Andy A wrote:mark203 - what've you got against snowboarding ? I don't think there's any evidence of one being more injury-prone than the other
It probably depends on how hard you ski/ride, and how hard and fast you push with both of them.
Andy I have nothing against snowboarding
I know that ski injuries have declined by 50% dur to release bindings and ski brakes since the 70s. Snowboards have neither of these so logic kind of tells me that if you fall over with both legs strapped to a board you are more likely to hurt yourself.
according to the internet
10% of ski accidents result from a collision with another person or object, 5% are lift related and 5% occur as the result of equipment failure
on snowboards forearm and shoulder injuries are most common 60%, followed by shoulder, then lower leg and head injuries
The risk of dying is 0.7 deaths per million skier visits, and 0.46 deaths per million for snowboarders.
The risk of death or injury
1 death in 1,000,000 days' skiing is the fatality rate for winter board sports.
In these terms, canoeing (1 fatality in every 750,000 trips) is worse - and scuba diving is five times as risky.
2.8 injuries per 1,000 days spent skiing or snowboarding is the injury rate and it compares badly with that of other sports. Parachutists, for instance, may be ten times more likely to die with each jump than skiers are with each day spent at Val d'Isère but, assuming they survive, they are two thirds less likely to be hurt.
365 is the average number of consecutive days you would have to be skiing or snowboarding before experiencing a reportable injury. If you spent the same time playing rugby, the chances are that you would not still be playing by the end of the year.
67,000 rugby injuries require a trip to Accident and Emergency in the UK every year, and studies of competitive rugby players have found there is one injury per person for every ten games played - or around two injuries per match. That rate makes rugby a more dangerous sport than boxing, mountain climbing and even - for those feeling patriotic - American football.
1 death in 8,200 pregnancies.
If all these statistics encourage a little risk aversion, then it is worth considering that by that logic we might as well stop being human beings - quite literally. Giving birth carries a greater risk of fatality than any sport.
Sources: Health and Safety Executive, Rospa, National Ski Area Association, British Parachuting Association, Ski-Injury.com, Sportsmed, ABC
PS this I found funny - Parachutists, for instance, may be ten times more likely to die with each jump than skiers are with each day spent at Val d'Isère but, assuming they survive, they are two thirds less likely to be hurt.