you don't fully
understand.

PS. There are actually very clear sign that are impossible to miss
when you get to the top of the Aiguille du Midi warning people that
it is a very dangerous area and not a piste.

There are signs all over the place, as I recall. What the family
member quoted seems to want would be a US-style rigid enforcement of
"safe" area skiing only, which, all else apart, runs completely
counter to the French ideal of the 'Montagne Libre'.

Very sad when someone dies like this, of course, but really there's no
point in trying to pin the blame on someone else.

Seems to be the British disease though these days - whenever anything 'bad'
happens these days it's always someone else's fault.....- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Strikes me that it's some local rag journalist sensationalising a
story that should be reported with a straight bat. Sounds like he's
spinning quotes from an understandably upset relative who may not have
been to the Alps, let alone skied them.

Resorts are treading a thin line sometimes - they've got to make
everyone aware of the dangers, but freeride is what brings in the
punters, especially in places like Chamonix and Tignes and Val, so
they don't want to put everyone off. I reckon they mostly get the
balance right.

In the Espace Killy the local radio stations tell you every hour in
English and in French "It's an avalanche risk of X, so if you're going
off piste make sure you have a shovel, probe and transceiver, know how
to use them and never go off piste alone. If you want more advise go
to the freeride chalet at the Col du Palet where you can learn to use
a transceiver for free." - they give this little speech regardless of
whether the risk is 1 or 5 or in between. All the safety stations
additionally have blackboard right in front of the exits to the lifts
that state the risk, plus additional info on wind slabs and pack
stability. If it's not safe they have a big "STAY ON PISTE!", again in
French, English and usually Italian and Spanish. And that's before you
get to the yellow and black signs, ropes and 'closed' signs.

Does everyone pay attention? No, but then it's personal choice and, as
long as they're not about to set off a slide above an open piste, they
can dice with their lives if they want.

Slightly more sober account off the VB tragedy on pistehors.com where
you could also read similarly tragic stories and people playing the
blame game.

Matt

Slightly more sober account off the VB tragedy on pistehors.com where
you could also read similarly tragic stories and people playing the
blame game.

Matt- Hide quoted text -


Found a photo of the Vallee Blanche warning sign on
http://david.geraldine.club.fr/Piste...he-warning.jpg
Not sure what else can be done to warn people of the danger apart from
totally closing the down the Aiguille du Midi which would obviously be
stupid.

On Fri, 7 Mar 2008 08:48:30 -0000, " cupra"
wrote:

Very sad when someone dies like this, of course, but really there's no
point in trying to pin the blame on someone else.

Seems to be the British disease though these days - whenever anything 'bad'
happens these days it's always someone else's fault.....

Just a 'media disease', I think.

--
Champ
neal at champ dot org dot uk

In message
,
Matt T writes

If it's not safe they have a big "STAY ON PISTE!", again in
French, English and usually Italian and Spanish. And that's before you
get to the yellow and black signs, ropes and 'closed' signs.

Does everyone pay attention? No, but then it's personal choice and, as
long as they're not about to set off a slide above an open piste, they
can dice with their lives if they want.


Did you see the Darwin Award nomination for two North Americans (one
skis, one board) who passed four warning signs and a fence to enter a
closed area and get themselves avalanched?
The Darwin judges said the stupidity itself was too common to earn an
award but the four signs got it special consideration.

--
Sue ]

On 8 Mar, 22:09, MadCow wrote:
In message
,
Matt T writes



If it's not safe they have a big "STAY ON PISTE!", again in
French, English and usually Italian and Spanish. And that's before you
get to the yellow and black signs, ropes and 'closed' signs.

Does everyone pay attention? No, but then it's personal choice and, as
long as they're not about to set off a slide above an open piste, they
can dice with their lives if they want.

Did you see the Darwin Award nomination for two North Americans (one
skis, one board) who passed four warning signs and a fence to enter a
closed area and get themselves avalanched?
The Darwin judges said the stupidity itself was too common to earn an
award but the four signs got it special consideration.

--
Sue *]

As I was reading that I was thinking "Surely that's too common an
occurence to earn an award."

Happens every year here - people get sloppy, they've jumped that fence
before, done that slope before and can see tracks made that morning,
so figure it's safe. They don't know enough to take account of the
time of day, way the slope's facing and what that's done to the snow
that, frankly, could easily have slipped when those first tracks were
made. Quick way to an early grave.

Matt

On Fri, 7 Mar 2008 08:51:11 -0800 (PST), French_Skier
wrote:

Found a photo of the Vallee Blanche warning sign on
http://david.geraldine.club.fr/Piste...he-warning.jpg

I love going past that sign :-)

The most obvious one is on the italian helbronner side, where you have
to go through a gate with the sign right next to it.
--
Champ
neal at champ dot org dot uk