Monday, February 11th, 2013

SBO Ski Guiding Course – Spending Time With Mountain Yodas

This last two weeks I’ve been in Aussois, Valfrejus, Bonneval as well as around the mountains of La Grave for guide courses related to ski guiding.

We started of the first four days in and around the small ski area of Aussois in Savoie to spend a few days with Alain Duclos, one of the authorities of snow and avalanche science in the mountain world. Alain took us for a ride in to his life long experience of, and passion for, avalanches and showed us bits and pieces of the knowledge he has gathered leading up to his decision to leave guiding. You can simply never be completely safe in avalanche terrain, and if you are going to seek the rewards of powder skiing then bliss and risk will both be your companions.

We also got accompanied one day by Manuel Genswein, one of the brains behind the modern avalanche transceiver. After years and years of training in companion rescue it was great to get one day with someone who came up with all the different techniques and the technology behind it.

After these four initial days we went to La Grave for a “rest day” where we, of course, went up for another great powder day before the last five days of actual ski guiding. Top ski guides like Stefan Palm, Pierre Rizzardo, Per Ås and Robin Molinatti was showing and refining our guide techniques during lift access skiing below La Meje, ski touring around the Ecrins as well as in the class room.

It’s great to get the opportunity to learn from some of the best guys in the business – both what to do as well as what to stay away from. Life is a path of learning, unlearning and relearning, and I feel grateful to have the chance to do all these things with some of the Yodas of mountain guiding.

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2 Comments

  1. Danny Jendral
    11 February, 2013

    Can I please get some information about the Course? Sounds like a great thing.

  2. Joey Wolfe
    19 March, 2013

    “You can simply never be completely safe in avalanche terrain, and if you are going to seek the rewards of powder skiing then bliss and risk will both be your companions.”

    Well put sir.