We’ve all seen it on the TV or we know friends that do it, but skiing has fast become one of the most popular sports on the planet. But if you have seen people racing down the slopes on crumbling now, then you might wonder how dangerous this sport really is.
Well, in truth, this sport is no more dangerous than playing football or driving a car.
However, if you are new on the slopes, then the chance of you committing an injury is greater than if you were an expert. Therefore, having skiing lessons is very important.
So how can you prevent injury when you are first hitting the slopes? What lessons should you take before strapping on your skis?
Well, if you read this article, then you can gain some tips and tricks to help you stay safe on the slopes.
Biggest Risks Of Skiing
You might be worried about skiing for the first time, as we’ve all seen how steep some of those inclines can be. However, the stats say that if you ski for 1000 days in a row, then you can only expect to suffer 2 or 3 minor injuries.
Even though these stats are likely to indicate that the chances of injury are very rare, there are still injuries to be had.
Here are some of the most common injuries that skiers suffer from:
Sprains – these can often occur in the hands and the ankles, as these are the points where the body suffers from the most stress when skiing.
Knee pain – this is another point that will suffer a lot of high impacts. You’ll also be twisting your knees to get the right ankle as you are heading down the slopes. One of the most common injuries is popping your knee, which can be very painful.
Sprains often occur in the wrists, as you might hold out your hands involuntarily to catch your fall.
This will also result in injuries to your fingers and thumbs, which can get bruised or even broken if the fall is severe enough.
Knee injuries account for around 43% of skiing injuries, which makes it one of the most common pains that you can get when you are out on the slopes.
Head injuries are also possible in skiing, although it is far less common than a lot of other injuries. Head injuries only account for around 6-9% of trauma that you might suffer when you are on the slopes.
Can You Die When Skiing?
Like any other sport, there can be catastrophic injuries experienced when you are skiing. Again, as we have mentioned above, this is very rare.
In a measurement of one million skiers, less than 1% have suffered from life-changing injuries such as paralysis, neck or back injuries or chronic head trauma.
In the USA, there have only been 40 deaths across a span of 10 years. This is less than one death per million skiers.
When you read stats like that, it should go some way to allaying a lot of your fears around this sport.
The fact there are so many millions of people skiing and snowboarding every year and the deaths are so few are really a testament to how safe this sport is.
The only reason that you might have heard about so many deaths is that they are often reported widely in the news.
Why Do Skiing Accidents Happen?
There are many reasons for skiing accidents, one of the main ones being the terrain on which you’re skiing. Snow is famously unpredictable, often shifting under your feet, which in extreme cases has led to avalanches.
A large majority of skiing injuries happen when someone is unable to complete a very complicated jump. This usually accounts for around 75% of skiing accidents.
A lesser-known cause of these accidents is when two skiers run into each other. This only really accounts for around 6% of accidents.
One method of avoiding this kind of injury to not to attempt any slope that you feel is beyond your capabilities. You should always start on the beginner slope if you have just started out on the slopes.
How Important Is Equipment?
Getting the right skiing equipment is very important for skiing. The conditions that you are skiing in can change very quickly, so you should protect your eyes and face if it starts snowing heavily.
If you do not cover your eyes, then you will obscure your vision, which will be very treacherous as you won’t be able to avoid potentially lethal obstacles.
Even if a slope has been completely groomed, there is always the risk of potential hazards that you need to keep your eye out for.
If the sun is shining, then this might be another potential visual hazard. Therefore you’ll need tinted goggles (see also “Do You Need Goggles To Ski?“), as they will help to keep the sun from your eyes. This is another common cause of skiing injury.
You’ll need to make sure that you have a protective layer that will help keep you from getting wounded when you fall.
However, you’ll want to make sure that your clothing is not that restrictive, and that you can still move freely.
You’ll also want to make sure that your skis are frequently maintained, as they will often suffer from scuffing as well as high impacts.
Replacing your skis every six months will be crucial for making sure they do not break when you are navigating a tricky corner.
Take Skiing Lessons
You’ll need to make sure that you are well-versed in the pitfalls of skiing before you even go out on the slopes for the first time. This will significantly reduce your chances of getting injured.
Conclusion
We hope that our brief guide to skiing safety has helped to reduce your fears about hitting the snow.
You should also make sure that you do not drink any alcohol before you go out skiing, as this will severely impede your coordination and reactions.
Hi, my name is Jamie Andreas and I am a workaholic. I spent the best part of a decade climbing the corporate ladder, focusing on one thing and one thing only - my career.
Since then, I’ve stepped back in my job so that I have more free time to explore the wild. My mental health, clarity, and well-being have all improved by incredible amounts.
I now have a healthy work-life balance, and I want that for you too.
Life is too short to think of work only. Please enjoy my website and use it for inspiration for your next adventure. Maybe I’ll see you out there!
