The Future Of NZ Alpine Snow Safety Comes Under The Spotlight
The Southern Hemisphere Alpine Conference (SHAC) got underway today in Christchurch. Chief executive Mike Daisley is excited to have such a wide variety of delegates and speakers.
“As we noted earlier this week, this is the first year that we’ve widened the scope of the SHAC to alpine, rather than specific just to avalanche. Consequently, the breadth of presentations and delegates has widened as well.”
Daisley went on to note that the conference was made possible with the help of four key partners – Skills Active NZ, MetService, Department of Conservation and NZ Search And Rescue.
“We’ve had a long history of strong support from our partners, and it’s encouraging to have them as excited as we are about the widened scope. While avalanche understanding and hazard mitigation is certainly a key topic, we’ve now got presentations on the environmental factors that drive weather, alpine accents, glacier travel, human factors in decision making, NZ Land SAR dog teams and much more besides” he said.
“We’ve really got a fantastic programme of presentations with a number who’ve flown a long way from the northern hemisphere to attend the SHAC,” he concluded.
Passionate alpinist and conference convener Laura Adams, is excited to see the conference widen its scope.
“Through the interactions and workshops at this year’s SHAC we’ve got a real opportunity to positively influence the safety mechanisms and interventions that are applied in New Zealand challenging alpine environments,” said Adams.
"We're privileged to have so many amazing speakers coming from a wide range of areas. It's truly inspiring to see the sector come together to share their insights and knowledge with the wider sector" she concluded.
The conference aims to provide a platform for people interested in alpine snow environments to collaborate on ideas, to build strong partnerships that connect the alpine community together, and to generate opportunities to develop future strategies and collaborations that help more people stay safe in the outdoors.
For more information on the SHAC head to the MSC website, blog or Facebook page
The Southern Hemisphere Alpine Conference (SHAC) has three key objectives
1. To provide a platform for people interested in alpine snow environments to share ideas, network and enhance their knowledge and practical skills
2. To build strong partnerships that connect our alpine community together, and
3. To generate opportunities to develop future strategies and collaborations that help more people stay safe in the outdoors.

Link to programme
#MakeItHomeNZ
mountainsafety.org.nz
ENDS

© Scoop Media