‘Where Do I Start?’ Safer Off-Piste & Ski Touring — IASI Webinar Replay with Henry Schniewind + Dominique Perret (WEMountain)

IASI — Where do I start for safe off-piste & ski touring? (Webinar Replay)

Not just for beginners: If you’re already trained, already experienced — and you still want a simple place to start (or restart) at the beginning of the season, this webinar is built around exactly that question:

“Where do I start?”

This is IASI (Irish Association of Snowsports Instructors) Webinar #2: Ride Hard, Ride Safe — with Henry Schniewind (HAT) and Dominique Perret (world-renowned former freerider, founder of WEMountain).

Watch the replay here below!

What you’ll get from the replay (practical, not abstract)

Rather than trying to cover everything about avalanche risk, the session focuses on high-impact starting points — the kind of things you can apply immediately on your next day out.

“What should I avoid? Where are example of safer places to go?” A few of the practical themes we cover:

• How most serious avalanches actually happen (and why the “victim/self-triggered” 95% of the time reality matters for decisions in real groups).

• A simple “where do I start?” terrain filter – starting with slope angles that helps you avoid getting pulled into the wrong places early season.

• Terrain traps (in one sentence): why “small” can still be deadly if the runout or the terrain below magnifies consequences — and how to factor that into route and line choices without overcomplicating things.

• Rescue gear + practice: why owning a transceiver/probe/shovel isn’t the same as being able to use them under stress — and what “practice” actually needs to look like.

• The human-factor traps that catch experienced people every season: familiarity, commitment, tracks and false reassurance – plus powder fever!  And how to replace those snap impulses with simple prompts that actually reduce accidents e.g. the HAT Safety is Freedom Pocket Guides

If you want a clear starting point, a refresher, or a better way to structure conversations inside your group, this webinar replay is designed to deliver exactly that.

From left to right: Blue Martin, IASI Chairwoman; Dominique Perret, Pro Freeride Legend and Founder of WEMountain; and Henry Schniewind, Avalanche Expert, Off-piste & Ski Touring Instructor and Founder of Henry’s Avalanche Talk

Part of the ongoing HAT × ORTOVOX UK Tour (Backcountry Smarter)

These webinars and talks with IASI are part of the wider HAT × ORTOVOX UK Tour / Backcountry Smarter events series: henrysavalanchetalk.com/backcountry-smarter-talks

Next IASI talk: 20 January (18:00 GMT)

20 January, 18:00 (GMT) 19:00 (CET)  — In-depth Avalanche “Trigger Warning” Talk. The theme is:

How and why avalanches are (not) triggered
Registration / sign-up on this link! IASI is offering this talk free of charge.

Some further useful info:

On the HAT Safety Pack, designed to complement basic avalanche training:

It’s available via our website shop, along with blog posts and regular updates explaining the method.

There are also free explanatory pocket-guide videos on our YouTube channel, to both the Framework and the Rescue guide.

‘Safety is Freedom’!