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Ski touring and avalanche courses are booming

Ski touring, snowboard tours, snowshoe tours, freeriding: off-piste snow sports are booming. According to the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC), this trend is also causing a snowballing demand for avalanche safety courses. (SRF, swissinfo.ch)

Many people these days want the experience of skiing or exploring fresh, untouched, powder snow. Mountain skiers and variant skiers are addicted to the sensation of jumping down an untouched, remote slope, which can feel like dancing on skis. 

Diving into the white mass of ice crystals, turning your knees to the right with a slight twist, turning back to the left when the powder snow floats into the air; it’s grandiose, aficionados say.

But it’s also highly dangerous. Every year around 100 people die in avalanches throughout the Alps, and in most cases the victims, winter sports enthusiasts, trigger the avalanche themselves. 

After just 15 minutes spent buried in an avalanche, the situation becomes critical. Hardly anyone survives longer than half an hour. And this is why many who want to take the risk of exploring untouched powder attend an avalanche course.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR