Patrollers Witout Borders

 Since December 8, 2015, it has been my privilege to be serving on the Flégère ski Patrol.

Secour PGHM Lachenal from Mariposa Productions on Vimeo.

Patient pick up by the PGHM Helicopter. at the bottom of piste Lachenal.

The Eurocopter EC145, now known as the Airbus Helicopters H145, is a twin-engine light utility helicopter developed and manufactured by Eurocopter, which was rebranded as Airbus Helicopters in 2014.

"The EC145 is a twin-engine aircraft and can carry up to nine passengers along with two crew, depending on customer configuration. The helicopter is marketed for passenger transport, corporate transport, emergency medical services (EMS), search and rescue, parapublic and utility roles. In 2014, the EC145 was rebranded as the H145 by Airbus Helicopters.

Crew: 1 or 2 (pilots)
Capacity: 9 passengers
Length: 13.03 m (42 ft 9 in)
Rotor diameter: 11.0 m (36 ft)
Height: 3.45 m (11 ft 4 in)
Disc area: 95 m² (1,018 ft²)
Empty weight: 1,792 kg (3,951 lb)
Loaded weight: 3,585 kg (7,903 lb)
Useful load: 1,793 kg (3,953 lb)

Never exceed speed: 268 km/h (145 kt, 167 mph)
Cruise speed: 246 km/h (133 kn, 153 mph)
Range: 680 km (370 nmi, 426 mi)
Service ceiling: 5,240 m (17,200 ft)
Rate of climb: 8.1 m/s (1,600 ft/min)

Until 1984, the National Police were involved in the prehospital rescue operations and casualty transport (called police-secours). The prehospital aid is now performed by the Sécurité civile (Civil Defence Agency) and by firefighter services; however, mountain rescue is shared between the gendarmerie's PGHM (pelotons de gendarmerie de haute montagne, High Mountain Platoons of the Gendarmerie) and the National Police's CRS (compagnies républicaines de sécurité; Republican security companies). "

This is CMBH, the private heli company in town. He does contract work for all the ski areas in all of Chamonix. Since about 4 years no longer are hand charges dropped from the Helicopter but instead the daisy bell is used.

Having made connections and getting to know other ski areas in France, as well as some basic understanding of the language, it's been interesting to witness, first hand account, that across the Atlantic fellow ski patrollers are having to deal with the same issues as patrollers in the US. Fair compensation for the backbreaking and sometimes dangerous work on the mountain.

Grève des pisteurs secouristes

Les pisteurs de Val d'Isère annoncent une grève illimitée

original article on France3

Maxence Régnault Publié le 28/02/2016 | 20:03, mis à jour le 29/02/2016 | 14:38

They demand a particular enhancement of their qualification together with a wage increase of 150 euros net.

Safety on the slopes of Val d'Isere she will fail in the coming days? And if it meant the lifts close? These are the two questions that arise after the filing by the Pisteurs of a notice of indefinite strike from Tuesday. They are demanding a salary increase of about 20%, a little more than 150 euros net per month.

Their argument: the same qualifications, they earn on average 20% less than their counterparts in other resorts like Courchevel or Meribel Savoy. These Pisteurs also denounced the lack of dialogue with the leadership of the board of slopes as well as the municipality. Today, some Pisteurs Val d'Isere earn 1,350 euros gross, less than the minimum wage.

The move could also have a snowball effect. Employees of the station Aussois in Maurienne, also considering filing a notice.

Later from the Val d'Isere Pisteurs FB Page:

Results of today's negotiations , our demands were accepted in large part , which announces the end of the strike notice .
Thank you to our delegates for this fierce battle and all colleagues for their solidarity and all the people who supported us on social or other networks.
There is to wish our friends vacationers to spend a good sunny day and enjoy the good snow that fell in abundance these days .

The Sirocco came and brought some dust in from the Sahara. The weather and the topography to work with is my second favorite thing here. It is incredibly dynamic, varied and fluctuates in temperature and precipitation events. 

The people I get to work with is by far my favorite thing here in Cham. Cedric takes twice a month core samples of the snowpack mid mountain as well as the top of the lift serviced area.  He is one of hundreds of volunteers across the country Who take snow cover samples in order for the French utility company EDF to estimate the available water in the snowpack available for generating hydroelectricity.  It is a upper body workout, but a benevolent and interesting task to perform. 

Homologation of avalanche risk scale warning  and the new pictograms.