Most Important Things to Know Before You Go Skiing.
Skiing is a relatively safe sport, in terms of one’s chance of dying: 1 in 1.4 million: http://www.tetongravity.com/story/adventure/your-chances-of-dying-ranked-by-sport-and-activity
However, injuries are not uncommon. Here are the estimated injury statistics for 2009 from the Consumer Product Safety Commission:
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Basketball. More than 170,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for basketball-related injuries.
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Baseball and softball. Nearly 110,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for baseball-related injuries. Baseball also has the highest fatality rate among sports for children ages 5 to 14, with three to four children dying from baseball injuries each year.
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Bicycling. More than 200,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries.
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Football. Almost 215,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for football-related injuries.
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Ice hockey. More than 20,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for ice hockey-related injuries.
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In-line and roller skating. More than 47,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for in-line skating-related injuries.
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Skateboarding. More than 66,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for skateboarding-related injuries.
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Sledding or toboggan. More than 16,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for sledding-related injuries.
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Snow skiing or snowboarding. More than 25,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for snow boarding and snow skiing-related injuries.
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Soccer. About 88,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for soccer-related injuries.
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Trampolines. About 65,000 children ages 14 and under were treated in hospital emergency rooms for trampoline-related injuries.
The most important things to tell beginner skiers are the following.
1. Dress in layers: something to what is noted at this link is what my family & I use to ski:
http://www.wikihow.com/Dress-for-Skiing
2. Try to hit the slopes on a non-busy day first
3. Take your insurance card with you.
4. Be sure all skiers who will be going alone have a cell phone.
5. If you own them: Label helmet & skis, poles with your name & phone number in case you are knocked unconscious.
6. Be sure your skies fit you properly
7. Take a lesson and/or study techniques on YOUTUBE:
a. learn to stop and avoid hitting someone or something.
b. learn to get up from a fall
8. Know that getting off a lift is an art to itself.
a. Never go on the lift without someone helping you or having been taught how to get off the lift.
Even magic carpets can be tough for beginners:
a. Be Sure to lean forward as soon as you get on the magic carpet.
b. Lean forward as you get off the magic carpet and get out of the way so others do not run into you.
9. Learn How to Fall:
How To Fall Properly When Skiing:
Falling is never fun and it always scary. I still have not found a great site that tells you exactly how to fall properly. If you find one, please let me know.
10. Drink water through the day as you are likely getting dehydrated even if you do not know it. When you get home at night, you will likely want to drink water which may lead to having to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.
References:
1. Ski secrets: What resorts won’t say about number of injuries on slopes
DENVER — It’s a closely guarded secret: How many skiers get injured, either on their own or because of others, on Colorado slopes each season.
“If it is reported, it could be misconstrued and misleading to the general public,” National Ski Association spokesman Dave Byrd told the FOX31 Denver Problem Solvers.
Colorado School of Mines professor Mark Stangl said it’s that kind of arrogance that irks injured skiers.
Mark Stangl
“To me, it’s astounding that those guys don’t have the wherewithal to collect the real information from them … from the people involved in the accidents,” Stangl said. “The ski industry has done a fabulous job of protecting itself.”
If another driver smashes into a car on the street, police can get to the bottom of who is responsible for the crash. If that happens on the ski slopes, you’re likely on your own; nobody has to investigate.
An expert skier for nearly 40 years, Stangl hit the slopes of Steamboat Springs over President’s Day weekend with a group of friends. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted trouble.
“He was on a snowboard and he was looking to the right and he was going across the traffic, so he had no real awareness of what was going on,” Stangl said.
The snowboarder crossed Stangl’s skis with sickening results. Stangl ended up in surgery for a spiral fracture to his left leg.
Mark Stangl’s broken leg repaired with rod and screws
“I have a titanium rod down the middle of my tibia,” Stangl said. “My fibula is also broken with screws here at the top.”
Stangl is certain the snowboarder was to blame for the accident, but proving that has been almost impossible because, according to Stangl, Steamboat failed to initially collect accurate identifying information at the scene of the crash.
“I’ve suffered some serious losses. Loss of income from my work. Lost — I won’t be skiing for at least a year if at all again. I’ve had some major lifestyle changes. It’s really affected me,” Stangl said. “What they don’t tell you is that if you’re hurt by somebody else, they’re not really going to collect any information whatsoever.”
Mark Stangl, far left, and friends on a chairlift
Stangl’s friends were savvy enough to snap a cellphone picture of Steamboat’s accident report taken by ski patrol, but the most basic information such as name, phone number and address turned out to be wrong or wildly incomplete.
