HAT blog
HAT & ICE: Building Confidence and Smarter Off-Piste Skiing!
Continuing over 20 years of collaboration in Val d'Isère, helping the next generation of ski instructors enjoy the mountains with greater awareness and confidence. We're delighted to be continuing our long-standing partnership with ICE (International Centre of...
Get Backcountry Smarter: Autumn Talks & Events with ORTOVOX
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...
Backcountry Smarter: The Essentials : Off-Piste Talk at Ski Bartlett with The Ski Club of Great Britain and ORTOVOX
Get ready for winter with Henry Schniewind and Mark Jones at Ski Bartlett, Uxbridge, on 21 October. Part of the Backcountry Smarter programme with ORTOVOX, this practical evening covers avalanche safety, off-piste skiing technique and essential equipment. Open to everyone, with tickets at £19.50.
Avalanche transceivers interference: phones, watches, gloves, socks…
Mobile phones and various electronic devices can interfere with avalanche transceivers, especially in SEARCH mode, resulting in misleading signals and delays during rescues. To mitigate this, keep devices 20 cm away in SEND mode and 50 cm away in SEARCH mode, turning them off entirely to reduce interference and optimize rescue efforts.
Backcountry Smarter: Sharpen Your Off-Piste Skills Before the Season Starts : Two Free Webinars, 29 Sep & 6 Oct
Want to feel more confident off-piste this winter — not just in your skiing technique, but in understanding your gear and making better decisions in avalanche terrain?
Join me, Henry, alongside Mark Jones (All Mountain Pro) for these 2 free Backcountry Smarter online talks on Tues 29 September & Tues 6 October
Backcountry Smarter “The Off-Piste Tool Kit” : two webinars with Ski Club GB!
Want to feel more confident off-piste this winter — not just in your skiing technique, but in understanding your gear and making better decisions in avalanche terrain?
Join me, Henry, alongside Mark Jones (All Mountain Pro) for these 2 free *Backcountry Smarter online talks this Thurs 10th, & Thurs 24th September. *These talks are for Ski Club members – see this link for signing up and how to become a member.
Avalanche Airbag Backpacks : Should I wear one?
Avalanche Airbags: How They Work, Do They Reduce Injury/Death, and Do They Increase Risk?
This blog introduces an upcoming series of articles on avalanche airbags, created in response to questions raised over the past few years during accident prevention sessions and discussions of the Henry’s Avalanche Talk risk management method.
The article is organized around four topics: how avalanche airbags work; whether they reduce injury and fatalities; whether airbags increase risk-taking; and a survey of the many brands and models available. Viewers are invited to share additional questions and themes via comments on the Henry’s Avalanche Talk YouTube channel and website, or by contacting hat@henrysavalanchetalk.com.
The goal is to shape future articles—potentially a series—based on audience interests, with the current article to be posted in the blog section.
Backcountry Smarter: On-Snow Training for Safer, Smarter Off-Piste Skiing !
Ski Safer, Smarter & More Confidently in the Backcountry After a fantastic first season, we're excited to bring Backcountry Smarter back for winter 2026/27! Launched last year, these on-snow training courses quickly became a hit, attracting skiers keen to improve...