G.them lovers of snowshoeing and of walks in the snowto continue to satisfy their passion they will have to read very carefully the decree, in force since 1 January 2022 on the safety in winter sports.
Snowshoeing in the snow, new rules
In fact, with Article 26, paragraph 2, the Government introduced new rules. In practice, he entered the obligationeven for those who want to take a simple walk on a snowy path, with or without snowshoes, to equip themselves with the same safety devices typical of those who practice ski mountaineering and off-piste skiing.
This means that hikers will need to have the electronic device ARTVA, the one that locates the people buried in the snow. But also shovel, probe and rackets for when «given the snow and weather conditions, there are risks of avalanches». Anyone will be found without, will incur a fine of 150 euros.
CAI: mountain safety decree unclear
Against the smokiness of the și norm the CAI, Italian Alpine Clubaccording to which, especially when it speaks of “Avalanche risk” does not clarify enough. It is not understood, in fact, what are the precise characteristics that must have snow-covered environments to fall within that “particularity” to which the decree refers, a fundamental fact to understand whether or not to bring self-rescue equipment.
Not only that: according to the Club, the norm penalizes families, because they will have to buy everything they need. The expense, in fact, is not small: it would be 280 euros per person, a considerable amount.
Also, there is another problem, why it is not enough to have the kit, you have to know how to use it. Ski mountaineers they take courses for this, but Sunday hikers they are not prepared and probably do not even want to take courses for a simple walk.
Safety in the mountains: first of all
Who deals with safety in the mountains, he does not agree with the CAI, however, in the face of too many recoveries made by the helicopter rescue of snowshoers under the avalanches. According to the rescuers, Artva is fundamentalsince without it it is impossible to locate the victim in a few minutes.
For heaven’s sake, even the CAI puts safety first. So much so that it is being activated to increase training courses the use of the rescue kit, also stipulating agreements with manufacturers to lower the sale price of this equipment.
The dispute is only in the lack of clarity and in the lack of precision with which the standard was written and with which the situations in which the equipment is necessary were described, making the rules unclear and too vague.
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