Decree on the "Rules of conduct for users of ski resorts" comes into force on 1 January 2022
With the new year, Italy is introducing further safety rules for ski resort visitors, such as mandatory helmets for all minors, liability insurance for winter sports enthusiasts and the 0.5 alcohol limit for skiing. In addition, as a precautionary measure, Italy will tighten the Covid-19 rules with the 2G rule (vaccinated or recovered) in accommodation establishments and on lifts from 10 January. All of this in order to be able to guarantee the safety of the population even better, while maintaining economic life in the country as far as possible.
Already at the beginning of 2021, the new decree no. 40/2021 was approved by Parliament; it will now enter into force on 1 January 2022 and aims to increase safety in the practice of various winter sports in Italy. Among the various aspects regulated by the new text, three in particular have a direct impact on winter sports enthusiasts:
The obligation to wear a protective ski helmet is now extended from under-14s to everyone under 18. So, anyone who is under the age of 18 must wear a helmet in Italy when skiing, snowboarding, practising telemark and freestyle or tobogganing. "As a lift operator, we certainly support all regulations that ensure a higher safety standard for winter sports enthusiasts. The extension of compulsory protective helmets to all minors is certainly a step in this direction, even though the absolute majority of all winter sports enthusiasts of all ages already use a helmet for their own safety," says Andy Varallo, Chairman of Dolomiti Superski, the world's largest ski destination, which covers parts of South Tyrol, Trentino and Belluno. It goes without saying that the safety helmets must meet the current EU certification guidelines.
From 1 January 2022, anyone practising a winter sport in Italy in designated winter sports areas must possess a third-party liability insurance policy covering damage to third parties. The most common insurance policies of this kind, including those for families, already cover the area of "winter sports"; it is nevertheless recommended to clarify this with your own insurance company. The operators of ski resorts are obligated to offer such liability insurance to customers when purchasing the ski pass. "Dolomiti Superski has already been doing this for almost 15 years. In the province of Trento, it was already obligatory to offer the policy at the ski pass point of sale; now it is being extended to the other two areas of South Tyrol and Belluno. For almost 15 years, it has also been possible to purchase such a third-party liability insurance through our partner GBC Montagna with its product "Snowcare" on the dolomitisuperski.com website, allowing you to ski without any worries," Andy Varallo continues. The competent authorities are responsible for the verification of the insurance cover and, in particular, the law enforcement officers will undertake this control in case of an accident on the slopes.
- Skiing and all other winter sports are strictly forbidden when under the influence of alcohol or toxic substances. "We do not only see this as a requirement of the new law, but above all as a question of personal responsibility, respect and common sense of each of us, which should be self-evident," comments Andy Varallo on one of the most important paragraphs of the new decree. Since there is no specification about the alcohol limit, it is reasonable to assume that the implementation of the law is based on similar facts, such as the road traffic regulations, which in Italy allow a maximum of 0.5 mg of alcohol per litre of blood. This was also stated by the judge at the Bolzano Regional Court, Dr. Carlo Busato, in an interview with the daily newspaper Alto Adige on 1 December 2021. If there is a strong suspicion, the police can carry out appropriate controls, in accordance with the law. In contrast to the road traffic regulations, any exceeding of the limit has consequences under administrative law, but not under criminal law.