How to correctly view the safety and danger of skiing in the beginning of the snow season?

Skiing is a fun sport that is good for body and mind, close to nature, tempered with courage and endurance. But whether it is a ski or a person eager to try skiing, there seems to be a consensus that skiing is a very dangerous sport. The snow season is about to begin. How to correctly view the safety and danger of skiing?

In the image, words such as skiing, extremes, danger, injuries, and bravery can always be linked together. Weekday television and online media seem to report ski accidents every other day. Ski friends always emphasize the injuries they have suffered, or the dangers they have experienced, as if these were their courage as skiers.

So is skiing dangerous in the end? Let us reject the stream of impressions and speak with data because the numbers will never lie. The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) is committed to improving ski safety throughout the United States to ensure skiers' personal safety. Since the middle of the last century, the NSAA has recorded detailed records of accidents in every snow season in the United States, and used them to formulate and revise industry regulations. It can be said that ski accidents are complete with data.

In view of the current lack of similar institutions and statistical data in China, we can refer to the NSAA data to analyze the safety of skiing and provide a reliable reference.

How dangerous is skiing?

According to the statistics of the NSAA, a total of 39 skiers were killed during ski activities in the 2015~2016 snow season in the US, which is roughly in line with the average of 10 years. This statistic is derived from a total of approximately 53 million ski trips throughout the year, that is, a fatal accident with an average of 1.35 million taxis, or 0.73 trips per million people. . This extremely low casualty rate is not much different from playing soccer and cycling. It is not only much lower than most true extreme sports, and it is not even significantly dangerous compared to many of our daily activities.

We can compare it with commercial flights (although there are still people who are afraid of flying, but modern large-scale commercial flights have been recognized as one of the safest ways to travel). According to IATA's statistics, there were a total of 12 major aviation accidents in 2014 and the number of deaths was 761. In 2014, a total of approximately 30 million flights were performed globally, with a probability of 0.26/million flights. The rate of deaths from motor vehicles is slightly higher than that of aircraft, which is about 1.14 per million, which is even higher than that of skiing.

From the above data, we can roughly conclude that skiing is actually a very safe exercise. The probability of danger is even lower than the daily use of buses, especially considering that skiing is an open air, high mountains, low temperatures, High-intensity sports activities carried out at high speed.

The following is a comparison of ski mortality and other accident data:

Why does skiing feel dangerous?

There are two main reasons: The first is the Survivorship bias. No media will pay special attention to one (or one million) normal and safe taxis. However, once an accident occurs, it can easily become a hot event through various sources. In addition, the news media exaggerates the facts in order to attract attention and exaggerate the facts. It's easy to create a sense of skiing as a "smoky, flesh-and-blood" movement.

The second is that skiing is still a relatively unfamiliar sport for China. Intrinsic impressions are linked to such intents as adventure, strangeness and unknownness. People are always scared of unknown things, so for many people who do not have access to skiing, it is reasonable to worry about the safety of skiing.

Is the cable car safe?

The NSAA data tells us that only 12 people in the United States have died in a cable car accident since 1973. During these 43 years, a total of approximately 16.7 billion miles of cable car operations were tracked, totaling 8.36 billion miles, enough to travel 45 miles from Earth to the Sun. Moreover, the United States has never experienced any fatal accident related to cable cars since 1993, and it has maintained a record of continuous safe operation for about 24 years. Even if calculated for the entire 43 years, the cable car's fatality rate is much lower than that of ordinary elevators. And in all cable car accidents, it is really only 2% because of accidents in the cable car or accidental misoperation. Therefore, it can be assumed that the probability of accidents is extremely low as long as the prescribed cable car is observed.

Is wearing a helmet useful?

According to studies, wearing a helmet can reduce the probability of head injuries by 30% to 50%. At the same time, wearing a helmet has a great protective effect against concussion and intracranial fractures, and almost completely eliminates the risk of scalp tearing. However, wearing a helmet does not mean that skiers can risk more glide. Studies have shown that helmet protection for skiers is most pronounced at low speeds, and that fatal injuries caused by high-speed accidents are often limited. Some skiers are wearing their helmets and are irresponsible when taxiing. They increase their chances of injury.

According to the statistics of the NSAA, 80% of all skiers in the United States wear helmets, and the percentage of children under the age of 9 wearing helmets reaches 93%. This figure was only 25% in 2002. Considering that most snow fields in the United States do not enforce helmet wearing regulations, this data shows that American skiers’ understanding of the effectiveness of helmets has been greatly improved in the past 15 years. This, together with the efforts of the NSAA and the US ski industry Propaganda and education are inseparable. Skiers, children's parents and medical staff have gradually realized the great effect of ski helmets on protecting the personal safety of skiers over the years. In addition, the helmet's function, design and comfort are also one of the reasons for helmet popularity.

How to avoid accidents as a skier?

To ensure ski safety, the most important thing is to start with the skiers themselves. Every skier needs to follow the public behavior guidelines of the ski resort and be responsible for the safety of himself and others. In 1999, the NSAA enacted seven codes of conduct that skiers need to keep in mind, and requires each skier to adhere to this code for themselves and others.

The seven criteria are:

Always maintain control;

The rear runner gives the skater in front;

Only stay where you and others are safe;

To start a taxi or where the slide meets, always look up at the hill and avoid it;

Wear safety equipment to ensure equipment is not disengaged;

Read signs and warnings, do not enter closed ski slopes;

The cable car will go up and down correctly.

Keeping these seven criteria in mind and maintaining respect and demeanor over others while taxiing can greatly reduce the probability of an accident. Every skier is obliged to learn the rules of safe sailing, aware of the risks involved in skiing, have a clear understanding of his level and control, and never blindly challenge unrealistic taxi goals.

In addition, for some deep players who like wild snow, powder snow, and mountain-skiing, in addition to enjoying a refreshing smooth experience, there are some potential risks to be aware of:

The first common danger is an avalanche

Most of the ski resorts are specially maintained and protected against avalanche, and the risk of avalanches is minimal. However, natural ruthlessness, the avalanche has always been an unstable factor. In particular, the danger of avalanches during the first winter slides in the winter or in inaccessible mountains is particularly noticeable.

For those skiers who like to challenge extreme terrain, they should take adequate precautions and carry necessary equipment such as radio receivers, mirrors, avalanche airbags, probes, shovels, and mobile phones. In a steep or snowy section of road, one line up and one down, to ensure that the companion is always within sight. Before you travel, you need to inform your friends or family about the taxi plan. If conditions permit, ask the ski resort staff about snow switch status, avalanche and landslide conditions. In addition, wearing a helmet can increase survival by 25% in avalanche accidents.

The second danger is snow leaching

Snow leaching usually occurs in thick and soft snow conditions. Larger trees in the snow often form unobtrusive giant tree wells. Skiers trapped in them often cannot rely on their own strength. This situation is similar to that of drowning. The deeper it struggles to sink, it eventually dies of suffocation.

In order to avoid a similar situation, in addition to being away from the trees during the taxiing, it is also important to bear in mind that never one should glide! Make sure that at least one of your peers is within the scope of your assistance and you can help each other or seek help when you are sure that something is going wrong.