Experts warn: skiing accidents often happen at a certain time

Winter sports
Experts warn: skiing accidents often happen at a certain time

At the start of the ski season, the Swiss Accident Prevention Center warned to be particularly careful shortly before the lunch break: There were a particularly large number of accidents resulting in injuries, said spokesman Marc Kipfer of the Swiss radio.

There are two reasons for this: “On the one hand, there are a lot of people out and about at this time, both early risers and those who arrived a little later. On the other hand, signs of fatigue are already appearing,” he told SRF. “You might be hungry, but you still drive two or three times before you get a meal and take a break.”

Every year around 60,000 people injure themselves during winter sports on Swiss slopes, 4,000 of them so seriously that they cannot go back to work after three months. Doctors have already called on winter sports enthusiasts to be particularly careful because hospitals are at their limit due to a high number of Covid patients and only a few intensive care beds are free.

Snowboarding is more dangerous than skiing

Compared to playing football, winter sports are less dangerous, said Kipfer: “For every hour of football, the risk of injuring myself is five and a half times greater than when I go skiing. Snowboarding is a bit more dangerous than skiing, but even less than football. “

Kipfer said injuries to the knee, lower leg and shoulder are particularly common when skiing, and also to the wrists when snowboarding. His tip: always wear a helmet and have ski bindings adjusted professionally every season.