Tips for Safe Skiing

According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, more than 41,600 skiing-related injuries to youths under age 15 are treated in hospital emergency rooms each year, and the total cost of skiing-related injuries among those under age 15 was more than $709.6 million in 1999.

In 1998, there were more than 16,000 head injuries associated with skiing and snowboarding. The Consumer Products Safety Commission estimates that each year more than 7,000 head injuries could be prevented or reduced in severity with proper helmet use.

In addition to getting into the helmet habit for skiing, follow these tips to enjoy a safe ski season:

1. Buy boots and bindings that have been set, adjusted, maintained and tested by a ski shop that follows American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard job practices.
2. Check the binding of each ski before skiing. The bindings must be properly adjusted to the skier's height and weight.
3. Wear warm, close-fitting clothing. Loose clothing can become entangled in lifts, tow ropes and ski poles.
4. Ski with a partner and stay within sight of each other. If one partner loses the other, stop and wait.
5. At the start of each new day, take a couple of slow ski runs to warm up.
6. Watch out for rocks and patches of ice on the ski trails, and make adjustments for icy conditions, deep snow powder, wet snow, and adverse weather conditions.
7. Stay on marked trails and avoid potential avalanche areas such as steep hillsides with little vegetation.
8. Stay in control: make sure to ski within your abilities and respect the difficulty levels indicated for trails and slopes: these are designated by experts.
9. Rest when you get tired! Most injuries occur when skiers are tired at the end of the day.

Each year, Medical College of Wisconsin physicians care for more than 180,000 patients, representing nearly 500,000 patient visits. Medical College physicians practice at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, and many other hospitals and clinics in Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin.