Off-Piste Safety Equipment

by Alan Brown

This year the Ski Club of Great Britain is strongly promoting the wearing of safety equipment. All its resort reps will have available to them a supply of avalanche transceivers, shovels and probes and these will be loaned to their groups whenever they go off-piste.

The committee has discussed the purchase of such equipment for SCoM, but decided that the cost and administrative burden were too great for us to go ahead.

Even so, we do wish to support the principle from the Ski Club of Great Britain that, as more skiers venture off-piste to try their carving skis, this gear is not only readily available, but easy to use and should always be considered. Please bear in mind though, that the wearing of transceivers does not make off-piste skiing any safer: it might just help to save your life if you are caught in an avalanche ...

All good shops sell the whole range, although at up to £220 per transceiver - and each person in the group should have one - it doesn't come cheap. There is a special purchase offer for Ski Club of GB members and they should check their members pack for details. For non-members, the kit is available for hire from London.

Details are on their website at www.skiclub.co.uk

Transceivers: £40 for a week's holiday and £20 each extra week thereafter plus a refundable deposit.

Shovels: £20 for a week's holiday and £10 each extra week thereafter plus a refundable deposit.

Ring 0845 45 807 83 or email info@skiclub.co.uk