This awareness clinic is intended for winter sports participants operating in alpine and northern environments, including ice climbing, backcountry skiing, and winter mountain travel.

The clinic offers an accessible approach rooted in field experience. It aims to develop a better understanding of avalanche risks through environmental observation, terrain reading, and the identification of hazardous situations.

This clinic covers the following concepts:

Understanding avalanche phenomena and risk factors
Introduction to terrain reading
Group management and decision-making
Use of safety equipment (transceiver, shovel, probe)
Appropriate behavior before, during, and after an avalanche

The clinic combines simple theoretical explanations with practical field exercises, allowing participants to develop initial autonomy and increased risk awareness.

Please note:

This is not a certification course. The objective is to encourage questioning and experience-based reflection in order to better assess risk contexts. This activity complements recognized training programs offered by Avalanche Québec and Avalanche Canada.

Ability to climb ice at WI3+ to WI4 level
Ability to belay on top-rope
Good overall physical condition

Schedule

9:00 a.m.: Meet at parking lot P1 (Festiglace reception area) – you will be greeted by the volunteer assigned to your clinic, who will guide the group down into the canyon to pick up your equipment from our partners.

9:30 a.m.: Meet your guide at the reception area in the exhibitors’ village (down in the canyon).

Please be on time so that the group can pick up the equipment and get the most out of the clinic.

Equipment

Required (personal or borrowed)

Harness, helmet
Ice tool(s) and crampons
Complete avalanche safety kit (transceiver, probe, shovel)
Warm and waterproof clothing (Gore-Tex)
Several pairs of gloves
Thermos, snacks or lunch
Insulated jacket, base layers, hot pad

Gear loan – Exhibitor Village (from 7:30 a.m.)

Mammut: boots, helmets, harnesses, complete avalanche safety kit
Petzl: ice tools, crampons, helmets, harnesses
CAMP: ice tools, crampons
La Sportiva: boots
Black Diamond: crampons, helmets, harnesses, avalanche safety kit

$115 per person

Emma Ponsart, originally from Briançon in the Hautes-Alpes, France, is an adventure and ski touring guide based in Québec. She has been practicing mountain sports for over fifteen years.

Her experience includes ski touring, alpinism, and high-mountain environments, with extensive knowledge of avalanche terrain. She combines field experience with pedagogy to make mountain safety concrete and accessible to all.

She has also completed an artistic residency in the Himalayas, enriching her observational skills and analytical understanding of extreme environments.