Ski holiday accidents on the decline

Good news for all winter sports enthusiasts who enjoy spending their holidays on skis or a snowboard. As was announced at the European Orthopaedics Congress (ERFORT), taking place in the Austrian capital Vienna these days, the number of injuries and resulting hospital admissions has been steadily declining for several years.

While nearly 70,000 tourists in Austria had to see the inside of a hospital during their holiday in the Alps five years ago, only around 60,000 people were injured in accidents during the most recent ski season, a decrease of 15%. The figures for Austria showing a decline in skiing accidents resulting in injuries also apply to Germany and Switzerland, as the doctors attending the conference confirmed. They had travelled from neighbouring countries across the Alps to ERFORT in Vienna. In Germany, where the 1979/80 ski season was used as a comparison, the number of skiing accidents fell by 50%; figures presented in Vienna for Switzerland were similar to those for Austria.

After reviewing these statistics, the panel of experts at ERFORT agreed that the growing popularity of carving skis and snowboards on Alpine slopes has demonstrably not led to an increase in accidents. Quite a few sceptics had predicted this when carving skis and snowboards became increasingly popular at the turn of the millennium. The types of injuries most commonly diagnosed after skiing accidents, however, have not changed. Torn ligaments still top the list, followed by shoulder or collarbone fractures and head injuries of all kinds.