Safety is paramount when skiing or snowboarding away from the pistes on the untamed mountain, according to mountain guides Nigel Shepherd and Graham McMahon.

Avalanches are unpredictable, the guides told a meeting in London, which was sponsored by the Ski Club of Great Britain and Snow and Rock.

Last winter an unusually high number of people were killed in avalanches in the Swiss and French alps because adverse weather conditions in that region lead to instability in the snow pack. Most people killed were back-country skiing (ski-touring a long way from the resort) or skiing off-piste (within the resort).

Avalanches are normally triggered by adverse weather conditions or the actions of skiers. To prevent death or injury from an avalanche, it is important to stay alert to danger and be aware of your surroundings.

It is also essential to carry rescue equipment and to know how to rescue anyone buried under the snow, as time is of the essence and the rescue team might not arrive quickly enough.

Shepherd and McMahon advise the following:

• Exercise the greatest caution in the 24 hours after snowfall.
• Follow avalanche reports in the main resorts and look for signs of the wind having moved snow around. Then plan your route. Observe signs and notices in the resort, as well as flag warnings.
• Dig a hole and examine the different layers in the snow pack. A weak bond between layers means that if weight is applied the lack of cohesion could trigger an avalanche.
• Ski a slope from the top or start at the side of a slope and work in. Do not ski on slopes with an angle above 30°.
• Ski one person at a time - then if an avalanche does occur, only one person will be caught under the snow.
• Stop in safe places.
• Everyone must carry safety equipment - an avalanche transceiver, a shovel and a lightweight snow probe.
• Everyone should have been trained in how to use the equipment.
• Use wide skis or a snowboard.
• Do not use writs loops (on ski poles) or powder leashes (that attach ski to your legs) as these could drag you deeper into the snow.
• Wear extra layers of clothing.