Andorra Launches Snow Science and Avalanche Workshops for 580 Schoolchildren

Andorra's Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management, in collaboration with the Ministry of Institutional Relations, Education and Universities, has launched a new series of workshops on snow science and avalanche response for 580 students aged 10 to 14 across the country's three education systems. Running until 9 March, the programme forms part of the annual basic civil protection training in schools since 2012, aiming to equip young people with practical skills for rapid, safe responses to natural hazards.

The participants comprise 168 pupils aged 13 and 14 from the Andorran school system, and 412 children aged 10 and 11 from Spanish and French systems via the Andorran Training Area. Sessions blend classroom theory with hands-on fieldwork at ski resorts, covering interpretation of the Avalanche Risk Bulletin and use of rescue equipment including avalanche victim detectors (DVA), shovels and probes.

Ski resorts provide venues and expert staff, while instructors come from Civil Protection, the fire service and Andorran Red Cross teams. Most sessions start this week, after a pilot round in December for 16- to 18-year-olds from Lycée Comte de Foix as part of their "nature activities" elective. This marks the second year for the French school, focusing on teenagers most likely to venture independently into the mountains.