A Five-Year Survey of Skiing Injuries in Hemsedal, Norway

During the 1982–1986 ski seasons 883 injured skiers from Hemsedal Skicenter were recorded and compared to a control group of 379 uninjured skiers. The injury rate was 0.90/1000 skier days. The knee was the most common injury site (23%) followed by the head (17%) and the shoulder (10%). Only about 9% suffered a lower leg fracture, but 40% of these skiers were children under 15 years of age. Every third injury was binding/boot related, and those skiers who had performed a self binding release test were less at risk than those who had not performed this test. The number of skiers who had performed the self-test declined during the recording time. Eighteen percent of the injuries were due to collision with other skiers or with fixed objects, but the collision injury rate declined dramatically during the last two seasons of this study. Beginners had a higher injury risk than more experienced skiers, especially in the binding-related injury group. In conclusion, self-test of bindings and skiing experience protect against skiing injuries.