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Deep, vain thuds echo the valley as dawn bursts over the Mont Blanc massif. The sound of controlled avalanche outbreaks; An incomprehensible signal that the ski patrol is at work, long before the first to remove the mood in life.
At Mont Blanc, like elsewhere in the world, ski patrols are the first on the mountain and the last to leave. Their work goes far beyond the response to damage; They are responsible for softening avalanche, weather monitoring, slope maintenance and education of mountain security skiers. In resorts like Chamonix, where considerable ground out of the track adds to the challenge, their expertise can be the difference between a break of vacation and a life -threatening situation.
To celebrate today’s international ski patrol – an initiative backed by Helly Hansen, a tall partner of ski professionals – I’m shading Mehdi Valentin, one of the Chamonix ski patrols. At the age of 35, he is the head of the Balme Le Tour track with 10 years of experience.
The work of the ski patrol begins in close darkness. Mehdi and I set out in the opening of the opening of Le Tour, skiing from top to bottom. The breeze groomed runs extend forward, their unmistakable condition a result of a night surgery involving about 30 snowcats working throughout the valley.
The mountain is quiet quiet. The elevators remain without movement above, and the lack of skiers makes the landscape feel wide. But behind the feeling of distance lies an exactly orchestrated security system. Mehdi retires next to a trail trail and asks, “Do you know what the orange color is on top of these poles?” Despite years of skiing, I admit that I have no idea. Orange fire, he explains, serves as an important navigation aid, appearing only above the poles on the right side of the slope. Later that day, in white conditions, I learn how invaluable such innocent details can be. The morning checks ended, the Mehdi radios for his colleagues that the Le Tour ski area is ready to open.
After returning to Charamillon Gondola station, Mehdi explains the rigorous training required in France. “You need a five -week degree to join (ski patrol). Then you specialize – avalanche control, weather observation or avalanche dogs.” It doesn’t stop here; Progressing through each of the three ranks of the ski patrol requires at least two years of work experience between each step.
As the day takes shape, Mehdi Crack Radio in life: a skier has received a difficult drop in a blue run. Isingudarely, most ski accidents do not occur on steep slopes, with black value, but rather on intermediate shirts. Says Mehdi: “They are more busy, more familiar and less technique, so people leave their guard.
The 14 -person patrol team in Balme Le Tour responds to about eight incidents a day; During a season, they treat about 300 rescue. Knee injuries make up the majority of hospitalization – about 75 percent – followed by shoulder issues and, less often, head or neck trauma. “Most knee injuries occur when ski crosses – especially in soft snow,” Mehdi says.
For severe injuries, patrols use vacuum pieces to immobilize the limbs before transporting skiers down the mountain to the “Blood Truck”, or escape. Hypothermia is always disturbing, so patients are wrapped in insulation of blankets for subtraction. This season, the team has also introduced Penthrox, an inhaled soothing that Mehdi describes as a “game change”.
The avalanche poses the greatest risk. The wide Chamonix off-pistist terrain attracts excitement researchers, but entrepreneurship beyond the marked jogs without proper clothing or knowledge can be deadly. Last month, a 55-year-old skier was killed in a massive avalanche in a closed area of the Resort Grands Monts; Four other skiers lost their lives in a second avalanche not far away.
The survival rate drops after 15 minutes of burial, but these days patrols use front technology such as reco-transponders of passive passive skiing-level clothing-to find rapidly buried skiors. “Last year, we saved a skier within minutes thanks to Recco,” Mehdi says.
Despite technological advances, avalanche dogs remain an essential part of the Arsenal of Rescue. I look like utah, a 10 -month -old golden traction in training, bordered through snow during a searching exercise mocks. A trained dog can require 100 mq m in minutes, much faster than human rescue.
The mountains are changing. The warmest winters mean that ski patrols now go through some of their time-limiting time-to-turn ranges that are rarely required in the past. But the equipment has also evolved to make people safer: most skiers now wear helmets, and many off -trapped adventurers hold back and airbag transmitters. However, added protection can give skiers a belief that trusts their abilities. “Ski people soon now, following records on their smartphones,” Mehdi says. “They have a false sense of safety and this leads to larger clashes” – often resulting in more complicated injuries.
As the top of Mont Blanc dome shines at the end of the sun, Mehdi and I begin in the last cleansing. It is a slow, deliberate background, ensuring that no one is left on the slopes before snowcats begin their night. The passing of a day in their world offers a new rating for the ski patrol. Millions of skiers carve their way down these legendary slopes, never realizing how much effort goes to protect them. So the next time you hear the distant part of the avalanche control at dawn, take a moment to evaluate these mountain guardians.
Fergus Scholes traveled as guest of Helly Hansen