Stangl hired a private investigator and a law firm to help him track down the alleged culprit, an expense he believes could have been avoided had Steamboat collected a government issued ID at the accident scene.
Steamboat responded in writing to Stangl when he requested it to help identify the person, telling him in part: “If a guest does not provide accurate information, we do not make it ski patrol’s job to police that since we are just trying to facilitate the exchange. … Also that party has no obligation to provide his ID for you (or ski patrol).”
Steamboat declined to provide an on-camera interview to address Stangl’s accident or questions about injuries on its property in a wider context.
Public relations manager Loryn Kasten, sent an email stating in part: “Patrol actively responds to reported incidents ranging from injuries to collisions and works with parties to resolve the situation within its ability and authority.
Steamboat ski patrol team members assists an injured skier
“In regards to this specific incident, the resort is working with Mr. Stangl, along with a private investigator he hired, and has located the other individual and will continue to coordinate efforts for a resolution. It is unfortunate that misinformation was provided and we understand Mr. Stangl’s grievance. However, the resort has worked within its authority in this situation and cooperates with the Routt County Sheriff Office on collisions investigations. We will continue to do so in this instance.”
We kept pressing for more answers beyond speaking with the public relations team. While gathering ski video, we ended up riding up the mountain with a member of Steamboat’s ski patrol.
Truth revealed
High over the snow, the truth came out.
FOX31: Do you guys get a lot of injuries up here?
Ski patrol: I personally have brought down 50 people from broken femurs to broken legs to arms to twisted knees, so we get a lot. We’ve reached over 3,000 injuries this winter.
FOX31: Three-thousand injuries this winter?
Ski patrol: Yep.
FOX31: Oh, my gosh.
Ski patrol: It’s crazy how many people get hurt up here.
An ‘epidemic’
“It’s an epidemic,” said Strangl, who isn’t surprised by the injury numbers, only that someone in the ski industry finally admitted to them.
FOX31 Denver also asked 11 other popular Colorado-based ski resorts if they would share injury statistics with the public.
Despite the fact most operate on federal land, Arapahoe Basin, Aspen/Snowmass, Copper Mountain, Crested Butte, Eldora, Loveland, Telluride, Winter Park, Wolf Creek, Breckenridge and Vail did not respond to the request or said no.
We also tried to get some injury information from two trade organizations that represent ski resort interests.
Ski patrol team member takes an injured person down the mountain at Steamboat
In a statement, Colorado Ski Country wrote, “It is not clear what meaningful value such information would provide to the public.”
Byrd of the National Ski Association was a little more diplomatic, but said resorts will never release injury numbers.
“I don’t think the resorts are trying to hide anything at all,” Byrd said. “You want to put information like that into context.
Injury numbers never released
Byrd said to really find out which resorts have the safest slopes in Colorado, the public would have to know injury stats plus the number of skiers that buy tickets at a particular resort. The latter is a closely guarded trade secret.
“It’s a myth out there because our numbers are so low, surprisingly low in terms of catastrophic injuries and they’ve been dropping over time,” Byrd said.
The number of emergency responses to Steamboat’s ski area don’t match that trend. According to Routt County, calls to service rose from 95 medical runs in 2005 up to 241 runs in 2015.
Steamboat fire chief Mel Stewart admits the number of injuries are much higher than 241 in a year, but paramedics are only called in very serious cases of injury.
“Generally, what they use us for is for pain medication. Someone breaks her leg and they’re in a lot of pain, we’ll try to relieve some of that pain for the process of getting them in a sled and down off the hill. We also respond so something more serious up there where they feel like they need advanced level care,” Stewart said.
The National Ski Association has been compiling fatality and serious injury data nationwide for the nearly five years. When released next fall, Byrd believes the report will shed new light on ski accidents and injuries.10 Most Dangerous Sports
So here’s a round-up of some of the most dangerous sports in the world (in no particular order) which go well beyond the risk of a few concussions, but still find plenty of spectators and participants due to the sheer adrenalin high and thrill they have to offer.
#1. BASE Jumping – 220 Deaths
#2. American Football – 9 Deaths
One of the most popular sports in the world, one which comes with a shit ton of rules and regulations, is also one of the most dangerous, with over 9 deaths seen in recent years alone, along with countless life-altering impacts and injuries, and research that shows that people who play Football are likely to suffer dementia at an age 10 years prior to the average person.
