Anger as tourists in trainers call for help
The president of the region of Veneto in northern Italy, Luca Zaia, has reacted angrily to tourists taking to the mountains in inadequate footwear.
In recent days, the authorities in the province of Belluno had to dispatch a mountain rescue team to attend to tourists who had set out to walk in the mountains around Cortina.
The tourists had called for help when their feet froze and they found themselves unable to continue. They were at an altitude of 2,700 metres when the rescue team, which had set out by helicopter and continued to search on foot, encountered them. The tourists were wearing running shoes.
After a period of rest and rehabilitation in the nearest refuge, the tourists were able to come off the mountain safely.
Mr Zaia said he was pleased the visitors were safe but said he was angry at how ill-prepared they had been, pointing out that sending out a rescue team in a helicopter means a significant expense.
He went on to say that it was the tourists’ own fault that they had got into difficulty, describing their chosen footwear as “sneakers made from rags that were completely incapable of retaining any heat”.
His comments have received a mixed reaction, but some commentators have pointed out that, if police, with justification, carry out checks on vehicles on mountain roads to make sure they have suitable tyres, it is perhaps time for checks to be carried out on walkers to make sure they have suitable footwear for terrain and conditions that can be dangerous at any time of the year.
Ironically, Belluno is home to some of the most prominent mountain footwear brands in the world.
Image: Salewa, a brand that says the Dolomites are its inspiration.
