The Mountain Doctors Network (MdeM) has compiled the winter sports accident figures for the 2023-2024 season. The report shows 136,700 injuries, which represents an average of 2.6 injuries per 1,000 skier days.

The winter sports accident observatory. Mountain Doctors publishes accident figures.

The results of the epidemiological network for observing winter sports accidents constitute the most comprehensive database (more than 400,000 cases in the database to date, since 1992) on winter sports pathologies.

For the 2023-2024 season, the report shows 136,700 injuries. This total number allows the association to establish a risk incidence reported to the number of skier days provided by Domaines Skiables de France. This average is 2.6 injured people per 1,000 skier-days.

3.6% of trauma patients are transferred to the hospital or clinic immediately after being treated in the office. It should be noted that this % has been decreasing over the last 10 years.

All sports combined, accident victims are more often men (54%). This figure is consistent with the proportion of women/men skiers since 44% of downhill skiers are women (Mountain Barometer 2024 – The French in the mountains in winter).

On the other hand, the majority of accident victims are skiers (83%), followed by snowboarders (13%).

The average age of these accident victims is estimated at 31 years.

The diagnoses mainly establish sprains (38.5%), contusions (24.6%) and fractures (23.4%). The severity of injuries ranges from thumb sprains (3.2%) to head trauma (3.7%), including those affecting the famous anterior cruciate ligament.

It should be noted that cross-country skiing accidents represent only 0.6% of winter sports accidents. This percentage is identical for sledding accidents. 49% of these sledding accidents involve children.

* Founded in 1953, the Médecins de montagne association brings together more than 300 general practitioners based in resorts. Its epidemiology network, created in 1992, collects data from 14 resorts, which represents approximately 25,000 traumatic cases per season. This data is extrapolated in order to draw up an inventory of accidents in ski areas.

More information: www.mdem.org

Source: Montagne News / Montagne Leaders

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