In the last five years, there was an estimated 55,000 winter sports accidents in Tyrol, Austria, according to data collected by the St. Johann District Hospital. The Austrian province is one of the most popular destinations for winter tourism in Europe, but the peak winter season also means crowded hospitals as the number of accidents increases.

“If we can reduce the number of patients by 30 percent, the hospital will still be full, but at least everyone will be taken care of”, the head of the Department for Orthopedics and Traumatology at St. Johann Hospital in Tyrol, Alexander Brunner, told broadcaster ORF.

Just this weekend, eight people were killed in avalanches in the Austrian Alps, as reported. In Tyrol and the neighbouring region of Vorarlberg, authorities again warned that avalanche risks were high due to wind and snowfall.

In order to relieve the hospitals in the region, a team at St. Johann is currently conducting a story to determine the greatest risk factors for skiing accidents. They want to identify patterns and frequencies and then propose measures to prevent them.

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The researchers are interviewing accident victims to ask about weather conditions, temperature, condition and fitness level, number of ski days already completed, age, quality of equipment, skiing ability or slope condition.

Skiing is becoming more dangerous

The number of accidents has increased in Austria in the last few years, and experts are still looking into the reasons. Many have mentioned that the end of the coronavirus restrictions led to more people seeking the Alps after years without practice – or drew new people to dangerous sports without the proper training. 

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Additionally,  advances in skiing and snowboarding equipment have made it possible for people to ski faster and even take on more challenging terrain, which can increase the risk of injury. However, the factor that has been talked about the most is the influence of climate change on winter sports. 

As warmer temperatures mean less snow in many mountain areas, this can lead to a higher concentration of skiers on the pistes, increasing the risk of collisions and accidents. More people on the resorts also encourage some skiers to look for off-piste areas, where the chances of accidents are also higher.

Moreover, a lack of snow can make conditions harder and icier, which is also more dangerous and could increase the risk of injury. With climate change, extreme weather and heavy snowstorms also make winter sports riskier.

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So far, the St. Johann’s team is focusing on gathering information at this stage. However, Brunner said that an example of a future measure would be to create an app that can tell the skier when the risk of injury increases and how it might be better to skip the ski day. 

Ski resorts and organisations have also taken steps to improve safety in the sport, with better slope maintenance, more signs and promoting education among those who practise the sport. In addition, there are several skiing and snowboarding schools and courses that teach safety and online tools to learn more about skiing and snowboarding safely.