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

Markus Posch,Gerhard Ruedl,Manfred Lener,Alois Schranz,Martin Burtscher

doi:10.3390/ijerph17082916

Abstract

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.

Highlights

As more than 8 million skiers and snowboarders visit the Austrian Alps annually [1], recreational winter sport activities are associated with a certain risk of injury or death.The overall incidence of ski injuries has decreased from 5–8 injuries per 1000 skier days [2] to2–3 injuries per 1000 skier days in the 1990s [3,4] and the present evaluated injury rate in Austria is less than one injury per 1000 skier days [5]
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
Based on the currently available evidence, it seems plausible that recreational alpine skiing, especially when performed on a regular basis, may contribute to healthy aging by its association with a healthier lifestyle, including higher levels of physical activity [24]

Summary

Introduction

As more than 8 million skiers and snowboarders visit the Austrian Alps annually [1], recreational winter sport activities are associated with a certain risk of injury or death.The overall incidence of ski injuries has decreased from 5–8 injuries per 1000 skier days [2] to2–3 injuries per 1000 skier days in the 1990s [3,4] and the present evaluated injury rate in Austria is less than one injury per 1000 skier days [5]. The overall incidence of ski injuries has decreased from 5–8 injuries per 1000 skier days [2] to. In addition to non-fatal skiing-related injuries, ski fatalities occur on ski slopes and a distinction is made between traumatic (e.g., collision with an object/person) and nontraumatic deaths (e.g., cardiac death) [6]. Regarding traumatic and nontraumatic fatal injuries on ski slopes, a rising trend of deaths rates could be shown between the period 1980 and 2001 by Xiang and Stallones [7] and death rates ranged from 0.53 to 1.88 deaths per million skier days. After the turn of the millennium, the number of traumatic deaths among skiers has remained relatively stable, with incidences ranging from 0.37 [6]. Due to the lack of published literature/studies, the development of nontraumatic death incidences in the last two decades cannot be described properly

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