After the recent fatal ski accidents, the Austrian Board of Trustees for Alpine Safety (ÖKAS) appealed to skiers to take personal responsibility. There is often a lack of “ski fitness”, ÖKAS President Peter Paal told the Austrian news agency APA.
After the Corona years, many people are even less practiced in winter sports than before, says Paal. If you then go on the slopes, there is a risk of misjudging your own possibilities. “The best Formula 1 racing car is of no use if the pilot is bad. And with regard to skiing, one has to say: The drivers have gotten worse,” said the ÖKAS President on Tuesday.
At the same time, Paal spoke out against piste closures due to the accidents. The slopes are well prepared in this winter with little snow. Anyone who goes skiing must also be able to master very hard artificial snow slopes and drive accordingly. Due to the weather, there is almost no snow off the piste – accordingly, the fall areas are limited and there are more dangerous situations in cases where people overstepped the edge of the piste due to overconfidence or high speed.
Since November 1, 13 people have died in Austria’s ski areas, eleven of them in Tyrol. Among them were two German youths aged 17.
Slope operators only have to take precautions against those dangers that winter sports enthusiasts cannot expect, said the President of the Austrian Alpine Club and lawyer, Andreas Ermacora, to ORF Tirol. Many of the fatal accidents are due to their own fault. “If you go over the edge of the runway and hit a tree, it’s very tragic, but you can’t blame the runway operator,” said Ermacora.
