Risks are classified into 5 categories:

In case of heavy snowfall, rain, or sudden temperature changes, one must be very vigilant. Avalanches can occur spontaneously. To properly prepare for your outings, do not hesitate to consult our climbing and mountaineering accessories shop to be properly equipped. You can also find all the affordable mountaineering gear for safe outings.

Some tips to avoid risks:

• Stay informed about weather conditions and dangerous areas. The risk level is provided by the avalanche risk estimation bulletins from Météo-France, or by the avalanche risk pictograms and flags installed in the resorts.

• Carry a DVA (avalanche victim detector) or an ARVA (avalanche victim search device): a transmitter-receiver that allows for easier location of a person buried under an avalanche), a shovel, a probe and a phone regardless of the activity (off-piste skiing, hiking, etc.). Don’t forget to buy avalanche safety gear before leaving, and remember to check your Ortovox DVA equipment online or buy a Mammut airbag pack for enhanced safety.

• Do not go alone

• Inform someone of your round trip itinerary and expected return time

• Cross a risky area one by one, then take shelter in a safe zone

• When hiking, maintain a good distance between each group member: this avoids overloading the snow slabs

• Take the least steep slopes

• Keep an eye on the other group members

• Never stop below the track of others: the avalanche risk is multiplied there

• Move smoothly, avoid sharp turns and, if possible, falls.

What to do in case of an avalanche?

• Try to escape laterally

• Never try to descend faster than it

• Protect your airways by placing your hands in front of your nose and mouth

• Try to stay on the surface by making large swimming movements

• Get rid of your backpack if it is heavy, keep it if it is light, it can protect against cold and shocks;

• Grab onto obstacles (trees, rocks, etc.) to avoid being swept away.

What to do after an avalanche?

• Create space around yourself to clear your airways while avoiding filling your lungs with snow

• Dig, if possible, upwards, towards the light

• Try to stretch your arms or a pole to pierce the surface of the snow

• Do not exhaust yourself by shouting, to try to be heard, emit short and high-pitched sounds (the ideal would be a whistle)

• Never fall asleep.

Emergency call: 112

If you witness an avalanche, you must:

• Take shelter by leaving the avalanche's trajectory

• Keep an eye on the point of disappearance of the victims

• Check that a second avalanche does not occur

• Once the avalanche is over, immediately alert the rescue services by dialing 112

• Locate the lost items of the victims without moving them, as this can help rescuers in their search

• Use all your senses to gather as many clues as possible to find the victims (sound, visual clues, movement, smell...)

• Use a DVA or an ARVA to locate the victims more easily by switching to "search" mode

• Probe the snow. For mountaineering outings, it is essential to buy suitable mountaineering gear, affordable mountaineering clothing as well as quality mountaineering ropes. Don’t forget to choose a harness for mountaineering that matches your practice or, if you practice ski touring, invest in a high-performance ski touring gear.