As a certified mountain guide and ski instructor I am often asked what is important in freeriding. With over 25 years of experience and thousands of runs on the mountains of this world, I pass on my knowledge in my own freeride center in Sölden (Austria) and as a Marmot Pro I would like to give you an excerpt.
01. The practical risk management
The anticipatory assessment of the terrain – reading a slope – represents the high art of freeriding. Accordingly, it is advisable to compare the information we have from the avalanche situation report with the actual situation already when going up the lift. The most important questions we should ask ourselves already in the preparation phase:
- How much fresh snow has there really been?
- How much has the wind affected the snowpack?
- What are the weather and visibility conditions?
- Where are the danger spots?
- Where is there a safe line?
- Where are there good staging areas?
- What will the snow conditions be like?
02. Avalanches: where is the danger today?
Four parameters essentially determine the extent of the avalanche danger:
- The danger level of the avalanche situation report.
The higher this danger level is, the more numerous the potentially dangerous slopes are. Consequently, the higher the probability of triggering an avalanche. - The dispersion of the snowpack stability
The more irregular the snowpack is, the more «insidious» the danger (because it is difficult to detect) – in winters with little snow there is very often such an irregular snowpack. - The size of an avalanche
The larger an avalanche is, the higher the danger of being completely buried. But also so called small «slides» can become dangerous. They can easily wash us into a ditch or over a rock into the abyss. - The steepness of the terrain
The steeper the slope, the greater the probability of triggering an avalanche, as well as a burial due to the higher acceleration.
03. Practical avalanche awareness
When freeriding, we move in the high mountains, often far away from any tourist streams and regulated infrastructure. We are on our own, because here there is no piste service that marks any danger spots and thinks for us. Freeriding is above all a mental sport that requires a lot of self-discipline, know-how and training. It is important that you slowly work your way into the terrain. Even if you have taken a course where you have internalized the basics of snow and avalanche awareness and know the emergency equipment, you are still only at the beginning of your freeriding career. A good comparison to this is to look at driving a car: your license entitles you to drive a car, but as a novice on the road you are still pretty overwhelmed. Most of us can’t keep track of all the details at the beginning and maneuver safely in all situations without intensive training.
A course in risk management is therefore only the beginning for us freeriders, which legitimizes us to ride in the terrain. Only after many descents, impressions and experiences, you will slowly get a picture of different situations.
04. The journey is the destination
It’s fun to learn in and from nature. So stay patient and enjoy your days on the mountain. Don’t lose your patience and always treat the mountain with the necessary respect. Get used to a defensive behavior, do not ride at the limit and learn to do without once in a while. Even professional freeriders often wait all winter until the one day when a certain line can finally be skied and everything fits: the shape, the weather, the snow and the right partner.
During this learning process there is also no real shortcut. You can memorize all the books on avalanches and still not know anything. So try to be out on the mountain as often as possible and absorb all the information the mountain gives you. Learn how to look at nature and draw certain conclusions from it.
A smart freerider has the following knowledge and skills (from the book «Das 3×3 der Lawinen» by Werner Munter):
- Many years of (and processed) alpine experience
- Nivological and meteorological knowledge
- Independent and responsible thinking
- Keen observation skills, good sense organs
- Good memory (rich experience) and coherent analogical thinking for comparison with previous situations
- Cognitive ability to see through complex and dynamic processes (holistic networked thinking)
- Intuition (ability to make correct decisions based on incomplete and contradictory information)
- Critical self-assessment and human maturity (you don’t need to prove to others what a guy you are, you know your limits)
- Decision-making ability in critical situations under time pressure and risk («decision making under risk»)
- Leadership qualities: natural authority, persuasiveness and assertiveness, social skills, communication skills, ability to work in a team, consideration for others, organizational skills and improvisational talent
- Tactics: track layout, timing, timely implementation of precautionary measures, ability to look ahead, overview, timely turnaround
- Orientation skills (map reading, route finding, terrain assessment)
- Good physical condition (fatigue affects mental abilities)
Although the list is by no means exhaustive, it shows with all clarity that freeriding demands the whole person and a wide range of physical, mental, psychological, character skills and talents are needed to safely answer the simple question: «Can I go on this tour with my friends in these conditions?»
05. From rookie to expert
In the following I have shown on 4 levels, which skills you should have on the different levels or how your descents could look like on the respective level. In connection with the difficulty scale, you get an idea of how «your» learning path could look like.
