Henry Schniewind
Val d'Isere
HAT founder, Avalanche Awareness expert and off piste guide
Henry started giving avalanche-safety talks in Val d’Isère in the late 1980’s and created HAT in 2001 to respond to the ever-increasing requests to provide awareness and information about off-piste terrain. The HAT team now runs regular programmes in the Alps and UK under the placard of ‘Safety is Freedom’.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Having learnt to ski in the relatively small and snow-stable mountains of Vermont, New England, at nineteen years old headed to Europe to discover the thrills of Alpine off-piste adventure; he had the technical skills to push the limits and became hooked for life. It wasn’t until he experienced a dangerously close call with an avalanche that he realised his complete ignorance of mountain safety could have been fatal. Inspired, he chose to learn about the subject of avalanche forecasting and avalanche control at Montana State University and in ski areas around Bozeman, Montana. However, when the call of Alpine off-piste drew him back to the Alps, he soon discovered that most off-piste skiers were as unaware as he used to be. Thus began a life dedicated to the thrill of riding, safely, in the big mountains, learning about snow and passing that knowledge onto those keen to know more.
henry@henrysavalanchetalk.com
