Protection barrier for ski tracks

Abstract

 This invention relates to a protection barrier for ski tracks apt to avoid that a skier, in case of a fall, goes out of track and finishes up in a danger zone, consisting of a net preferably in plastic material, supported by a plurality of piles placed at the pathway sides and anchored in correspondence with the lower edge, the said net is refolded so as to form a sort of pocket addressed to open in case of shock to allow the net to open as a consequence of a violent shock on it.
The said refolded part is held in a closing position through a connection system with a limited resistance between the net meshes, consisting of connection elements such as rubber bands, rings, strips or the like which in case of accident deform and/or break by absorbing in this way a part of the energy possessed by the skier; while the residual energy is absorbed by the net.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to a protection barrier for ski tracks apt to avoid that a skier, in case of fall, goes out from the track and finishes up in a danger zone, consisting of a net preferably in plastic material supported by a plurality of piles placed at the trail sides and fastened in correspondence with the upper edge by means of a cable fixed on the said piles, while in correspondence with the lower edge, the said network is folded up so as to form a sort of pocket that unfolds in case of shock. The said folded part is held in closing position by means of a limited resistance connection system between the net meshes.

[0002] This limited resistance connection system consists of connection elements such as rubber bands, rings, strips or the like which, in case of accident, warp and/or break by absorbing in this way a portion of the energy possessed by the skier; while the residual energy is absorbed by the net.

[0003] On the ski tracks various types of equipment are at present used apt to avoid accidents to skiers.

[0004] The most known systems consist of big metallic piles connected with steel cables both at the top and at the base, between these piles a net in plastic material is fixed.

[0005] In the upper portion the net is connected to the steel cable through a rope/pulley system so as to realize a Greek fret, which ensures a certain elasticity to the system; in the lower part, being necessary to avoid that the skier may slide under the net, the net is fixed by a series of tie-rods, close each other and connected to the steel cable.

[0006] In some cases the net is directly fixed to the ground by means of tie-rods.

[0007] In case of accident, that is when a skier finishes up against the net, the latter absorbs the shock energy by warping itself.

[0008] Cases are anyway known where the net has been unable to absorb completely the shock energy and has broken, with serious consequences for the skier.

[0009] This is due to the fact that the problem of the non-resistance of the net is mainly due to the way it is installed.

[0010] In fact the net is fixed elastically in the upper part, but rigidly in the lower part, therefore, in case of shock, is very stretched just in the lower part, up to reach very high traction stresses and therefore to break.

[0011] At present, to avoid the breaking of the net, there is the tendency to increase the plait the net consists of, to decrease the network meshes and to overlap two nets.

[0012] With these solutions the breaking is not always avoided and the stiffness of the barrier is increased causing the skier to be subject, in case of shock, to violent decelerations which can sometimes cause damages.

[0013] The scope of this invention is to eliminate the previously mentioned drawbacks.

[0014] The invention as characterized by the claims, solves the problem of the breaking of the barriers protecting the ski tracks and the absorption and dampening of the shocks of the skier in case of accident.

[0015] By using a protection barrier of this kind the following results are obtained:

• the breaking of the net due to the considerable stresses present in the lower part upon the shock can be avoided;
• the skier, in case of collision with the net, is subject to a less traumatic impact since the zeroing of his/her speed takes place in a greater space.

[0016] This invention is illustrated in a more detailed way in the following description supplied by way of a not limitative example with the support of the herewith enclosed drawings wherein:

• figure 1 is a protection barrier for ski tracks of known type;
• figure 2 is a protection barrier according to the invention;
• figure 3 shows various typologies of connection of the net meshes;
• figure 4 is a view of the mesh fixing system for the formation of the expansion pocket;
• figures 5 and 6 are vertical sections of the protection barrier according to the invention provided with two or more pockets.

[0017] With reference to figure 2, the ski track protection system, according to this invention, consists of a protection net 2 of thermoplastic plait or a similar material with a pocket folding at the base 6, held in tension by a couple of steel ropes 3 and a rope-pulley system 4, all that being held up by a series of piles 1 connected to the ground (implanted, lent, fixed to concrete plinths).

[0018] A feature of the invention is to provide a net shape which allows it to stretch out in case of shock so as to cushion the same shock.

[0019] For this purpose the net is refolded at its base so as to realize a sort of pocket which constitutes a material reserve which allows the net to lengthen in case of violent shock.

[0020] The lower part of the pocket folded net can be wrapped around or compressed in different ways or even inserted into a suitable cavity in the ground, hidden if it is wished, in a way that only the rectilinear part of the net is visible, well stretched so as to take the shape of the protection barriers of known type to easily follow the edges of the ski tracks.

