SOELDEN, Austria — The International Ski Federation has ordered changes to several courses and will allow racers to wear more protective equipment in an attempt to make World Cup downhill races safer.

"We looked through all courses in detail over the summer and we will now have the safest races ever," FIS men's race director Guenther Hujara said Friday, one day before the season kicks off with a women's giant slalom on the Rettenbach glacier in Soelden.

The past World Cup season was marred by a series of bad crashes that led to a review of safety and medical procedures.

Aksel Lund Svindal in Beaver Creek, Colo., and Scott Macartney in Kitzbuehel, Austria, sustained severe injuries and were out for the season, while Matthias Lanzinger had his left lower leg amputated after crashing in Kvitfjell, Norway.

Racers will now be allowed to wear the same protective equipment for all body parts in downhill races as in slalom, giant slalom and super-G events, including protectors on the knees, arms and shins.

Hujara cited the course in Wengen, Switzerland, as one that will be adapted to lower the risk of crashes. FIS also ordered course changes in Kitzbuehel, where Macartney sustained a brain contusion during January's downhill race after losing balance on the final jump and smashing his head on the snow.

Defending World Cup overall champion Bode Miller, who criticized organizers after Macartney's crash for making the course too dangerous, was not impressed with the new safety measures.

"You can talk as much as you want, but nothing really changes. There wouldn't even be any change when one of us dies," Miller said. "Everyone is replaceable. So are the top racers. The FIS would continue anyway."

Miller said racers made several proposals to improve safety.

"But we have very low expectations," he said.

Hujara denied Miller's suggestion that FIS wouldn't listen to the racers' opinions.

"We invited Hermann Maier to take part in a recent conference on safety measures," Hujara said. "And on the new safety equipment rule for downhill, we recently got a detailed proposal on this by Swiss athletes and it lasted only two days before we changed the rules according to this proposal."