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Document Type

Abstract

Publication Date

12-1-2024

Abstract

Background/Purpose: More people in China are participating in snow sports, especially after the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Despite health benefits, skiing and snowboarding are associated with injury risk. Ski safety and injury prevention are essential for sustainable operation of ski resorts with the rapid development of snow sports in China. The purpose of this study was to examine the injury rate at a popular medium-sized ski resort in Central New York and compare it with that of similar ski resorts in Northeastern China.

Method: Direct ski patrol observation and injury incident reports of three seasons from 2020-21 to 2022-23 were obtained from the Ski Patrol. Ski visits and operation data were obtained from ski resort management. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the dataset. Categorical values were expressed as numbers and relative frequencies. The incidence of injuries was calculated in terms of 1000 skier days (IPTSD), in accordance with previous literature. The one-sample t-test was used to compare injury rates within this study and with other studies.

Results: 66139, 63363 and 54027 skier visits with 277, 323, and 347 incidents of injury were recorded, respectively, across three ski seasons at the ski resort, resulting in an overall injury rate of 5.24% IPTSD. No significant changes were observed for the injury rate across the three seasons. More injuries were reported on easier trails (Green) than more challenging trails (Blue and Black). Compared with the 1.45% IPTSD of injury rate of medium-size ski resorts in Northeastern China, the 5.24% is significantly higher (p < .05). Compared with 4.4% ~ 5.9% IPTSD injury rates in ski resorts in Chongli area, there was no significant difference.

Conclusion/Discussion: More recreational skiing injuries occurred on easier trails than on more challenging trails, which is consistent with ski resorts in China. This can be attributed to the crowded conditions on easier trails and lower skier skill levels. However, a significantly higher injury rate was observed in the studied ski resort than that of similar ski resorts in Northeastern China. This higher injury rate may have been related to the data used in this study. The injury rates reported in studies were based on surveys. Injuries requiring no clinical treatment may have been excluded. Establishment of a ski patrol organization could improve service to ski injuries and promote ski safety and sustainable development of snow sports in China.

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