[0021] The said portion of the pocket folded net 6 is held in a closing position thanks to a fixing system 5 provided with limited resistance elements visible in figures 3, 4 and 5, which, by maintaining connected the two horizontal not-adjacent plaits 7, delimit a net exceeding portion 6 not under tension, able to extend only in case of a violent shock and as a consequence of the breaking of the same elements.

[0022] The said fixing system can be also realized in two or more rows placed in series so as to realize one or more intermediate pockets which open in sequence by allowing, in case of shock, a progressive dissipation of energy.

[0023] In figure 3 only some typologies of net fixing elements 5 are represented in a not limitative way; according to the order of the figure from left to right it is possible to use moulded hooks obtained from a plastic material moulding; strips and security seals in appropriate material and sizes; stitching of the network with a thread of a material similar to the network one and anyway with appropriate features; ring knotted cords of appropriate size and resistance; snap-hooks in plastics, in an appropriate material and number, according to the resistance needs provided for according to the type of barrier they will connected to.

[0024] Ribbons folded on themselves and sealed with a bi-adhesive material 8, split metallic rings 9 or closing elements consisting of belt and buckle 10 can be also provided for. All these elements are breakable or openable if stressed.

[0025] The lower terminal part under the pocket folding of the net is directly fixed to the ground by tie-rods or subject to a prior interposition of a steel cable.

[0026] The net installed and in the usual condition of exercise results to be well stretched to well adapt itself to the ski track edges and vertically shows itself according to a linear form.

[0027] The functioning of the protection barrier, in case of collision of the skier with the net, takes place as follows.

[0028] In case of a light shock, that is when the skier during the fall has already lost part of his/her kinetic energy with the snow impact, the net absorbs all the stresses in an elastic way without excessive deformations and afterwards it takes again its original form.

[0029] In case of a violent shock, dangerous for its consequences on the skier, the fixing system consisting of the hooks or the rings 5 in plastic material or the like yields by leaving that the network portion 6 which is not stressed and is refolded on itself, lengthens. The slackening of the network causes a speed loss to the skier and the final impact takes place more distant with the skier who in the meanwhile lost speed and against a net which has taken a different shape, no rectilinear but with a pocket shape which better fits itself to the body form and therefore better absorbs the impact energy.

[0030] If there is the presence of one or more additional pockets placed in series after the first one, realized using several rows of mesh fixing hooks, the energy dissipation shall be more progressive.

[0031] The broken hooks can be immediately and easily replaced by the track maintenance workers without the need to intervene on the net which will be perfectly sound.

[0032] The maintenance of the barrier is limited to a simple control of the hooks and the fast replacement of those which are broken, if any.

[0033] The hook connection system can be calculated furthermore to resist to determined snow surcharges, so that any surcharge excess are disclosed by the same hooks which breaking or deforming, alarm the personnel assigned to the net maintenance and to the replacement of the broken hooks.

Claims

1. A protection barrier for ski tracks of the type consisting of a net apt to hold the skier going out of track, the said net of plastic material being installed on piles connected to the ground and anchored upwardly to the said piles by a cable fixed to the said piles, characterized in that this net is refolded at its base to form one or more pockets which, further to a shock on the network, open allowing the net to extend.

2. The protection barrier for ski tracks according to claim 1, characterized in that the said pockets are obtained by refolding the lower part of the net and joining two or more not adjacent plaits by means of elements breakable or openable if stressed, so as to allow the net to open as a consequence of a violent shock thereon.

3. The protection barrier for ski tracks according to claim 2, charaterized in that the said breakable elements consist of appropriately dimensioned hooks, taken from the moulding of plastic material.

4. The protection barrier for ski tracks according to claim 2, charaterized in that the said breakable or openable elements consist of strips or security seals in plastic material or the like.

5. The protection barrier for ski tracks according to claim 2, characterized in that the said breakable elements consist of a stitching of the net at the beginning of the pocket with a thread in a material similar to the net one.

6. The protection barrier for ski tracks according to claim 2, characterized in that the said breakable elements consist of ring knotted cords.

7. The protection barrier for ski tracks according to claim 2, characterized in that the said breakable or openable elements consist of snap-hooks in plastic material or the like.

8. The protection barrier for ski tracks according to claim 2, characterized in that the said breakable or openable elements consists of split metallic rings.

9. The protection barrier for ski tracks according to claim 2, characterized in that the said breakable or openable elements consist of ribbons refolded on themselves and sealed with a bi-adhesive material.

10. The protection barrier for ski tracks according to claim 2, characterized in that the said breakable or openable elements consist of closing elements composed by belt and buckle.

Drawing