The incident was a stern reminder that you’re never guaranteed safety, even a pole-reach from the piste. It also provided a nerve-wracking backdrop from which our group would set off to explore the famous Lech backcountry.

We’re following our host for the week – an experienced local skier, Hans-Peter Martin. He knows the area like the back of his hand, and we follow his every word as we ski – with avalanche bags worn and beacons, shovels and probes packed.

“Not a single track has been put in on the picture perfect snow before us”

The line ahead of us glimmers and gleams. It sits in front of mountains which layer back into the distance. During the 24 hours of constant snow the previous day, we’d sat the slopes out with the plan of getting up early and being the first people on the mountain the next day, and the plan has paid dividends.

Not a single track has been put in on the picture perfect snow before us, and this is our third different spot where we’ve been able to state that fact.

It raises questions about if we, the everyday skiers and snowboarders of the world, are too blasé in regards to off-piste riding in ski resorts.

Back in the UK, the Scottish Avalanche Information Service (S.A.I.S), the people who train the people who run the avalanche courses in Scotland, have a unique tool to promote avalanche safety and discourage this kind of whimsical approach to off-piste skiing.

Their Be Avalanche Aware app provides information covering about 5000km2 of the Highlands, and ultimately aims to minimise human errors by providing mountain users with a tool which allows them to assess avalanche risk both before they ski, and as they go.

“We can all get sucked into doing things without looking at all the factors”

“We want people to go into the mountains but we want them to go into the mountains with good and trusted information,” says Mark Diggins, co-ordinator of the S.A.I.S.

The App aims to “provide advice and resources that will help with the decision making process and help you decide with better understanding where to go”, it says.

Mark continues: “I think the key thing for us is how people make their decisions. When you want to go skiing and you’ve got great conditions and it’s a rare opportunity, we can all get sucked into doing things without looking at all the factors. We’re all susceptible.

“It’s about making a decision using everything. The decision has to include where you’re going, the sort of terrain, the angle, the slope, the aspect, but also the human factor, who we all are, what our experience is as a group and also what the avalanche hazard is.

“Where there is a great failure often is the human bit. The first thing people tend to have is the idea of what they’re going to do. And then they start thinking about the avalanche hazard when they’re there, and it’s too late then because you’re committed already.

“It’s a natural type of behaviour for anyone who is excited about going into the hills but we have to consider all of these other elements to make good decisions.”

“There’s a strong desire and a need to make the most of your time on the slopes. Which for many, means seeking powder”

The human factor is definitely part of what caused the incident we saw on our first day in Lech. And as Mark points out – in a way, it’s entirely understandable. Particularly if you only get to ski a handful of times a year, like most do, there’s a strong desire and a need to make the most of your time on the slopes. Which for many, means seeking powder.

It’s this approach, and perhaps the fact that everyone is doing it, cutting just off piste and then coming back on again, and the festishization of powder skiing on social media that means many of us sometimes take our safety not just on, but near the piste for granted.

Intrigued by the question of if we are too careless when we ski off-piste, I call the editor of adventure travel website Amuse, former editor of Mpora and experienced backcountry snowboarder Tristan Kennedy to get his opinion on the matter.

“In that instance, we knew we were in avalanche terrain, but I obviously didn’t think it was going to slide or I wouldn’t have ridden it. I’m now aware that just because I don’t think it’s going to happen doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. So I guess I am more careful, yeah.”

The incident in Lech had a notable impact on our skiing group. Several members opted to stay strictly on piste for the rest of the trip, and those of us who ventured further thought more closely about our safety than we might have otherwise.

There’s a lot of piste to stay on in Lech, at least.

“We knew we were in avalanche terrain, but I obviously didn’t think it was going to slide or I wouldn’t have ridden it”

Most younger skiers or snowboarders head to the more affordable party destination of St Anton, 30 minutes’ drive from Lech, and connected by a gondola on the Alberg Mountain ski pass – giving skiers access to the largest ski area in Austria and the fifth largest in the world.

The former clientele of Lech – Princess Diana, Tom Cruise and world royals – gives you a good idea of the resort’s image as a luxury playground, and it’s an image they don’t play down. The place is expensive, but the skiing is just as luxurious as the five-star hotels.

In St Anton you’ll find vertigo-inducing mountain faces and eye-bulging off piste options that get tracked out fast. In Lech you don’t have to rush quite as fast to get to the powder – as long as you know where you’re going – and luckily Hans-Peter knows the place well.

On an early lift, we beat the crowds to spot number one, near the Zugerberg lift. Hans-Peter drops in first, turns in the waist-deep powder, and then stops clearly in view further down the piste. He shouts to signal the next skier, and we ski one at a time in this manner.

This is the basic format of how our day is spent, complete with the involuntarily whooping that comes anytime face shots are flowing fast up from snow-buried skis.

We make fresh turns in the 25cm of snow that fell overnight, then catch the same lift, do the same 15-20 minute route again, and pass only our own tracks as we go.

Our second spot trades the trees for rolling hills with a spiky mountain backdrop straight off a postcard. We cut our tracks one by one, looking back up to see four snaking trails side by side through an otherwise untouched blanket.

“It’s one of those days that… reminds you exactly why we go to such lengths to seek out powder and adventure, despite the risks”

Our last route is the most technical of the three, descending through a tree run which at times we’re forced to take slow and carefully, and including a natural kicker with a landing zone padded by powder and perfect for a few clumsy jumps before lunch.

We’ve had no avalanche issues all day, and sure, we were well prepared, but we were also aware that as well as planning and preparation, we ultimately had a good dose of luck with the weather and the immaculate snow conditions.

It’s one of those days that reminds you exactly why you look forward to winter. And reminds you exactly why we go to such lengths to seek out powder and adventure, despite the risks.

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