The adrenaline rush that goes hand-in-hand with skiing or snowboarding does unfortunately come with some associated risks. Here are some tips to make your skiing holiday and overall experience on the slopes a little bit safer.
Properly Adjusted Binding
Failure to set your equipment up properly can be a huge risk. Poorly fitted equipment is one of the primary causes of leg and knee injuries on the slopes. Skis are designed to release when a certain amount of pressure has been exerted on them, but incorrect setup can lead to all kinds of unpleasant accidents.
To avoid this, make sure that you get your equipment set up by a trained professional in a reputable ski shop. Release setting should be calculated based on an equation which takes into account your height, weight, age and skiing ability. So make sure you double check and don’t just rely on what a helpful friend tells you.
Watch Out for Collisions
On the mountain especially, it’s super important to be fully aware of your surroundings. After all, no matter how skilled you might be, there’s always the chance that somebody else isn’t. One of the main causes of collisions on the slopes, is skiers who are out of control! So always watch out for others, don’t be arrogant and think that your own ability will prevent you from getting injured.
Always have a look up the slope before you begin skiing, failing to do this simple look is one of the most frequent causes of collisions, and is easily avoided. Follow the same rules you would when crossing a road; stop, look and listen.
Be Avalanche Prepared
Knowing the correct procedure for an avalanche takes a lot of preparation; it’s always a good idea before leaving for a skiing trip to familiarise yourself with all the appropriate guidelines and warnings. Here’s a few of the important things to take into consideration.
- Never go off-piste without full safety gear. This includes a transceiver, probe and a shovel. Venturing off-piste without them is quite honestly complete madness.
- Know how to use your gear. There is absolutely no point in carrying all that expensive equipment if you can’t use it.
Always Wear a Helmet
The importance of this piece of safety advice cannot be overstated enough. Some skiers might hate the thought of wearing a helmet, but you should absolutely still wear one.
With lots of skiers regularly exceeding speeds of 30mph, wearing a helmet while skiing is just as crucial as wearing one when riding a motorbike. This is especially true when you consider that the ice on the slope can often be just as hard as tarmac on a road.
Head injuries are the most frequent cause of death and severe disability among skiers and snowboarders. Lots of insurance companies make it a condition that you must wear a helmet when skiing or snowboarding, so it is definitely something to check when purchasing your holiday insurance package.
Follow the On-Piste Rules
We all know that the highway code dictates exactly what drives can and cannot do on the roads, the skiing equivalent comes from the International Ski Federation (FIS) rules for conduct. They are also legally binding, these cover a whole assortment of different scenarios, although the most important rule to remember is that the skier in front of you has priority.
Some of the rules set out by the FIS include:
- Assistance; every skier and snowboarder is duty bound to assist in the case of an accident on the slope.
- Overtaking; this is permitted, as long as you leave enough space for any voluntary or involuntary movements by the skier in front.
- Climbing or descending on foot; this is allowed, as long as you keep to the side of the piste.
- Stopping on the piste; this is not allowed unless it is unavoidable, especially in narrow or low-visibility areas of the slope.