Spear-headed by global leading ski brand, Helly Hansen, International Ski Patrol Day (ISPD) is now its fifth year! Annually celebrated on 10 February, the brand encourages all mountain-goers to shout about the extraordinary work of ski patrollers around the world. From keeping the ski resorts open, safe and running like clockwork, to helping injured and lost skiers, and saving lives after a freak avalanche or off-piste adventure gone wrong, ski patrollers are the unsung heroes of our snowy slopes.
Having worked with Helly Hansen on International Ski Patrol Day since its inception, we always strive to find ways to bring this day of celebration to life and share the very real insights of being a ski patroller, on and off the slopes, with top tier journalists so they can help us spread the word and educate consumers.
How?
This year, we took a number of journalists to a new Ski Free resort and planned an awesome day with the Les Menuires ski patrol team, with the help of the very friendly tourism office: Friendly Menuires. We planned a packed schedule of skiing first and last tracks to check the slope conditions and signage, transceiver training, seeing the first ever remote drone in action and – my personal favourite! – a mock rescue with the search and rescue dogs, plus so much more. The journalists got to ski with the patrollers, see inside their HQ, understand the process when a call comes in and learn more about their careers, in person, on skies and off the mountains… What could be a better way to bring this to life?
We were also joined by HH’s Ski Category Manager, Louise Micolon, to join us to provide insight into the patroller’s kit and key features requested by their teams. Since they often risk their life to save someone else’s, they need the best possible gear to keep them protected – so the obvious choice is HH, of course. And this therefore enables us to provide another opportunity to see how the kit is being used, the pressures of its use and very real feedback from the patrollers wearing and relying on the kit, day in, day out.
Whilst our trip was incredible fun, there’s a few deep-rooted messages and important reasons for hosting press experiences in this way:
- We can fully immerse the media in the life of a patroller – their demands, needs and experiences in real time and in their own environment, right there with them
- We give the media exclusive access to the patrollers – they can interview, photograph and ski with the patrollers, we’re just on hand to facilitate requests and provide additional information as required
- We dig deep into the rescues, which helps to showcase how the team works together, the role of different technology and of course, the search and rescue dogs, showcasing the skill, knowledge and dedication of every single member of the team
- Particularly with live incidents occurring and news reports coming in, the media can relate to what they’re learning about and ask questions to understand what is happening in much more detail
- The media can test their new kit on the slopes and really evaluate its performance, the technologies and features against its intended use – again, with us on hand for any extra questions and feedback
ISPD is a light-hearted day of celebration for everyone, but with a very serious message. So, next time you’re on the slopes, give a thought to those making it all happen, ensuring you can ski in the beautifully groomed pistes, you know which routes are clear and that the incredible patrollers are on hand, should you need them!
How can you get involved?
From giving a high-five to sharing Thank You messages and exchanging stories at resorts, athletes, professionals and enthusiasts can all recognise the work of the incredible patrollers, globally. Follow @hellyhansen on social media and see how the brand is celebrating and sharing messages of thanks, all around the world – today and throughout the season.
And as one final thought – Helly Hansen donates 5% of its e-commerce sales and selected retail store sales from the day to various organisations to support ski patrollers around the world, so if you’re planning to go shopping – mark 10 February as the day to do it and the brand will give something back too!
For more information on the initiative, please visit: www.hellyhansen.com/ski-patrol
And if you’d like some support in making your key messages come to life, get in touch with our experts: hello@adpr.co.uk.