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Event report | 5th "Snow & Safety Conference" in Zürs am Arlberg

What is Snow & Safety on the Arlberg all about?

by Patrick Wehowsky • 12/25/2016
Panel discussion in the evening

Panel discussion in the evening

Patrick Wehowsky

Panel discussion in the evening

Patrick Wehowsky
For the fifth time, the "Snow and Safety Conference" took place in Zürs am Arlberg right at the start of the Ski Arlberg season. The generally difficult conditions in the northern Alps were known in advance, but this did not discourage the organizers from successfully carrying out their supporting program.

What happens at the Arlberg "Snow and Safety Conference" and why does it even exist?

The background to the conference is quickly explained. "The Arlberg" makes the eyes of experienced winter sports enthusiasts light up. The massif around the Arlberg Pass is known for its accumulated precipitation from the northwest and north and offers a wide variety of terrain in all exposures. The Arlberg was also one of the first destinations in the Alps to focus on ski tourism. In many respects, "the Arlberg" has shaped Alpine ski culture - be it terms such as the "Arlberg Three" (avalanche level 3 - which can be assessed differently in the busy off-piste terrain) or the early ski films from the 1920s and 1930s starring Hannes Schneider and Leni Riefenstahl.

The long tradition of off-piste skiing on the Arlberg described above, coupled with an increasing trend towards off-piste skiing, has prompted Lech-Zürs Tourismus GmbH to organize an information/prevention event on risk management in off-piste terrain for the past five years. This kills several birds with one stone, as Hermann Fercher, the world-renowned director of the company, put it in a nutshell. On the one hand, it ensures a certain level of capacity utilization at the start of the season regardless of the weather conditions and a first event that is worth reporting on. On the other hand, Lech-Zürs is actively investing in the risk competence of locals and guests, which reflects positively on Lech-Zürs in several respects. To be honest, the observer is left wondering why other tourist regions do not come up with a similar event.

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The conference consisted of two program parts. During the day, there were various opportunities to refresh your knowledge in guided small groups (some with well-known riders from the freeride scene such as Stefan Häusl or Nadine Wallner) and to test new equipment from the manufacturers present (Rossignol, Scott, Kästle, Nordica, DPS). In addition to these paid groups, there was free "freeride coaching" for young people aged 14-18 to improve their own skills in selecting terrain and assessing conditions. There were also free exercises/scenarios for avalanche searches, which were open to everyone directly in Zürs.

In the evening, the free lectures and discussion panels took place, which once again featured top-class speakers this year. This year's speakers included Walter Würtl (head of training at the OEAV and editor at bergundsteigen), Michael Larcher (head of the OEAV's mountain sports department and long-standing editor-in-chief of bergundsteigen), Walter Steinkogler from the Swiss Avalanche Research Institute SLF and Lisi Steurer (mountain guide and alpine all-rounder) as well as the well-known Austrian forensic psychiatrist Reimund Haller. If the subsequent discussions at the bar are anything to go by, all of the speakers' short presentations achieved their primary goal. They created a starting point for personal reflection and discussion. A keynote speech can do no more, but also no less. The panel discussion that took place after the presentations on Saturday was less of a controversial discussion and more of a unanimous confirmation of the common sense (risking something must be allowed - a right to risk), which was also due to the excessive and at the same time unspecific moderation of the discussion by Bernd Krainbucher, who was otherwise a confident moderator.

Panel discussion in the evening

Panel discussion in the evening

Patrick Wehowsky

Panel discussion in the evening

Patrick Wehowsky

The final raffle with top-class prizes (avalanche airbags, avalanche transceivers, etc.) proved to be a worthwhile conclusion, especially for a small carpool from the Montafon, which had only traveled to the evening event and was able to take home two main prizes.

Conclusion:

Even though the weather conditions were not ideal for the start of the season, the trip to the Arlberg was once again worthwhile. The excellently organized conference offered a welcome opportunity to brush up on skills and knowledge at the start of the season, meet up with old friends or simply test new equipment from various manufacturers. A positive highlight was the special offer for young people, which was very well attended by the girls with runner-up FWT winner Lorraine Huber. For next year, we only wish for a little more snow so that the Arlberg can really live up to its reputation as a deep snow hotspot.

Test material from various manufacturers was available

Test material from various manufacturers was available

Patrick Wehowsky

Test material from various manufacturers was available

Patrick Wehowsky

This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

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