Skiing skills:
safe skiing on red slopes, flat runs in powder
Risk management:
Basics of snow and avalanche awareness, use of emergency equipment
Descents according to the difficulty scale:
1 diamond
Skiing skills:
safe skiing on black slopes, you can already manage light powder slopes without falling
Risk management:
You can already identify the danger spots in the terrain described in the avalanche report and find a safe line in the appropriate conditions.
Descents according to the difficulty scale:
1 and 2 diamonds
Skiing skills:
safe skiing on all slopes, you can master powder slopes without falling even in changing snow conditions. In steep gullies and couloirs you do not feel so comfortable yet. You may already start with easy drops.
Risk management:
You can interpret the avalanche report correctly. You see the «alarm signs» in the terrain and know how to behave.
Descents according to the difficulty scale:
1, 2 and 3 diamonds
Skiing skills:
safe skiing on powder slopes even in changing snow conditions, you also feel comfortable in steep gullies and couloirs and are sure to land a jump or two
Risk management:
You can already plan and execute tours independently
Descents according to the difficulty scale:
1, 2, 3 and 4 diamonds
Difficulty scale (diamonds)
◊
Steepness
Approx. 30 degrees
Physical and technical requirements
Low: Descents up to 1000 vertical meters, wide areas.
Orientation – route finding
Easy: Visible from the main ski area, easy to find entry, easy track selection, ends on slope.
Crash potential – collection points
None: Good collection points, generally no danger of falling over rocky terrain.
◊◊
Steepness
Approx. 35 degrees
Physical and technical requirements
Medium: Descents up to 1000 vertical meters, partly narrow passages.
Orientation – route finding
Medium: Not whole route visible from the ski area, entry partly unclear, more difficult track choice, ends near the slopes.
Crash potential – collection points
Low: Partially poor collection points, occasional rocks, enough space in case of crashes.
◊◊◊
Steepness
Approx. 35 – 40 degrees
Physical and technical requirements
High: Descents with more than 1000 vertical meters, often steep and narrow passages, changing snow conditions should be mastered.
Orientation – route finding
Difficult: Route not visible, entry often unclear, line selection requires experience, often ends further away from the slope.
Crash potential – collection points
High: Mostly poor collection points, often rocky terrain, crash can lead to injury.
◊◊◊◊
Steepness
> 40 degrees
Physical and technical requirements
Very high: Descents with more than 2000 vertical meters , Often narrow and steep passages that must be mastered without falling, changing snow conditions must be mastered.
Orientation – route finding
Very difficult: Route not visible, entry difficult to find, line selection requires great experience, often ends far off the slopes or in another valley.
Crash potential – collection points
Partial „no fall zones“ –„no crashes allowed“: Exposed rally collection points, rocky terrain, crashes lead to injury.
In addition to the topic of risk management, I repeatedly experience in practice that a central topic is completely underestimated: warming up. For this reason, I would like to summarize the most important information for you here.
06. Why is warm-up important?
Take the time to prepare yourself for freeriding. Often, after a long ride on the lifts, we stand at the start of our line and are physically present, but not yet as «warm» as we should be. To perform at your best, you should get your body and mind going.
Warming up in sports is the physical and mental preparation for upcoming movements and stress. Well circulated, warmed up and stretched muscle groups significantly reduce the risk of injury and increase overall performance.
During the warm-up phase, the body is loosened up, muscles become more stretchable and tendons and ligaments become more supple. Stimulated body circulation improves responsiveness, which in turn reduces the risk of accidents.
07. The warm-up without skis
For the warm-up without skis, other sports also give us many suggestions. The important thing is to take the warm-up seriously and really take time for it. The following sequence can be considered as a useful example of warm-up:
- Warm up (standing or in a circle).
- If you are in a group: games (e.g. relay, catch, reaction games, etc.)
- Circling movements (hips, shoulders, wrists, knees, and ankles
- Arm and leg circles (balance exercises)
- Crossover exercises: Crossover movements release blockages: We simultaneously move the right leg and the left arm, or the left leg and the right arm, and bring them together. In this way we activate the right and left hemispheres of the brain and release blockages.
- Trunk bending (forward, backward, sideways)
- Coordination exercises (arm – leg coordination exercises, counter circling, juggling etc.)
- Stretching exercises
After the detailed risk assessment and a good warm-up, there is hardly anything standing in the way of your freeride adventure. Nevertheless, it is best to start with an easy descent on the slopes. Include various exercises from your own «technique program» and continuously increase the speed. Now you are ready to go!
If you would like to know more or book a course with me, I look forward to hearing from you. More at: www.freeride-center.at
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