Those who like to hurtle downhill with the wind in their hair might sniff in disdain but a Swiss ski resort is offering “slow slopes” for the less hurried visitor.

Four pistes have opened in Zermatt with the “slow slope” designation to keep the racers away. This will allow others to potter along without fear of faster traffic making human skittles of them.

Alpine ski resorts have tried various ways of slowing down skiers in the interests of safety, including speed limits, but Zermatt’s initiative is the first to promote slow skiing for its own sake, as a pleasurable alternative to speed.

“The aim is to bring skiers to the realisation that they can have just as much pleasure descending more slowly,” said Véronique Kanel, of the Swiss tourist board. “It’s a question of the philosophy of skiing. Many skiers these days want to take their time rather than rocketing down like madmen.”

Christen Baumann, head of Zermatt’s cable car company, said the initiative, expected to be followed by other Swiss resorts this year, had attracted great interest and seemed to be working well after starting on January 1. “It’s early to say, but people seem to think it’s a good idea,” he said. “We get a lot of questions about it.”

A speed limit of 30kph (19mph) applies to the “slow slopes” although it is hard for skiers, let alone those monitoring them, to know exactly how fast they are going. Unlike America, where “ski police” with flashing helmets have powers to chase, fine and press charges against reckless skiers, Europe has shown little zeal in pursuing offenders.

Promoters of slow skiing hope it will catch on without rigorous policing, arguing that it is in everybody’s interest to avoid collisions. Speed merchants, they say, will shun the “slow slopes” in the same way that slower skiers steer clear of the black runs.

Even so, there will be people watching the slow slopes for skiers who are “out of control”, warned Baumann. “Offenders will be stopped and given a warning. The second time they are caught their pass will be confiscated.”

Whatever the philosophical appeal of slow skiing, something needs to be done to reduce accidents. Thirty people die on average each year in skiing accidents in the Alps.

Most deaths occur “off piste” and in avalanches, but more sophisticated equipment has led to carnage on the pistes, where skiers have died as well: 70,000 people were injured on the Swiss slopes last year and another 14,000 in France.

“With the latest skis, even near-beginners can easily get up to 30mph these days,” said Jean-Luc Alt of Suva, the not-for-profit Swiss accident insurance company.

“A collision between a skier doing 30mph and an immobile object is comparable to a 30ft drop.”

He went on: “With some skis you can actually accelerate in the turns where you used to slow down. So people are sometimes skiing faster without noticing.”

Suva has tried everything to make people aware of the dangers. Last year it set up radar at 13 resorts, encouraging skiers and snowboarders to guess how fast they were going.If the skiers got to within 2kph of the right figure they won a tube of sun cream.

The scheme backfired in some places, creating competition among reckless youngsters eager to beat their record on each descent.

This year Suva is advertising on television to warn skiers of inconsiderate and dangerous behaviour on the slopes. The film features a giant wild boar thundering down the slope and crushing everything in its path.

Speed is not the only safety concern in the mountains this season. The Foreign Office has teamed up with the French authorities to launch an information campaign to help British tourists avoid the perils of drink at high altitude.

The campaign, featuring posters saying “Don’t catch your death”, hopes to warn more than 1m Britons at resorts such as Val d’Isère, Méribel and Morzine that binge drinking at altitude can be lethal because a person can get drunk more quickly. This can put people even more at risk from the icy ground and the freezing temperatures.

As for Zermatt, it hopes that its “slow slopes” will be adopted by every resort in Switzerland in 2010. In which case, those days of reckless downhill racing may be numbered.