14,000 deployments of piste rescue services following snow sports accidents
Keystone-SDA
Last season, piste rescue services treated 14,000 people in Swiss ski resorts. Some 80% of accidents occurred while skiing.
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This is shown by injury statistics from the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention.
A total 15% of accidents occurred while snowboarding and four percent while sledging. In a third of snowboarding accidents, wrists and forearms were injured. In 39% of skiing accidents, knee injuries were involved.
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In every tenth accident, the rescue services registered a head injury. It is encouraging that almost everyone now wears a helmet on the slopes. According to experts, this reduces the risk of serious head injury by a third.
Over 90% of accidents on snow sports slopes are self-inflicted. Skiers and snowboarders often overestimate their abilities.
Inadequate or incorrectly maintained equipment can also lead to injuries. The ski bindings should therefore be adjusted and checked by a specialist before the season, wrote accident prevention council. Skis and snowboards should be checked and maintained regularly.
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Translated from German by DeepL/mga
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