Going off on a tangent regarding slope safety……… as has been highlighted above, many of the concerns are not due to ‘personal failures’ but the risk of being hit by an out of control or incompetent skier/boarder. Certainly most of the nasty injuries I’ve seen are due to someone colliding with someone else.
There aren’t many hazardous sports or activities where you can quite legitimately go straight to the most challenging area on your first day. How many people do you see side-slipping or even snowploughing down a black before the inevitable loss of control and crash?
Instead of compulsory helmets (not far off I fear) how feasible is a competency test for relative newbies prior to getting a lift pass? Initially greens and blues, then if they want to go to more difficult slopes, a quick test, or ski instructor/ski school ok and the ticket then authorised for more difficult terrain. Difficult to police, of course but the deterrent of lift pass forfeiture if caught, might make some think twice.