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©2017, Barry Cordage Ltd.
BARRY B-NET SYSTEM • INSTALLATION GUIDELINES rev. 5
1. Introduction
No safety system is complete without detailed use and installation guidelines from the manufacturer of such
systems. B-Net system are safety equipment and should be treated as such at all times with the same regards as
with any other type of safety equipment. The following pages define typical installation scenarios which are to be
validated and installed in the field by qualified and trained personnel.
Alpine ski racing and training is an extremely dangerous activity for which no system can completely remove the
risk of injury or death, even if industry best practices and installation guidelines are strictly adhered to. Personnel
responsible for installation must remain vigilant and execute with diligence when undertaking the task of
securing a training or racing course. Notwithstanding their best efforts, there shall always remain the risk and
possibility that, through some very unfortunate mishap, a skier will be injured or killed as not every possible
condition or scenario can be absolutely mitigated.
Significant accidents resulting in paraplegia and death of skiers during racing and training events have
highlighted the need for increased attention to proper installation and also for increasing the amount of safety
measures used. Advances in skier ability, speed and techniques must be matched with commensurate advances
in the understanding of the mechanics which are deployed to protect the racers in the event of a fall.
Race Course Homologations only address the minimum requirements and location for the installation of safety
materials. One cannot rely on these minimum requirements alone to determine whether a course is adequately
or sufficiently secured. Additional compensatory measures (such as increasing numbers of rows of netting,
adding A-nets, air fences, cushioning materials, etc.) are frequently required to account for specific on-site field
conditions, skier ability, level, expected speed, etc. Additionally, training or racing done on courses which have
not been homologated may create situations for which adequate safety measures have not been properly
evaluated and planned for. These should be reviewed and analysed by a qualified authority.
Safety should not be considered to be materials only. It is only through the combination of using well assembled
safety nets (which are not out-dated or mis-assembled), establishing properly designed courses (as wide as
possible) and sometimes possibly reducing skier velocity (via course set or even cancelling the event altogether)
that a course will be deemed as appropriately safe.