An interesting article in today’s Dauphine Libere newspaper regarding safety on the pistes.
“Yesterday morning at the court room in Albertville magistrates, lawyers, mayors of ski resorts and piste directors, police discussed and shared their experiences on the issue of regulations in ski areas.
This season has been busy but it’s also finishing with a number of major accients, notably collisions.? There’s been an exponential in severe trauma said a local orthopedic surgeon from Albertville.? An occasion to remind mayors of their need for vigilance on the matter of safety.
If the finger is pointed at the speed of skiers, drunkeness and drug taking has also entered into the debate.? The subject of restaurants and “night clubs” on the pistes has come up with clients leaving on ski in a drunken state.
A number of piste directors have also condemned the theft and damage to safety equipment on the pistes with sometimes dramatic consequences.
The 10 rules of the pistes already exist but who takes the time to read them? asks the legal and financial director of the 3 Valleys Company.? The difficulty is in making people aware in a holiday situation.? People come to relax and are not very receptive to these messages. A team set up to make skiers aware has been set up in Meribel-Mottaret and to talk with dangerous skiers.? A first review has linked this with a reduction in the number of rescues and these patrols have been appreciated by clients.”
This idea will be introduced more widely next year.
You can read the original article in French here.
