Hit and runs rise as Alps claim 29 lives

A spate of ugly accidents in the Alps has revealed skiing's darker side - almost a fifth of skiers and snowboarders responsible for accidents on the slopes flee the scene without giving assistance.

The figures were revealed by the head of Austria's Alpine police, Lieutenant Colonel Hans Ebner.

He was speaking during a season that has seen 29 fatalities on the country's slopes and two serious accidents involving prominent politicians.

The rising toll had led Austrian legislators to demand that the wearing of a helmet on the slops be made compulsory for anyone aged 14 years or less.

"The number of those who leave the scene of an accident is very high," Ebner said. "It is around 15 to 20 per cent. I find it amazing."

Austria is not the only nation been plagued by "hit-and-run" skiers.

Incidents have been reported throughout Europe and in the United States.

In the Californian resort of Mammoth, leaving the scene of a skiing collision is a criminal offence punishable by a hefty fine or up to six months in prison.

Other US resorts are offering rewards to those who identify fleeing hit-and-run skiers.

One of the most high-profile incidents this season occurred in Italy on Christmas Day, when a 16-year-old schoolboy hit 51-year-old father Arthur Lantschner as he was teaching his daughter to ski at Obereggen, near Bolzano in the Dolomites.

Lantschner died in hospital from head injuries. His death sparked a police hunt and considerable media attention that persuaded the boy to surrender two days later.

The boy told police he had not stopped because he had seen others helping the victim. He said the first he knew of Lantschner's death was when he saw it on the television news.

But it is in Austria this year, that the issue of safety on the slopes has been propelled on to the political agenda.

A Polish regional politician, Marek Nawara, suffered serious head injuries in a skiing accident in Austria.

The incident followed a fatal accident involving the premier of the German state of Thuringia, Dieter Althaus. He collided with a woman, who died from multiple head injuries, on New Year's Day.

Very cold conditions have created much faster ski slopes, making collisions far more severe. The accidents have led to calls for new laws to be introduced making it mandatory for all children under 15 to wear helmets, a law that has been passed only in the region of Lower Austria where there are relatively few resorts.

Ebner does not know how effective any law will be.

"Already, 60 to 70 per cent of skiers wear helmets. I don't know if it is necessary and I am not sure who the politicians think will enforce it."

Last month, William Marsh, a 61-year-old from Massachusetts, was issued with a summons for allegedly leaving the scene of a skiing accident in Aspen. The issue has become the subject of heated debate in ski chatrooms.

There have been legislative attempts to improve safety but the introduction of speed cameras has led to complaints that the freedom of the mountains is becoming ever more regulated.

- OBSERVER