Just how dangerous is skiing?
There has been a lot in the news recently about avalanche deaths – so how dangerous is our favourite sport? The French doctors' association ‘Medecin de montagne' gathers accurate figures for injuries in the mountains in France. Out of 8.5 million skiers and boarders in France, 170 000 injuries were recorded last year, of which 200 were ‘serious'. There are between 2 and 3 times more deaths in the mountains in summer than winter
In the Savoie region last year there were 22 deaths on the slopes, of which 15 were due to trauma (the majority of non-trauma deaths were a result of heart attack). Seven of these deaths were due to avalanche. Of 19,000 injuries on the piste, 777 were due to collisions between slope users.
The number of collisions against obstacles has dropped by two thirds since 1992, thanks to improved safety measures. However, collisions between skiers and boarders are increasing. Those most often injured in collisions are children under 11 and those over 55. The use of a helmet reduces the risk of cranial injury by 50% in the event of a collision, and over 70% of children now use a helmet. The most common injury remains is damage to knee ligaments, and women are more at risk than men.
Finally, cross-country skiing remains the safest option: only 90 injuries were reported for this sport in the Savoie last year.
