News | VDBS Media Days

About the VDBS Media Days

Anyone who is active on social media will have noticed that the Mountain Guides Association has been busy revising its communication and media presence in recent years.

Not without reason, because the association has a responsible role as a moderator in mountain sports. Not only as a service provider for mountain experiences, but also as a mouthpiece, mediator and trainer.

To take a look behind the scenes, I travelled to the Pitztal Glacier, where two exciting days of lectures and workshops awaited me.

Exciting Brand Insights and Learnings

In addition to brand partners, other mountain sports magazines and media representatives were also in attendance. The format was not a promotional event, but a pleasant mix of specialist presentations and networking.

Garmin presented how their InReach products work. I learnt a lot about the different satellite networks from the presentation.  It was also exciting to learn that despite all the developments, coverage in a narrow valley or a steep rock face can be severely limited. This is due to the fact that it can take a while to establish a connection to the satellite. Or, if you're unlucky, no signal gets through at all. For users who are travelling in remote locations, such as on high-altitude ski tours without mobile phone coverage, this type of emergency communication can nevertheless be a real safety advantage.
As with all technical devices, you should familiarise yourself with how they work and not rely on them completely.

ABS then explained the technology behind its electric airbag system and once again used illustrative statistics to confirm that the airbag is a useful addition to emergency equipment.

Chris Semmel, VDBS safety expert, showed how quickly theory can be put into practice. A crevasse fall scenario was demonstrated using a small dummy. A number of techniques were explained, from team hauling and setting up a pulley block to self-ascent on a rope. For me, I learnt that you don't have to know everything, but that you should have a good command of your system and practise regularly. As with avalanche transceiver searches, routine is essential to avoid making mistakes in an emergency.
Don't underestimate how difficult it is to build a solid fixed point in snow or ice under tension. Especially with different types of snow, it is good to familiarise yourself with the construction of a solid T-anchor. We were able to practise this extensively the next day on the Mittelbergferner.
Whether it's getting out over the edge of a crevasse in snow or bridging the braking knots. Ideally, crevasse rescue should be practised under real conditions. Preferably in the hands of a mountain guide. One contact person for this would be Martin Schmidt, mountain guide and VDBS office. In the evening, he introduced us to the job description of mountain guides, current developments and the training programme.

Climate change poses new challenges for people who live from the mountains

Specifically: a shorter mountaineering season as well as more bare ice and rockfall. Mountain guides nowadays have to be more spontaneous, and many tours may simply no longer be possible as they used to be, or only on very few days a year. Guests' expectations have also changed, says Martin. They don't necessarily want to reach the summit with the help of a mountain guide, but are more interested in the overall experience. Social skills, knowledge about the ecology or geological features of the mountain are just as important to guests as getting back down safely.

At the end, Martin provides a very personal insight. He talks about the physical challenges of the job, the constant risk, the compatibility with a family and why, despite everything, it is a dream job for him.

The event was rounded off with a wonderful ski tour to the left Brochkogel, including a crossing and a marvellous descent in the finest powder snow.