Off-piste talks, equipment advice and avalanche safety training to get ready for 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 (free event) |
| Tue 20 Oct 7pm | Hurlingham Club, London – Backcountry Smarter Talk (Private Event) |
| 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 area |
| Sat 21 Nov 2–2.45pm | Avalanche Transceiver Training. Kendal Mountain Festival. Tickets through KMF on this link |
| Sat 21 Nov 3–3.45pm | Avalanche Transceiver Training. Kendal Mountain Festival. Tickets through KMF on this link |
January 2027
| Date & time | Event |
|---|---|
| Wed 6 Jan 5pm | ICE – Essentials Talk (Private Talk for trainee ski instructors), Val d’Isère. |
Winter 2026/27 – On-Snow Courses
Backcountry Smarter – Val d’Isère/Tignes
7–11 December 2026
11–15 January 2027
8–12 February 2027
8–12 March 2027
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….
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.
Photos: ORTOVOX/Max Draeger
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 free mini-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 whole festival)
We’re really 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 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 Activities Meeting Point at Basecamp. Sign up through the Kendal Mountain Festival website (see the 2 ticket links further up).
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 exciting four-day Backcountry Smarter on-snow ourses 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. They’re great fun, packed with hands-on learning and practical skills you can put to use straight away!
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.
Mark Jones enjoying some fantastic powder turns! Photo: Tony Wilkson Photography
Private HAT Talks
I also provide private talks for ski clubs, groups, companies and organisations (such as the ones for the Hurlingham Club and the ICE ones mentioned above).
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
