

Looking at the state-of-the-art lift system in Val Thorens and how it works, across 68 pistes, covering 150km of ski runs; the lift network is a life-line for all with a super-efficient, well-oiled operation, the unexpected can still happen.

Varsity Week in Val Thorens, as 3,000 students from Oxford and Cambridge universities converge for high-octane thrills on the slopes; the Ski Patrol, helicopter rescue and medical teams have to cope with the usual array of emergencies.

Ski Patroller Tristan can't find the man he's been sent to rescue; David sets off mini-avalanches off the side of a mountain to stop a real one from happening; specialized dog units of the Alps rescue those buried beneath the snow.

Following the Ski Patrol, helicopter rescue and medical teams over two days, when a contrast in weather conditions brings a range of different emergencies; two young skiers, a man who's cut open his face and a woman who is air lifted to hospital.