Avalanche Academy is dedicated to making you safer when off-piste and in the back-country
The adventure of the off-piste is what we all dream of but avalanche is our worst nightmare. If you intend to venture away from the controlled pistes and into the mountain arena you owe to it yourself to be trained first. Avalanche Academy now offer safety training in Chamonix, with private courses also available in Verbier, Morzine, Saint Gervais, the Grand Massif, Courmayeur, La Thuile and other venues on request.
Avalanche Academy
Our Courses
Why book your avalanche training with us?
- We are the first and only dedicated Avalanche Training School in Chamonix.
- Our “on snow” training theory is focussed on teaching you what you need to know most.
- We will provide you with all the safety equipment you need, at no extra cost. All of our transceivers are the newest technology, and our kit has been selected because it is the best on the market.
- ALL of our courses run. If you book - your course will not be cancelled due to lack of numbers.
- All of our Guides are hand-picked for their knowledge, teaching abilities, and inter-personal skills. If one of our small team isn't available we won't run a course with a Guide we don't know.
- Our avalanche safety courses are the most popular in the European Alps - we train over 250 people every winter.
- There are no hidden costs. We do not charge a booking fee, credit card fee, or for use of our safety equipment. The price you see is the price you pay.
Avalanche Academy News
Winter 2021-2022 update
Well this season is off to a great start. We've had around 1m of snow in the valley in the past week and the lifts are opening on schedule. Avalanche risk has been very high, but there should be a period of consolidation over the next week.
Our avalanche safety talks are starting on Tuesday 14 December at the Bighorn Bar and Bistro. They're completely free but we do ask that you reserve your tickets on line. Just have a look on Facebook or Twitter for the details.
From next week we will also be tweeting a summary of the avalanche bulletin every day to keep you informed of the current situation.
Our courses are starting 18 Dec. Our first Avalanche Foundation course is fully booked but we also have Crevasse Rescue, Avalanche Progression and Intro Touring later in the season. Get in touch if you're interested in any of those.
Regarding Covid, this is a fluid situation ! We cannot predict what will happen in three months, or even next week. We just have to stay super flexible. The lifts are open but you need a mask and a Vaccination Certificate (Pass Sanitaire)to use them. Our courses are running at a ratio of 1:6, and we will spend some time indoors discussing theory. If rules/recommendations change then we will adapt our courses, possibly going back to all theory being on-line, and a slightly shorter course on the mountain. Stay tuned !
Courses are also back to being on either skis or snowboards (sorry snow-shoers !). If snow-shoers want to do some training then we can arrange private courses any time.
2021 Courses Modified due to Covid
Due to the current situation, our courses have been modified for the 2021 season. The key differences are:
1. Class Size - Current Regulations do not permit groups of more than six, so our courses will be run at a maximum ration of 1:5.
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They're back - our Free Avalanche Talks
Heading to Chamonix this winter ? Then why not come along to one of our free Avalanche Awareness Presentations ?
The presentations last about an hour and are given by an IFMGA qualified Guide based in the Chamonix Valley. They key topics covere...
How to interpret our Avalanche Bulletins
For the past 6 seasons we have been summarising the daily avalanche bulletin for Chamonix and then sharing it on Social Media (primarily Twitter). Due to mainly using Twitter we have limited characters for what can be a complex explanation of the risks, and...
Avalanche Academy Ltd is registered in the United Kingdom · Company Number 7782093
Registered Office: Whitefriars, Lewins Mead, Bristol BS1 2NT