The French ski resort of Val Thorens has announced that it will launch a drone this season to patrol its vast ski area. What for? To warn skiers of impending dangers, as well as provide assistance in the event of an avalanche. Its technology could help rescue personnel save lives.
Throughout the ski season, this drone will allow the resort control staff to analyze the conditions of the ski slopes and snow, as well as assist in rescue missions in the event of an avalanche by providing valuable information to the patrollers. to evaluate the best security response.
The drone has two digital cameras, a thermal one to identify the sources of heat under the snow and a second that has a very powerful zoom (180x) to examine any part of the ski slope from a distance. Finally, a loudspeaker allows safety instructions to be transmitted to overly intrepid skiers, if necessary.
At any time, the drone can head towards a risk zone or the terrain where an avalanche has been triggered. It will be possible to remotely locate victims who may have been trapped under the snow and communicate with the rescue team on site, thus speeding up rescue procedures.
Val Thorens has already trained his rescue personnel to obtain the necessary certifications to fly these devices.
