“Turning Crisis into Clarity from Mountain Rescues’ Frontlines” How do you prepare your team to make the right decisions when the stakes are life-or-death — or at least feel that way in business? Whether it’s navigating uncertainty, leading under pressure, or building instant trust in high-stakes environments, the strategies Caroline Elliott mastered on the frontlines of avalanche rescue translate directly to today’s corporate challenges. As the first British woman to break into France’s elite mountain rescue and fire service, Caroline shows audiences how to turn crisis into clarity, strengthen communication under stress, and build resilient teams that perform when it matters most.... Read more
How do you prepare your team to make the right decisions when the stakes are life-or-death — or at least feel that way in business? Whether it’s navigating uncertainty, leading under pressure, or building instant trust in high-stakes environments, the strategies Caroline Elliott mastered on the frontlines of avalanche rescue translate directly to today’s corporate challenges. As the first British woman to break into France’s elite mountain rescue and fire service, Caroline shows audiences how to turn crisis into clarity, strengthen communication under stress, and build resilient teams that perform when it matters most.
Caroline has followed a unique professional path. The only British women to have qualified across all the disciplines required in the French ski patrol rescue world (pisteur secouriste): controlled bombing, weather forecasting and avalanche dog handling, graduating from the iconic ‘Ecole National de Ski and Alpinisme’ in Chamonix.
Equally the first British woman to enter the French Fire and Rescue specialist mountain unit as a multi-discipline dog handler trained to deal with Search and Rescue missions following building collapse, gas explosions, avalanches or missing persons.
Author of a unique children’s snow safety book ‘Fjord’s Mountain Mission’, endorsed by the International Ski Federation in Switzerland, the French edition published by ‘les Editions de Mont Blanc’ run by the world renown climber Catherine Destivelle.
Caroline Elliott will draw you in to glimpse at her world where she overcame language, cultural and gender barriers to excel in a very physically demanding and mentally challenging profession still very much male led.
Looking closely at early morning blasting operations, multiple victim collisions on the winter slopes to real life avalanche rescue events, you will learn how the right blend of risk management, effective team work, combined with communication strategies to deal with stress are key to achieving a safe and positive outcome and attaining the desired goal set for the mission.
Caroline Elliott will invite you to learn about a real-life avalanche rescue in France that was successful in saving a whole family, the youngest of 4 years old remaining under two metres of snow for over 2 hours. We’ll look at what was crucial in achieving such a positive outcome, whilst working under pressure, with multiple service agencies of whom some had never worked together.
Caroline energises us through her journey dealing with risk on a daily basis in hostile mountain environments whilst scaling a myriad of metaphorical mountain challenges. With a smile, she explains how communicating with her canine colleagues is often far easier than with her human team members.
Unique in her field of expertise she will help you translate the strategies of risk management and communication in high pressure environments to help your team navigate more effectively in and outside the workplace.
True leadership is tested when the stakes are highest. Caroline draws from her extensive experience in rescue operations where split-second decisions determine whether someone lives or dies. She explores how authentic leadership emerges under extreme pressure, examining the unique challenges faced by women in command positions within traditionally male-led emergency...
Through training and working alongside her search and rescue dog Fjord, Caroline discovered profound lessons about communication, trust, and leadership that don’t require words. She explores how the pure, honest relationship between handler and dog mirrors the best qualities of human leadership: clear expectations, consistent feedback, unconditional support, and mutual...
The essential toolkit for ensuring a successful outcome for not just the victims of an avalanche but all those involved in an operation.
How to identify and flag up signs so support can be provided rapidly and effectively.
After a significant rescue mission how do we check in...
Mountains have been testing human character for millennia, teaching timeless lessons about patience, humility, preparation, and respect for forces beyond our control. Caroline weaves together her experiences in some of the world’s most challenging alpine environments with philosophical reflections on what these ancient landscapes teach us about modern life. She...
In mountain rescue, you often work with strangers whose lives depend on instant, unquestioning trust. Caroline reveals the psychological and practical strategies for building rapid rapport when time is critical and failure isn’t an option. She examines how vulnerability, competence, and clear communication create bonds that transcend cultural and gender...
In mountain rescue, the difference between calculated risk and reckless endangerment can mean multiple lives. Caroline breaks down her decision-making process when facing impossible choices: risking more lives to save one, calling off a mission, or pushing forward against overwhelming odds. Her systematic approach to weighing unknowns, managing uncertainty, and...
From ski patrol in Australia to the elite Alpine rescue training institution in Chamonix, Caroline’s journey illustrates what it takes to not just survive but thrive as a woman in traditionally male spaces. She candidly shares the strategies that helped her earn respect, overcome bias, and eventually lead teams. Her...
Every avalanche teaches something new about survival, resilience, and human potential. Caroline shares her philosophy of transforming life’s most challenging moments into catalysts for personal and professional growth. Through powerful anecdotes from rescue missions gone wrong and right, she illustrates how setbacks can become stepping stones. Her practical framework for...
A vicious spiral for all those involved.
Caroline will guide you through her career where these were prevalent.
She’ll help you identify the signs on your ‘home turf’ and demonstrate through poignant anecdotes in the SAR dog handling world.
Through Caroline’s story we’ll see how this is...