WHAT ARE THE 10 RULES OF SKIING?

For those of you who don't yet know the 10 rules of skiing, here's some material to brush up on before you come and enjoy the slopes of Mountain Area Les Arcs / Peisey-Vallandry!

Anatomy of the ski patroller

Everything you need to know about piste safety

What are the missions of the ski patrollers?
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  • Delimiting the slopes (staking and marking)

  • Preventing risks and signalling dangers as soon as the pistes open, by signposting dangerous areas and obstacles located on or in the immediate area of the slopes

  • Triggering avalanches to make the slopes safe

  • Helping people in difficulty or accidents
    Patrol the pistes and off-piste areas

  • Providing information: the ski patroller is a mountain professional who knows the ski area inside out and regularly monitors the snow and weather conditions. Don't hesitate to come and meet them at the first-aid posts and to ask them questions on the slopes. 

  

What is a dog-handler?
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You can't talk about the dog handler without talking about his dog!


They are a pair trained to search for victims buried under avalanches. It's a long training course where the symbiosis between the two must be perfect. Every year, these dog teams intervene on numerous avalanches as a complement to traditional rescue teams.

 

What is a slope and how do you find your way around it?
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A ski run is a space, groomed or ungroomed, between two lines of wooden poles called markers. These markers are of different colours depending on the difficulty of the piste.


On the right-hand side of each marker, a fluorescent orange height of around 20 cm has been added. This allows you to see which side of the track you're on in bad weather.


Regular marked signs give you your position on the track: the closer you are to number 1, the closer you are to the end of the track.


These marked signs are invaluable in helping the ski patrollers to locate the emergency services: when you raise the alarm, never forget to take down the name, number and sector where you are and give it to the ski patrol office.

 

Why does the domain open late on certain days?
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While you sleep, we are preparing your day.

What is PIDA?
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The PIDA stands for " Avalanche Triggering Intervention Plan ".

This is a procedure to make the open ski area safe, wherever avalanches have been recorded and/or observed.

It is implemented in the ski area as soon as a significant snowfall occurs, with the aim of protecting people and property.

On trigger days, weather conditions permitting, the ski patrols start work very early in the morning so that the slopes can be made safe and the ski area can be opened early in the morning.

 

How do you equip yourself for off-piste riding?
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Before talking about equipment, you need to find out about the snow conditions from the professionals (ski patrollers, instructors, guides' office), check the weather forecast, the  avalanche risk bulletin (BRA) and know the route you are going to take. It's also important not to go off on your own and to inform friends and family where you're going.

In terms of equipment, you need at least an avalanche transceiver, a shovel and a probe, but beyond that, you need to know how to use it. To do this, you need to practise regularly: a DVA Park (a small area where DVAs are buried under the snow) is available free of charge at the Col de la Chal.

You can also use an avalanche Air Bag back pack, but all this equipment is not a guarantee of survival: if you have the slightest doubt about the slope you want to tackle, you must give up straight away.

 

If I have no signal, what should I do?
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In the event of an emergency, your mobile phone allows you to call the 112 emergency number.
If you are in an area without network coverage from your operator, it may be difficult to make an emergency call via this specific network.


If other networks are available (for example, those of other operators or public Wi-Fi networks), your phone may try to connect to these networks to make an emergency call, even if it is not your usual operator's network.

The people on the other end of the line will relay the alert to us.


Remember to locate yourself as best you can by giving your geolocation if possible.

Discover ski patroller job

Interested in finding out more about the ski patrol profession?

Come and discover the Ski Patrol Academy!

Children and adults can come and meet these passionate people and find out all about the different facets of the ski patrol profession.

📅 When is the event?

Coming soon


🕐 Schedule

Coming soon

💡 Practical info:

Meet in front of the pistes chalet at the top of the Transarc gondola (from Arc 1800) or the Arcabulle chairlift (from Arc 1950/2000).

A valid Pass is required to take part in the event.

Free registration, open to pedestrians and skiers.

Booking compulsory