Stay Safe on the Pistes
13th February 2024
Last modified on February 16th, 2024
An animated film to help young skiers & snowboarders learn about safety on the pistes has been released to coincide with the busy February school holiday period. It comes as safety is becoming a growing concern with PlanetSKI contacted by the mainstream media on the subject.
It’s the idea of the people behind a campaign set up after several tragic accidents in the French Alps.
The film is the latest initiative of Amie Henderson and Louise Paley, who live in Morzine.
They co-founded the Piste X Code (pronounced Piste Cross Code) in January 2022.
The bi-lingual on-piste safety campaign is aimed at reducing the growing number of unnecessary accidents and collisions on the slopes.
The two women have set about reminding visitors of all ages about the principles of safe skiing and snowboarding.
Now they’ve produced a short film that’s a child-focused version of the Piste X Code.
Monty’s Mountain Adventure – Stay Safe on the Pistes features Monty the Yeti.
Monty the Yeti. Image © Piste X Code
It’s just two minutes long and condenses the eight piste safety recommendations into five short and memorable lessons demonstrated by Monty and his friends.
The issues of crowded slopes and safety are increasingly catching the attention of the mainstream media, though much of its coverage should be taken with a large pinch of salt.
The Telegraph recently reported on it quoting PlanetSKI.
Last week The Times wrote a 2-page feature on the subject with PlanetSKI editor, James Cove, extensively quoted as he put the headlines into context and offered analysis and safety advice.
See here for the full article in The Times.
PlanetSKI in The Times
And while we are on the subject of the mainstream media turning to PlanetSKI for information here is an article in The Mirror from Tuesday 13th February that quotes PlanetSKI on the demise of Esprit Ski.
But back to the important matter of the Piste X Code safety video…
“Our aim is to introduce the principles of piste safety to children of all ages in a fun and inspiring way, using a format that they’ll remember,” says Louise.
“Having skied for many years with my daughters, I know that it’s possible to embed the principles of safe on-piste behaviour from a very early age; that’s what we aim to do with this short film.”
Amie Henderson & Louise Paley. Image © Piste X Code
“Children love cartoons so it was important for us to create a high-quality animation to introduce this subject,” says Amie.
“We engaged the support of Lil Critter Workshop, a Bristol (UK)-based animation and storytelling studio responsible for shows that have streamed on Netflix, CITV, Cartoon Network and Discovery Kids.
“Without their expertise and continuous support, our Monty’s Mountain Adventure – Stay Safe on the Pistes project would never have come to life.”
Lorna Henderson, Creative Director at Lil Critter Workshop managed the animation project on behalf of the Piste X Code.
“Our expertise lies in capturing the attention and imagination of little viewers,” says Lorna.
“Bringing Monty the yeti to life, creating a realistic mountain setting and balancing the dangers of the slopes with the opportunity to have fun was our focus.”
