I found the following article at the Avalanche Center (to which Spanish Highs Mountain Guides are members). It does pose the question “Is this the shape of things to come”?
But then, how is it to be policed? Is this taking away our right to roam free at our own risk in the mountains? Like all things “health and safety” these days, why do we need to have these laws, when we should be allowed our own personal responsibility? Is the mountain adventure to be taken away?
This is a massive subject and will no doubt cause big debate. I, myself, am all for increasing training and awareness rather than for laws and policing. I will pack up my ski’s for good if the day ever comes when the Sierra Nevada is forced, by do-gooders, to introduce such laws.
Italian authorities in the Piedmonte region have passed a law making it mandatory for off-piste skiers and snowboarders to carry avalanche safety gear. You now must be equipped with an avalanche beacon, shovel, and probe, if heading out of marked ski runs. The law also applies to ski mountaineering.
Fines are up to €250 if found without the required gear and insurance policies also may be declared invalid. Until now skiers only have been obliged to carry avalanche beacons if there was an obvious risk of avalanche (risk 3 or above) under the national law passed in 2003.
It is hoped the new law will significantly reduce the number of tragic accidents during the winter period. Rescuers found the bodies of five French ski-mountaineers swept away by an avalanche in Piedmont in May 2008. The bodies were found shortly after dawn following a suspension of the search overnight because of poor visibility and bad weather.
The mountains of Piedmont provided a unique backdrop for the Torino 2006 Winter Olympics. The region features 53 ski resorts, 1300 kilometres of runs, and 300 chair lifts and cableways. Some of the most popular ski resorts in the area include Valle di Susa, Sestriere, Vialattea, Claviere, Montagnedoc, Pragelato, Val Chisone, and Val Germanasca.
