Off-piste talks, equipment advice and avalanche safety training to get ready for winter
We’ve got a packed programme of events this autumn, working alongside ORTOVOX, Ellis Brigham, Ski Club GB and Ski Bartlett.
Everything from having more fun and staying safer off-piste, to improving your ski technique, making smarter decisions in the mountains and understanding your equipment.
Our autumn webinars got things off to a great start. Now we’re heading out on our UK tour, with talks at the London Snow Show, Ski Bartlett in Uxbridge, and Ellis Brigham in London and Manchester, as well as Kendal Mountain Festival with ORTOVOX. Then we’ll be taking Backcountry Smarter onto the snow this winter.
Dates for Your Diary
October 2026
| Date & time | Event |
|---|---|
| Sat 17 Oct 12.45–1.30pm | Backcountry Smarter: Making Off-Piste Skiing Easy with Mark Jones. London Snow Show – Instruction Stage |
| Sun 18 Oct 3–3.45pm | Backcountry Smarter Essentials with Henry Schniewind. London Snow Show – Instruction Stage |
| Wed 21 Oct 6pm | Backcountry Smarter Essentials. Ski Bartlett, Uxbridge. Tickets here |
| Tue 27 Oct 7.15pm | Backcountry Smarter Essentials. Ellis Brigham, Covent Garden. Tickets here |
| Wed 28 Oct 7.15pm | In-depth Talk on Risk Management and Equipment Choices. Ellis Brigham, Covent Garden Tickets here |
November 2026
| Date & time | Event |
|---|---|
| Tue 17 Nov 6.30pm | Backcountry Smarter Essentials. Ellis Brigham, Manchester Tickets here |
| Wed 18 Nov 6.30pm | In-depth Talk on Risk Management and Equipment Choices. Ellis Brigham, Manchester Tickets here |
| Sat 21 Nov 9.15–10.15am | Ski Smarter: The Backcountry Toolkit with ORTOVOX. Kendal Mountain Festival – Basecamp |
| Sat 21 Nov 2–2.45pm | Free Avalanche Transceiver Training. Kendal Mountain Festival, at Kendal Castle |
| Sat 21 Nov 3–3.45pm | Free Avalanche Transceiver Training. Kendal Mountain Festival, at Kendal Castle |
Winter 2026/27 – On-Snow Courses
Backcountry Smarter – Val d’Isère/Tignes
Backcountry Smarter – Equipment + Technique + Risk Management
I’m really pleased to be working with my good friend Mark Jones of All Mountain Pro, combining his ski coaching and equipment expertise with my avalanche awareness and risk-management work.
Together with ORTOVOX, we’re bringing our Backcountry Smarter approach to events across the UK.
The aim is simple: better equipment knowledge, better technique and smarter decisions — so you can have more fun off-piste.
Backcountry Smarter Goes on Tour
London Snow Show – 17 & 18 October
We’re kicking off our live UK events at the London Snow Show at Olympia, with two talks on the Equipment & Instruction Theatre stage.
On Saturday at 12.45pm, Mark will be showing how to make off-piste skiing easier, with practical technique advice to help you ski with more control and confidence.
On Sunday at 3pm, I’ll be presenting Backcountry Smarter Essentials, covering the key principles of off-piste risk management, technique and equipment.
Both talks last 45 minutes.
Ski Bartlett – 21 October
Mark and I will be presenting Backcountry Smarter Essentials at Ski Bartlett in Uxbridge at 6pm.
We’ll be looking at off-piste risk management, skiing skills and equipment advice — practical tips you can take into the mountains this winter.
Ellis Brigham & ORTOVOX – London (27 & 28 October) and Manchester (17 & 18 November)
We’re teaming up with Ellis Brigham and ORTOVOX for two evenings in both London and Manchester.
The Essentials talks cover practical off-piste risk management, skiing technique and equipment advice.
The In-depth Talks on Risk Management and Equipment Choices go further, with useful points you can apply on snow:
- Equipment – Choosing the right ski, boot and binding combinations, plus essential safety gear.
- Technique – Control, line choice and efficient skiing off-piste.
- Risk Management – Smarter decisions, reducing risk and being prepared for rescue.
Kendal Mountain Festival with ORTOVOX – 21 November (and througout the 3 day festival)
We’re looking forward to being back at Kendal!
Mark and I will be presenting Ski Smarter: The Backcountry Toolkit with ORTOVOX (a free event) on Saturday 21 November, 9.15–10.15am in the Basecamp area.
We’ll be sharing practical advice on equipment, technique and risk management to help you get more enjoyment from your off-piste skiing.
We’ll also be running two free avalanche transceiver training sessions on that Saturday, one starting at 2pm and another at 3pm. Each lasts 45 minutes. Both will take place at Kendal Castle. Meeting at the Actives Meeting Point at Basecamp. Further information to come on how to sign up for these.
Come and say hello at the ORTOVOX stand too! We’ll be there Friday to Sunday!
Then We Take It All Onto the Snow
From December, Backcountry Smarter moves to Val d’Isère/Tignes.
Our four-day courses combine my avalanche awareness and risk-management training with Mark’s off-piste ski coaching, split roughly 50/50 between mountain safety and ski technique.
It’s about improving your technique, understanding snow and terrain, and developing the judgement to make better decisions.
In other words: where to go, how to move — and when to say no.
Private HAT Talks
I also provide private talks for ski clubs, groups, companies and organisations.
If you’d like to organise one, email us at hat@henrysavalanchetalk.com.
See You Soon!
There’s plenty happening before the first snow, and we’re looking forward to helping everyone get ready for winter.
Backcountry Smarter is all about having more fun and making better decisions off-piste.
Hope to see you at one of the events!
Henry
