Myths of skiing injuries debunked by physician’s study.

Myths of skiing injuries debunked by physician's study.

The vivid images of wrecks disasters and injuries from the sport media are not real.

An article Doctor seeks to debunk skiing myths looks at a study published by Dr. Robert Johnson in the November/December issue of Sports Health. The study was titled Myths Concerning Alpine Skiing Injuries and authored by Robert J. Johnson, MD, Carl F. Ettlinger, Ettlinger, Ettlinger, MS and Jasper E. Shealy, PhD.

The results of this study even caught me off guard, and I have been studying the ski industry for more than twenty years. The study looked at twelve common myths in the industry.

1) "Skiing is among the most dangerous activities." The fatality rate makes it safer than driving a car and slightly more dangerous than riding a bicycle per million hours of exposure.

2) "Broken legs have been traded for blown-out knees." Knee injuries increasing and broken legs decreasing in skiing occurred at different times and are not related. See number 11 below for an interesting twist on this issue.

3) "All you need know is your DIN (release indicator value) number and you can adjust your bindings." There are four different factors used to determine the correct DIN, height, weight, skiing ability and boot sole length. Even knowing these may not be enough because how the boot fits into the binding is also critical.

4) "Toe and heel pieces must be set to the same Release Indicator Value or the bindings won't function right." No, see study 3 above.

5) "Formal ski instruction will make you safer. This is not true. However, every ski resort in the US argues with this result. Personally, I would have disagreed with this study if a ski lesson taught you how to fall, however, now I am confused based on study 9 below.

6) "The shorter the ski, the less torque is applied to the leg in a fall. Therefore, short skis don't need release bindings." There is a 3 to 20--fold increase in broken ankles and tibias from using short skis. You should use releasable bindings on these skis also.

7) "Young bones bend rather than break, so there's no point spending a lot of money on children's equipment." Children have the highest risk to equipment related injuries so properly functioning equipment is critical for them.

8) "When buying boots for children, leave plenty of room for fast-growing feet." If a child's boot does not foot there is an increased chance of a lower leg fracture. I think this is common sense.

9) "If you think you're going to fall, just relax and let it happen." This always seemed to work for me, however the study indicates differently. You should fall however, you should assume the position of a parachutist landing and tense your muscles and joints to stiffen and protect them.

10) "Exercise is the best way to avoid skiing-related injuries." This is going to mess up consumer magazines that constantly have articles on getting in shape for skiing. This does not mean that being in shape will not be a better skiing experience, it just will not change your chance of injury.

11) "Tighter standards that mandate lower release setting will reduce the risk of an ACL injury." This has been known in the industry for years and is one of the common misconceptions in the industry. Knee injuries are not related to your binding releasing or how your binding releases.

12) "Buying new ski equipment is safer than renting." Rental equipment is maintained. After skiing for ten days and driving to the slopes with your skis on top of your car if you do not have your skis and bindings checked you have a greater risk of an injury.

Robert J. Johnson, MD, Carl F. Ettlinger, MS and Jasper E. Shealy, PhD, are well known in the ski industry for their research into skiing industry injuries. Johnson and Shealy are the editors of the ASTM Skiing Trauma and Safety 17^th Volume, which is the standard of ski industry research.

First report out on Devil’s Head Lift Accident

The following statement of the cause of the lift accident last Thursday evening at Devil's Head Ski Resort was released.

Jo Vittengl said that the accident was a "mechanical malfunction." He said they found a "break" in the equipment that sent the chair lift sliding into reverse, causing 14 injuries last Thursday night. Vittengl said he is gathering information on the exact findings of the resort's insurance company-hired inspector, but that "something snapped'' and "broke."

See Resort Manager Says Chair Lift Accident Was 'Mechanical Malfunction'


The State of Wisconsin is continuing its investigation into the lift accident.

For other blog posts about the accident see:

Lift Accident at Wisconsin's Devil's Head Resort

Devil's Head Ski Resort has six lifts closed

Ski Magazine is offering a free family ski vacation contest.

Ski Magazine is offering a free family ski vacation to the winner's of its Family Ski Getaway
contest. The winners will receive a four day to trip to either Smuggler's Notch, Steamboat or Northstar-at-Tahoe. nformation about the contest can be found at Win a Family Ski Getaway!

Holiday Single Day Lift Ticket Prices

The Summit Daily had an article about lift ticket prices creeping towards $100 for the holidays.

    Copper Mountain                            $89.00

    Aspen Skiing Co.                            $89.00 now     $96.00

    Beaver Creek                                 $89.00

    Vail                                                $89.00     last year $97.00 (but prices may still go up.)

    Breckenridge                                  $85.00

    Keystone                                        $85.00

    A-Basin                                         $65.00 (A Basin does not change its ticket prices for the holidays)

    Steamboat                                      $97.00

    Telluride                                         $95.00

    Deer Valley                                    $90.00

    Stowe Vt.                                       $89.00

See Ski resorts nudge lift tickets toward $100.

Devil’s Head Ski Resort has six lifts closed

Six of the ten lifts at Devil Head Ski Resort have been closed for inspection. The State of Wisconsin Department of Commerce is heading up the investigation into the lift accident that occurred December 17, 2009. See Lift Accident at Wisconsin's Devil's Head Resort. All lifts are being inspected again at the resort.


It is not clear if the State closed the lifts or the closures were voluntary. The lifts were inspected by a third party inspected prior to opening this season.

Lift Accident at Wisconsin’s Devil’s Head Resort

Numerous news sources and blogs are reporting a lift accident at Wisconsin's Devil's Head Resort. Allegedly, a lift brake failed to keep the wire from rolling backwards. Fourteen people were taken to local hospitals.

See Wisconsin Ski Lift Accident Leaves More Than a Dozen Injured and At Least 14 Injured in Wisconsin Ski Lift Accident.

 

Mountain Media Takes Nasty Spill after Confrontation with Vail Resorts

Mountain Media Takes Nasty Spill After Confrontation with Vail Resorts

When the New York Times writes about a reporter for a small (both figuratively and literally) newspaper in Summit County, Colorado, something is up.

Other headlines about this story include:

Reporter: I was fired for taking on the ski industry

Greene: Advertising flap snowballs for Vail Resorts

Journalist Fired After Critical Report Published

Vail resorts, the evil empire of the Rockies?

For more comments on this issue, see www.rec-law.blogspot.com.