Off piste - mark it, or leave it?

A recent tragedy at Meribel (<a href="http://www.pistehors.com/weblog?id=P214" target="_blank">described here at pistehors.com</a>) has provoked a debate as to whether or not off-piste hazards should be marked (or be required to be).

My own feel is that it's just not practical; that's the essence of off-piste isn't it? You take responsibility for yourself and recognize that you're away from the beaten track. Many mountains have off-piste areas so vast they couldn't possibly be completely marked (at least not without great risk to the ski patrol).

The best route to safety is surely education, but I think there is a responsibility on resort operators to make the dangers of off-piste ever more apparent. The popularity of boarding (and the relative rapidity with which one can gain the ability to handle powder) plus the explosion of mid-fat and fat skis leads ever more people off the pistes, without necessarily having the opportunity to properly understand the dangers.

What do other people think? Leave it as is? Educate more? Require skiers to pass an off-piste driving test??? What?

There was another tragedy at l'Alpe d'Huez a few days later. Our friend's who own Chalet at the foot of the cliffs witnessed the drama and we're waiting for a few more details from them. The Grandes Rousses have convex slopes at the top, unless you know the exit point you can rapidly go beyond the point of no return as these boarders found to their cost. I know l'alpe d'Huez pretty well (used to be my home resort) and they've done a pretty good job at signposting the dangers in the Grandes Rousses... but the signs seem to be completely invisible to some skiers and boarders.

Convex slopes??? Nasty.

If you don't know where you're going, and you can't see where you're going - don't go there!