Avalanche management with children

The wider skis, which make it much easier to take your first steps in deep snow, may also have played a part in this development. Many new, young ski tourers have also emerged from the corona winter with limited lift operations.

Once we have overcome the initial hurdle of finding the right equipment (overview of ski touring bindings for children), we are quickly faced with the next challenge: as soon as we leave the secured ski area, we have to be aware of the danger of avalanches. This applies all the more with children, of course, as parents or other adult caregivers are responsible for their children. But what does this responsibility look like in practice? And what skills do we give our children, how and when?

Risk minimization

Of course, it is advisable to first critically question your own risk awareness: Am I often on the borderline between "yes and no"? If so, I should definitely reduce my risk level with children and young people. Defensive behavior is absolutely essential. Common decision-making strategies offer adaptation options that can help us to systematically manage risk. Whether we use the "3x3 method", "stop or go", "snowcard" or another method is less relevant. It is more about how we integrate the children or young people factor into this strategy. In practice, this can mean, for example, excluding borderline areas in the decision-making strategy, such as the reduction method well below 1, snow card green area,...

If we are responsible for our children in avalanche terrain, it is all the more important that we can justify our decisions. An approach based on the strategy of choice, with clear yes/no criteria outside the border area is recommended. Risk minimization must always be a priority, but we also want to enable our offspring to enjoy the pleasures of ski touring, which is hardly possible without a certain residual risk.

On tour

The theory is done, now let's move on to the implementation: What can children carry, what do children need and what do children need to be able to do?

One thing is undisputed: You never go off-piste without an avalanche transceiver. As children like to be spontaneous, it is advisable to go to the ski area early on with an avalanche transceiver so that short detours off-piste are spontaneously possible. The use of older 1 antenna devices, which are given to the children because they "can't search anyway", is not advisable. Older devices can have a shift in the transmission frequency, which at best can result in a reduced range and at worst in no reception at all. Several manufacturers now offer scaled-down versions of the latest avalanche transceivers, sometimes with a slightly reduced range of functions. This is a much better option for children than an old device!

Probes and shovels are also part of children's standard equipment and, as described in the previous chapter, handling them needs to be practised early on. Here, too, care should be taken to ensure that they are as light as possible. However, even if the old plastic shovel fulfills this criterion, plastic shovels are not even recommended for children, let alone teenagers, in tough conditions.

Luckily, avalanche backpacks are now standard equipment for a large proportion of tourers. Unfortunately, there are currently practically no avalanche backpacks for short children's backs. Author's tip: the ABS Powder Base Unit, which is no longer in production, is very compact and can sometimes be bought cheaply on sale.

Very small children could be put off touring by the extra weight of a backpack. Whether to do without it completely or to use an empty avalanche backpack instead of a shovel and probe is a decision that needs to be carefully considered. It is very difficult to make a general recommendation here. A cell phone and a small first aid kit are not very heavy and should always be carried on a tour, depending on the group and the age of the children. Whether the bivouac sack and other items used in the group also need to be carried by the children depends on their ability. However, there is nothing to be said against it if accompanying adults who are in better physical condition take some of the weight off the younger ones. If we calculate backpack weight as a percentage of body weight, it quickly becomes clear that lightweight backpacks are a must for children. What adult likes to go on a ski tour with a 25 kg backpack?

Whether on the slopes or in deep snow, a helmet is always a must!

With the right equipment, we can now slowly approach the terrain. First excursions into the deep snow next to the piste help to improve your skiing technique. On the ascent, it makes sense to choose flat tours without hairpin bends first.

The age at which children can take their first steps off-piste naturally varies from person to person. If the skiing technique on the piste is right, they can definitely take their first detours off-piste from around 5 years of age. At the age of 6, shorter ascents are already quite possible; the currently limited range of ski touring boots is the limiting factor here. There are also skis and binding combos suitable for ascents for younger children (overview of ski touring bindings for children). From the age of around 9 years or a shoe size of 36, the first women's touring boots will fit and longer, somewhat more demanding tours can also be on the program.

Conclusion

Even relatively young children can sense when something is dangerous, but they often don't yet know how to express this feeling themselves. Learning to observe and interpret children's reactions is also an exciting challenge for us adults. Let's accept it!

Yes, avalanches are dangerous. Nobody should expose children and young people to unnecessary danger. On the other hand, for us parents, it's also about introducing children to the fun of being outdoors and in nature. Exercise in nature is certainly one of the healthiest leisure activities and ski touring is also a lot of fun. If we give children a sensible awareness of dangers at an early age, it will be easier for them to recognize dangers later on and deal with them responsibly themselves.