I've gone back and forth on this a few times. At heart I'm a traditionalist and think that the course should remain the same. The gates add to the competition and I do not think they pose any danger. I've also never had mine pulled when they didn't need to be. I'm also not in favor of making changes to the course lay out. Why reinvent the wheel.
That being said tournament/judging is getting very cumbersome, and I wouldn't have a lot of heart ache if they decided to change the rule. Change the start of the course to the 55's and how you get around the 6 buoys after that is up to you. Even with that rule change, I personally would still go between the gate balls, because it works for my timing. It would greatly help the beginners, kids, and older skiers which we should try to do. Who wants to spend $50 to go around one buoy and go home? The only real issue I see with this is during head to head competition. Say you are trying to run the pass and set up for a traditional start and fall around 1 ball scoring 1/2 @38 off, the next guy just has to pull out to the right enough to get around 1 ball for the win. Not that big a deal, but less climactic then the traditional way.
I would still like to have the traditional end gates used as a stopping point. If some knucklehead wants to try and come around 6 with the entire rope in the water and hold onto it, that stupidity is on him.
Personal responsibility
They changed the starting gates for tricks. I'm sure the same can be done for slalom.