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LectureTip | Snow.Semmelnare

International snow and avalanche lectures to kick off the season

by Antonia Paulus • 11/02/2022
Lecture: Avalanches in Bulgaria

Lecture: Avalanches in Bulgaria

ÖGSL

Lecture: Avalanches in Bulgaria

ÖGSL
The "Schnee.Semmelnare" of the Austrian Society for Snow and Avalanches (ÖGSL) opens the new winter season with exciting, international lectures on the topic of snow and avalanches. The lectures take place monthly, are recorded online and are available for streaming on YouTube or on the ÖGSL website. Take a look!

The Association ÖGSL specializes in snow and avalanche research and promotes the interdisciplinary exchange of knowledge, as well as teaching, development and training in this field. By becoming a member of the ÖGSL, hobby freeriders can support the interface between research and practice and benefit from an annual subscription to bergundsteigen, free admission to the annual general meeting and are always up to date.

The current "Schnee.Semmelnare" about Bulgaria and Sweden offer space to dream, inspire for an upcoming ski or snowboard trip and provide information about the current avalanche warning systems and the importance of avalanche education for international "mountain-travelers".

Avalanche warning in Sweden

Avalanche expert from Sweden, Mattias Tarestad gives an insight into the current avalanche warning systems and snow and avalanche formation in Sweden. Mattias represents the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) in the field of avalanche warning systems and coordinates the Swedish avalanche education program, which is presented in this Semmelnar.

Sweden has little infrastructure in the mountain regions, so the main problem in the mountains is the people themselves. The challenge here is to educate, inform and successfully communicate avalanche issues to both amateur athletes and professionals. The mission of the Swedish Avalanche Warning System (SAWS) is to provide relevant, accurate and useful information about avalanche hazards in order to minimize avalanche accidents. The interaction between education, practice and communication plays a central role in the SAWS avalanche education course program.

Awareness Building in Bulgaria

The "Snow.Semmelnar" from 3.10 kicks off the 2022/23 season with Dr. Momchil Panayotov from Sofia, Bulgaria. Momchil teaches at the University of Forestry in Sofia and conducts research in the field of mountain ecosystems and disturbances in them, including avalanches. The lecture will present the avalanche situation in Bulgaria and provide information about avalanche formation and its importance on the ground. As ski and snowboard tourism is still relatively young in Bulgaria, there is little or no government involvement in the field of avalanche problems and avalanche formation. Momchil is co-founder and president of the Bulgarian Extreme and Freeskiing Association (BEFSA, see also this article by BEFSA co-founder Valyo Peltekov). The association focuses on avalanche education, especially for young people, and on avalanche monitoring, thus making an important contribution to avalanche awareness in Bulgaria.

In addition to BEFSA, Momchil also helped to set up the Bulgarian Avalanche Warning Service. The team conducts snow observations and endeavors to establish a nationwide avalanche warning system. Education and communication in the freeride scene will not solve the avalanche problem, but more mindfulness, attention and regular training can minimize mountain accidents.

A little tip for your next ski or snowboard trip in Bulgaria: in the event of avalanche accidents in Bulgaria, there is no helicopter, so you have to be particularly careful in the terrain!

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