However, despite these statistics, Football was actually a lot more lethal a little over a century ago and may as well have been akin to gladiatorial games as every game promised a strong chance of a death and a surety of several fatal injuries. This was due to the lack of rules in an inherently dangerous game. But eventually, several rules had to be put in place to civilize this game.
#3. Heli-Skiing – 32 Deaths
This, as the name suggests, is a mix of riding in a helicopter and skiing. The ride comes in the form of going to mountainous peaks and snowy cliffs, and then letting yourself loose on those mountainous terrains far removed from civilization, and trying to veer your way down the snowy peaks while avoiding obstacles.
This involves several risk factors such as an abrupt avalanche, colliding with obstacles, drastic weather change leaving you stranded, etc. CMH’s (Canadian Mountain Holidays ), one of the best heli-skiing location, the fatality rate is reported as 32 in 106,000 skiers over 46 years.
#4. Rugby – 12 Deaths
There is no wonder this is high on the list. The only protective gear one is offered on this game is a mouth guard and spiked boots. The objective is to carry a ball and run across an entire field full of burly men ready to tackle whosoever has the ball. Extended over 80 minutes there is no wonder that this would lead to severe injuries and concussions, as the aim itself is to tackle people!
It also doesn’t prohibit head-butting people, nudging, barging, etc, and as a result, many Rugby players are put under a high risk of dementia and brain damage due to repeated concussions.
#5. Scuba Diving – 17 Deaths/100,000 Persons
Scuba itself is an acronym which stands for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, and as such this sport seems quite pleasant and safe. However, it comes with its own sets of risks.
For example, a fast ascent towards the surface may lead to decompression illnesses, and cause spinal cord injuries or lung and brain failure. You also risk being attacked by the more aggressive underwater creatures like sharks. DAN America has reported Fatality rates of 16.4 deaths per 100,000 persons per year.
#6. Wrestling – 13 Deaths
Although this is a scripted show with a focus on making people believe in the fight, it can often get painfully real because of the sheer pressure to be the best and put on the best show possible, and this has led to over 13 deaths in recent years alone.
Just look at cases like Owen Hart, who fell from 78 feet high harness when it accidentally ejected him. Or the tragic case of Chris Benoit who developed severe dementia as a result of the repeated concussions which went largely unnoticed until a 3-day breakdown in which he killed his wife and son and then hung himself by a rope.
#7. Bull Riding – 2 Deaths Annually
This is an art form and a sport is undertaken by men to prove their Machismo, and the sport comprises men trying to stay atop the bull for as long as possible as it tried to hurl them off.
People often get thrown off within a mere few seconds of the game, and the fatal may occur as a result of the fall which simply cannot be prevented or safeguarded against — which is, in fact, the very point of the sport. However, a greater risk is that you may very well get trampled by an 1800 pound bull in rage. The U.S. professional rodeo circuit averages one or two deaths annually due to this extremely 8 seconds sport.
#8. Cycling – 22 Deaths
This might not outwardly seem like a very dangerous sport, but it totally is. Especially in competitions wherein over 30 riders may go at a speed of over 30mph in a really close circuit, all it takes is one unfortunate turn or a blown tire and the entire group would go down like a pack of dominoes, resulting in head concussions, fractures, and bruises.
In recent years there have been 22 deaths in Cycling competitions and training sessions. Hence otherwise a safe sport can turn out to be really dangerous when conducted as competition.
#9. Street Luge – 25 Deaths
This is a sport mostly like skateboarding, except your whole body, has to lie down on the board at a supine position, with just the face tilted a little upwards to see what is being them. This involves a race circuit working on the basis of gravity and the only available brakes are one’s own legs.
The participants are supposed to wear protective gear in their whole body made of leather and helmets as they could very easily get into a collision with another participant who will most likely not even be able to see them. Approximately 25 deaths have been reported annually.
#10. Motorcycle Racing – 240 Deaths
With over 48 deaths in recent year alone, this is one of the most dangerous sports out there as all you have by means of protection is some leather and a helmet, which can prove to be a woefully scant form of protection against the very real possibility of crashing at the speed of 120mph against hedges or stone walls.
It has been around as a popular sport for over a century now and in that time it has seen over 240 deaths.
So these are some of the most dangerous sports out there, do let us know if you’re fond of any of them, or if you’ve ever experienced any fatal accident while indulging in a dangerous sport. If you’re aware of others you think are the most dangerous sports that we failed to mention then do put them down in the comments section, we’d love to hear from you.