Potential Health Benefits From Downhill Skiing

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The study evaluated incidences and potential differences of traumatic and nontraumatic fatalities among recreational skiers and snowboarders on Austrian ski slopes within a 10-year analysis. Within this retrospective study, data were collected by the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Data comprised all traumatic and nontraumatic deaths on Austrian ski slopes which occurred between the 2008/09 and 2017/18 winter seasons. Age, sex, nationality, gear used, altitude, slope difficulty, accident cause, primary cause of death and helmet use were collected at the death scene. Incidence of fatalities was calculated based on number of skier days. In total, 369 fatalities, with an average of 36.9 ± 7.9 fatalities per year, were registered. The yearly incidence of traumatic and nontraumatic deaths decreased by 25.8% and 40.1% during the 10-year time period, leading to an evaluated mean incidence of 0.70 deaths per million skier days, with an incidence of 0.36 traumatic deaths and 0.34 nontraumatic deaths per million skier days. Incidences of both traumatic and nontraumatic deaths decreased during the 10-year analysis, representing death as a rare event on Austrian ski slopes. However, adequate prevention measures to reduce potential risk factors to further reduce the mortality risk on ski slopes are needed.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incidences of Fatalities on Austrian Ski Slopes: A 10-Year Analysis

Posch

Schranz

Lener

et al. 2020

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“…Before skiing down on the slopes or in free ski terrain, the skin has to be removed and the boot fixing system has to be changed to a fixed mode. Out of the three disciplines, AS might be considered as the best studied discipline, where various potential health benefits were reported [5]. However, winter sports also bear an inherent risk for injuries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Injury-Related Behavioral Variables in Alpine Skiers, Snowboarders, and Ski Tourers—A Matched and Enlarged Re-Analysis

Niedermeier

Ruedl

Burtscher

2019

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Behavioral variables might play an important role in explaining the differences in injury rates across winter sport disciplines and injury prevention programs might be more specifically designed based on this knowledge. On ski slopes, alpine skiing, snowboarding, and ski touring are the predominant winter sport disciplines. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate possible differences in injury-related behavioral variables between practitioners of these disciplines. Using a matched re-analysis approach of a cross-sectional survey, 414 winter sport participants (alpine skiers, snowboarders, ski tourers, each n = 138) were analyzed on the differences in sensation seeking, treated injuries, and injury-related behavioral variables. Cochran–Mantel–Haenszel and Friedman tests revealed significantly higher sensation seeking, p < 0.001, and a significantly higher percentage of participants reporting to have consumed alcohol in the past five skiing days, p = 0.006, in snowboarders compared to alpine skiers. The participants with treated injuries showed higher sensation seeking, p < 0.050, and a higher percentage of snowboarders, p = 0.020, compared to participants without treated injuries. Injury prevention programs for snowboarders, who remain an important risk group for injury prevention, might benefit from considering a possibly higher percentage of alcohol-consuming participants and from providing information on injury-related risks of sensation seeking.

“…Alpine (downhill) skiing is a popular outdoor sports activity [19], and snowboarding has gained increasing popularity during the last three decades [20]. Both alpine skiing and snowboarding are primarily performed during the winter season on snow-covered slopes of mountainous areas [4]. Skiers and snowboarders use ski lifts and cable cars for the ascent, which is followed by downhill turns [21].…”

Section: Alpine (Downhill) Skiers and Snowboardersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For Switzerland, 23.4 million skier days were recorded for the season 2017/2018 with 24.5 million skier days per year as a ten-year average [3]. Alpine (downhill) skiing as the predominantly conducted mountain sports activity in the winter season [4] and snowboarding are included in these figures. Additional frequently conducted winter sports activities usually not covered in these figures include cross-country skiing, ski touring or sledging.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mortality in Different Mountain Sports Activities Primarily Practiced in the Winter Season—A Narrative Review

Niedermeier

Gatterer

Pocecco

et al. 2019

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Annually, millions of people engage in mountain sports activities all over the world. These activities are associated with health benefits, but concurrently with a risk for injury and death. Knowledge on death rates is considered important for the categorization of high-risk sports in literature and for the development of effective preventive measures. The death risk has been reported to vary across different mountain sports primarily practiced in the summer season. To complete the spectrum, the aim of the present review is to compare mortality rates across different mountain sports activities primarily practiced in winter. A comprehensive literature search was performed on the death risk (mortality) during such activities, i.e., alpine (downhill) skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, ski touring, and sledging. With the exception of ski touring (4.4 deaths per 1 million exposure days), the mortality risk was low across different winter sports, with small activity-specific variation (0.3–0.8 deaths per 1 million exposure days). Traumatic (e.g., falls) and non-traumatic (e.g., cardiac death) incidents and avalanche burial in ski tourers were the predominant causes of death. Preventive measures include the improvement of sport-specific skills and fitness, the use of protective gear, well-targeted and intensive training programs concerning avalanche hazards, and sports-medical counseling for elderly and those with pre-existing diseases.