Report from the Risk'n'Fun training session in Sölden

The journey started relatively early for me. To be precise, on 19.12.14 at 6.50 a.m. I haven't got up that early for a long time... But as a flatland dweller, what don't you do to see a few mountains beyond the garbage mountain? I was there on time at 5pm. Our first evening was relatively quiet, we all got to know each other a little and it became apparent that we would be a great group... But I didn't manage to keep my eyes open for very long and I also wanted to be fit for the next day. I was a little excited because I didn't know exactly how the week would go.

At half past eight, I took the ski bus to the gondola. It hadn't snowed much this season, but at some point during the gondola ride, the green-brown meadows turned into white slopes and the conditions were good despite the lack of snow: great visibility, not too many people and good snow! We first went down the slope to warm up. After all, it was the first ski day of the season for most of our group. But pretty soon we were off into the terrain. First we checked the avalanche report, checked our avalanche transceivers and then we were ready to go. The atmosphere was very good, everyone was highly motivated, without any annoying pressure to perform. That's why I wasn't too embarrassed when I opened the first powder slope with a double somersault. But kindly enough, my skis, which had of course been left 10 meters above me, were immediately brought to me by the next rider. We made some cool descents. Our two guides Matthias and Herbert really had a knack and a good eye for great slopes. But our day didn't just consist of great runs. After all, we were here to learn something. Fortunately, my expectations were confirmed. Above all, I wanted to become more confident in making independent decisions. I had never really known where and when to ski with as little risk as possible. But the first step in this direction was taken straight away.

Yesterday was the third day of our session. Once again accompanied by bright sunshine, we set off. By now, the area was getting fuller. The Christmas guests had arrived. But that didn't really bother us. After all, we weren't there to share the slopes with the other holidaymakers anyway. In the backcountry, we were still relatively undisturbed.

In our groups, with whom we had also worked out our own strategy, we first went through the avalanche report and carried out the avalanche transceiver check independently. It was still warning level 3. By now, we also knew exactly which slopes to avoid.

In the afternoon, things got really exciting again. The simulation of an avalanche accident was waiting for us. Although it was clear that it was just an exercise, we were all very stressed and realized how difficult it is to organize a rescue in a meaningful way. I imagine it's really difficult to keep calm when it's a matter of life and death in an emergency! What do you do first? Make an emergency call? Search for the buried victim? Or treat the injured person first? But after about 15 minutes we managed it. The backpacks of the victims were rescued thanks to avalanche transceivers and powerful shovel strokes, and yesterday was our last evening together. Time passed incredibly quickly! After the obligatory sauna session and dinner, we had a great evening together.

This morning we went up to the ski area for the last time. After we had successfully mastered the gondola queue, the final program began: we were able to repeat and consolidate what we had learned. We explored a little, searched with the avalanche transceiver and learned about special first aid measures in the event of an avalanche accident. That was really good, as my first aid course a little while ago didn't cover anything like that. Very few people need it here in the countryside. But if you wanted to use the last day for a bit more riding, you could do that too.

At lunchtime, the end of the session approached. We had become a great community in such a short time. That's why it was a little hard to say goodbye.

I really learned a lot during this week. Our guides were super competent, we got a good overview of different approaches and also had the opportunity to try them out ourselves. I think it will take a while before I feel really confident in these things, but I guess it's just a matter of practicing. The first step in the right direction has now been taken...

In the meantime, I'm already on the train. The slightly longer journey was definitely worth it! I'm now heading back with lots of great memories, new knowledge and plenty of motivation to put what I've learned into practice.

Editor's note: Carina will be reporting on the next level of the risk'n'fun project, the "Next Level" (22.2-26.2.2015), in February 2015.