What to do in an avalanche
You need to assess the situation as quickly as possible: for example if a powder-snow avalanche is about to overwhelm you, it is pointless to try to follow the steepest path down because you will be caught up immediately by the movement of air and powder.
It is better to escape to one side traversing quickly whilst descending.
If you are caught by an avalanche, whichever type it is, do not panic: if you are in the higher part of the avalanche it is essential that you try to cling onto the slope, grabbing hold of a tree or a bush. If this is not possible, you should try to ride along on top of the avalanche because by staying on the surface of the avalanche, there is more chance of coming out of it unhurt.
If you become buried, at the very moment you become buried, you must do the following:
- don't breathe and keep your mouth shut: when there is powder snow, a scarf can be very useful;
- curl up with your arms folded against your body and your legs folded;
- At the same time the avalanche stops, you need to push away the snow as far as possible with your knees and with your fists to create a kind of cave;
- Finally you must remain calm, and not waste energy shouting, in order to preserve oxygen.
How to organise the search
If you have been told about an avalanche:
- Put one person in charge of watching the piste above, because a second avalanche might occur.
- It is obvious that you must always be equipped with an ARVA to make the search faster, provided that you have kept practising with the equipment.
- Look for the approximate area where the missing skiers were last seen; look for a track: a ski pole, a hat, then plant a ski in this place and perform an initial search with the sonar.
- It is preferable to conduct the search on flat stretches immediately under natural obstacles and on the edges of fans/cones of built-up snow.
- Work methodically marking places already searched.
- Notify the alpine emergency services as soon as possible, because, as more time goes by, the chances of finding your companions alive are less.
- While waiting, continue the search by carrying out a more precise survey.
- Form a line, one next to the other, 60-70cm apart and search in front with the sonar at every step.
- Do not brush or graze the snow in any way that disturbs the scent for the avalanche dogs which might arrive with the rescue workers.
- Whoever goes to get help must remember the location of the accident and must be able to give the following information: exact name of the place, approximate altitude, names of the closest lift and and piste.
- If a helicopter is involved: find an open space for it to land free of obstacles and when it is ready to come down, turn your back to the wind, arms crossed in order to help the pilot manoeuvre.
- If you manage to find a skier on your own: lie the victim on warm clothes, carefully, because he could have broken something. If the rescued skier is unconscious you must perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation immediately.
Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation techniques
First of all free the airways of snow, earth, liquids, mucus, with your finger or by turning the victim onto his front and hitting him between the shoulder blades.
Then pull the victim's tongue free with the help of a tissue (it often blocks the throat), resting the head back on a folded wind jacket;
Place your mouth around the widely-opened mouth of the victim;
Avoid allowing air to escape, pressing down hard, and with the help of your finger close the nostrils so that air does not escape:
Always make sure the head is extended backwards;
If the oral cavity cannot be freed or if the jaw is blocked, perform mouth-to-nose. In this case you must first suck the nose, and immediately spit out the water and mucous, and then start to breathe.
You need to perform twelve breaths a minute.
Important: rub the victim vigorously without interruption.
Continue the artificial respiration for a long time: sometimes resuscitation has occurred approximately an hour and a half after beginning the intervention.
If the victim seems to be dead and you do not hear a heart beat when resting your ear on the left side of the chest, you must also perform an external cardiac massage at the same time as artificial respiration.
External cardiac massage technique
The rescue worker, squatting next to the injured, with his two hands crossed one on top the other, resting on the front of the chest must push down hard following a rhythm of 60-80 a minute, roughly one a second.
If you are alone, you need to carry out the two operations alternatively, one mouth-to-mouth breath every five chest massages.
Important recommendation:
a buried skier under a light layer of snow can be found unconscious; even if you are not a professional rescue worker you must act quickly and perform resuscitation techniques with confidence.
Finally, it is worth saying that avalanches do not always lead to fatalities; it is nevertheless true that incidents involving snow are complex and at times unpredictable and can surprise even the best. If all off-piste skiing or ski-mountaineering fans gave themselves time to find out the relevant facts and to respect the basic rules above, then without fail, off-piste skiing would claim significantly fewer victims.