Open check dams are widely used in mountainous regions as structures for flood hazard mitigation. They can have diverse shapes enabling to serve various purposes. If ill-design or not perfectly tailored to the catchment flow processes and hazard sources, they sometimes result in excessive downstream sediment starving, too high dredging costs or functional failures. The adjustment of the protection system to the catchment is thus a key step in any natural hazard mitigation study. This extended abstract is a first attempt to propose a classification of the typical malfunctions occurring in steep stream channels. These malfunctions are briefly described and contexts where an open check dams may be a solution are highlighted as well as other protection options.