More injuries at après ski than on the slopes!

Skiers are more likely to injure themselves during après-ski partying rather than on the slopes, a poll has found.

A survey of 1,000 British skiers found that a 153 – just over 15 per cent – of those quizzed admitted hurting themselves on skiing trips abroad.
Of the 153 skiers, however, 52 per cent said their injuries took place when they were not actually skiing.

The most common injuries took place when holidaymakers slipped over on the street or came a cropper in a restaurant or a bar.

Other “off slope” injuries included accidents at their ski chalets and others during fun days at snow parks, when they weren’t actually skiing.
A total of one-in-five of those injured confessed hurting themselves on the ski lifts – before they even got to whizz down the slopes.

When it comes to injuries suffered while actually skiing, 27 per cent said said they hurt themselves because they were going “too fast” and 37 per cent said it was the fault of someone else or caused by someone crashing into them.

A further 17 per cent blamed the terrain, saying they injured themselves after hitting a bump or icy patch, and 24 per cent said they hurt themselves because of a “lack of experience”.

The poll found that one-in-four of those who suffered injuries – whether on or off the slopes – had to spend a spell in hospital and one-in-five said they had to cut their holiday short and fly home because of their injuries.

The survey by law firm Irwin Mitchell also found that 20 per cent of those injured said they experienced “regular pain” from their injury after getting home, with eight per cent saying they were left unable to ski again.