How dangerous is skiing?
Over Christmas and new year, an 11-year-old British boy died while skiing in Colorado after colliding with a tree; a British snowboarder died in Garmisch, Germany, after falling down a canyon; a German skier died on a chairlift in high winds in the Swiss resort, Grindelwald; a local died in an avalanche in Whistler, British Columbia; and the opening day of Revelstoke, a new Canadian resort, was marred by the death of an instructor. These tragic incidents would suggest that stepping on to skis or a snowboard is one of the most dangerous activities in the world. In fact, it stands up well statistically. Research conducted by Dr Michael Turner, who has acted as chief medical adviser to several sporting bodies, showed that there are on average three injuries per 1,000 skiers, compared to 23 per 1,000 playing tennis, 64 at football and 96 at rugby. In terms of deaths, according to the National Ski Areas Association in the US, at 2.07 deaths per million, it ranks lower than sports such as sw
