Italy May Segregate Snowboarders and Skiers

Italy's ski resorts may soon have segregated pistes after a skier was killed in a collision with a snowboarder, reviving pressure for better safety on the country's slopes.

"We are thinking of having separate pistes for skiers and snowboarders within the same resort," Mario Pescante, undersecretary for sport at the culture ministry, said. "We are also considering making helmets obligatory for under-14-year-olds, and perhaps separating children from adults on pistes."

Last weekend's accident at the glitzy Alpine resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo, in which a 36-year-old skier from Parma died, revived the ski safety debate that began after the number of accidents rose by 15% last year compared with 2001.

There have been calls for everything from permits for access to difficult pistes to tighter controls on ski or snowboard "pirates", who hurtle down slopes, often sending the more cautious tumbling out of the way.

Fines already exist for misbehavers, but are rarely enforced.

Snowboarding, seen as cooler and more fun than traditional skiing, has boomed in Italy in recent years. Snowboarders, often criticised by skiers for being reckless and inconsiderate, are predicted to outnumber skiers by 2005.

Mr Pescante said he would meet officials from Italy's Alpine ski regions today to discuss new nationwide regulations.

"There's a problem with the signs in Italy. A piste that is considered black in one resort might be green in another," he said, referring to the international colour scheme which rates the most difficult slopes black and the easiest green.

Officials were studying similar restrictions already in effect in Austria and Switzerland, he said, but Italy was not considering banning snowboarders from any resorts.

"I don't think this sounds like a good idea," said Stefano Paniconi, 28, one of the 20% of Italians who snowboard rather than ski. "I'm sure snowboarders will be banned from the best slopes. You can't make skiing totally safe. We do this sport in part because it's dangerous. The more dangerous it is, the more beautiful."