Avalanche expert Henry Schniewind, who runs the very popular avalanche talks in the French Alps and sports presenter Matt Chilton have teamed up to produce an Avalanche Awareness DVD. Avalanches claim hundreds of lives each year. The victims range from mountain residents, travellers, soldiers and rescue workers to winter sports enthusiasts. The film takes a close look at the dangers lurking in the mountains, many of these lives are lost through a lack of understanding of the risk posed by the winter environment and the awesome power of avalanches.
This first part of the Avalanche & Off-Piste Awareness series educates snowsports enthusiasts about how to enjoy the thrill of the mountains in winter while understanding the dangers and how they can be avoided. It covers safety gear, mountain craft and search and rescue. It has been filmed in the French Alps but also includes sensational avalanche and mountain footage. You won’t be bored during the 35 minutes run time.
Henry Schniewind has become one of the leading avalanche educators in the French Alps. He has been invited to present seminars organised by the French National Avalanche Association, a rare accolade for an American. Henry started out as a ski racer in Vermont but his passions for avalanches came after a close call during his first winter in the French Alps which almost cost him his life. He returned to the United States to do his masters in Avalanche Forecasting. He is a fully qualified ski instructor (under the French system) and has over a decade of professional experience in the mountains.
Matt Chilton is best known as the voice of skiing on British Television. He is a regular presenter and commentator on Ski Sunday and Eurosport. He is also an enthusiastic off-piste skier. Matt and Henry met in the late 1980s when he was a barman at Dick’s in Val d’Isère and saw one of Henry’s first awareness talks.
For more information on the Avalanche Awareness DVD: http://www.avalancheawareness.co.uk/