After defining highland surroundings, the authors review the main climatic, lithologic and structural features which deal with slope stability in mountain areas. Taking as an example civil engineering works needed by the modern, high altitude, winter sport resorts, they analyse the dangers so induced on natural slope stability. Such an analysis allows introduction and comment about the concept of natural hazards related to slope movements and enhances the numerous problems which arise at each attempt to quantify such hazards or to delimit the areas submitted to their effects as well as administrative means for prevention. Main steps of the evolution of laws and regulations are reviewed, and a brief analysis of natural hazards map, including most recent maps of liability to natural hazards are presented.