‘We saw a man die after falling hundreds of metres’: The real risk of skiing

Recent reports of accidents on the slopes are a shocking reminder of the risks associated with ski holidays.

On Jan 14, a 62-year-old British woman died after hitting another skier, who was stationary, on the black Aiguille Rouge piste in Les Arcs. The stationary skier, a male aged 35, received medical treatment in Arc 2000 for a broken leg and an investigation has been opened into the event, which witnesses said involved high speed.

Four days later, on Jan 18, a six-year-old child was airlifted to hospital after losing consciousness following a collision on the blue Arpette piste in neighbouring La Plagne, and earlier this month, in Davos, a 24-year-old German man died after hitting a skier and then crashing into a sign.

While serious traumatic accidents and fatalities are rare – statistics point to around one accident per 1,000 skier days – they do happen. And research on accidents by French authorities shows that collisions are most likely to occur on wide blue runs, and on quiet days in optimum conditions.

Richard Ludovic is a ski instructor based in Morzine, France, and the head of the National Mountain Safety Observation System (SNOSM), created in 1997 by the French government to gain a better understanding of accidents in the mountains.

In October 2024, SNOSM released comprehensive research on collisions over the seasons of 2022/23 and 2023/24 in conjunction with the National School of Mountain Sports (ENSM) and Domaines Skiables de France, a conglomeration of 396 ski resorts, ski lift operators, suppliers, training centres and transport operators across the French mountains.

Richard explained: “That research showed that, most of the time, accidents happen when the slopes are quiet. Skiers don’t take the same care when they don’t see many people and the weather and snow are perfect. When slopes are busy there are fewer collisions.”

As for whether skiing is becoming more perilous, Ludovic said it is too difficult to confirm whether the slopes are becoming increasingly dangerous, because accident rates fluctuate each season, depending on snow conditions and the resort. SNOSM and other research also showed snowboarders are no more responsible for collisions than skiers.

According to the data, there is often a spike in injuries in resorts known for their high altitude – Chamonix, Val Thorens, Val d’Isère and La Plagne – when snow in lower resorts is less reliable and the pistes become crowded. “Most of these incidents are people falling and breaking their arms or legs, not collisions,” said Ludovic. “You can say climate change is to blame, in part, but now the slopes are very well prepared, you can easily ski very fast… one of the big problems is that some people are skiing on black and red runs, when they don’t have the ability to ski there, and are unable to remain in control if the snow is a bit icy – then they get too fast and cannot stop.”

‘Be careful who you go up a lift with’

Last week Nick Okell, 44 from Cheshire, was airlifted from the slopes in Morzine/Avoriaz after being hit and knocked unconscious by an out-of-control skier on the red Crosets slope. “I was standing at the side of the piste with a group of colleagues, we were on a work trip, and I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye of this guy hurtling straight at me. He hit me and I was knocked 10 metres down the mountain, and the next thing I really knew was a crowd of people around me.

“Thankfully a medic was skiing past and he looked into my eyes and said I needed mountain rescue — they arrived quickly, took me back to their hut and called a helicopter. I don’t remember too much about it, but think I was incredibly lucky — the hospital said I had a concussion and severe bruising.

“The guy who hit me did stop, he was speaking in French, but after apologising he said: ‘There’s not much more I can do, so I’m off’. It’s my insurance that’s going to have to pay for the airlift and hospital.”

Under the FIS code of conduct, any skier or snowboarder involved in or witnessing an accident must stop and not only offer assistance but swap contact details. Alarmingly, research shows that in one in three collisions, the skier/snowboarder responsible for the crash simply doesn’t remain at the scene.

Consultant orthopaedic knee surgeon Jonathan Bell says 60 to 70 per cent of his work involves ski-related injuries. As a keen skier himself, he says his wife and two of his three children have been involved in collisions in recent years.

“A lot of accidents happen on home runs — where skiers of very mixed abilities combine,” he says. Speed, lack of both control and attention to others seem to be consistent factors in the injuries I see — it’s always about control. The other dangerous place on the mountain is the top of a chairlift — you need to be really careful who you go up a lift with,” says Jonathan.

“I’m currently treating a physiotherapist who was stationary and hit by a skier going too fast, too close to her, skied over her skis and she has torn both her knees very badly. It’s going to cost her thousands as she can’t work for three months and the skier who hit her just skied off.”

Being alert, staying in control and being aware of the protocol is an essential skill many skiers or snowboarders might overlook while enjoying their holiday – to devastating effect. “You need to keep your eyes open and we ask for common sense. Skiers need to be aware that if an accident results in a court case, the FIS rules are used as a standard and one of those is that you must be in control,” said Laurent Langoisseur, deputy head of ski patrol in Chamonix.

“We do stop people if we see inappropriate, reckless behaviour. In France, we don’t have the right to take away a lift pass but we can tell them off — it’s rare but twice in my career I have had to call the police for help.”

‘Control your speed’

Observing faster skiers slaloming around beginners last year, and being involved in the third collision over a number of years, was the final straw for Paul Mortimer and his wife Pauline McCracken from Devon. This season they have booked a cross-country ski trip in Norway, instead of heading to the pistes in the Alps.

“I’ve been taken out twice in the past two years, once by a skier and once by a snowboarder,” said Paul. “About 10 years ago, Pauline was hit so hard her pole snapped and she suffered a concussion afterwards. People’s consistently bad behaviour — from stopping at inappropriate places to going too fast and endangering others – has made us want to give up downhill skiing altogether.”

Pauline added: “Last season, we were on a chairlift going over The Wall [a notoriously difficult piste in the Portes du Soleil] and saw a man being given CPR after falling down the slope. It turns out he ignored a closed sign — due to dangerous ice — fell hundreds of meters, lost his skis and died at the scene. It was very shocking to see. It seems so few people are having lessons these days, perhaps because equipment has become easier to use, and so they’re not learning slope etiquette from instructors.”

So what is the answer? In Italy helmets are mandatory for all skiers under 18, most resorts have a high police presence and there is a zero tolerance for alcohol on the nation’s slopes (although research shows alcohol is only a factor in one per cent of accidents). In the US, specific patrollers are stationed around the slopes to keep an eye out for speeding, out-of-control skiers.

Ludovic of SNOSM said the French organisation, and all of its members, are against making helmets mandatory in France or introducing a US-style of policing. “The mountain is a place for freedom,” he said. “We discuss putting police on the slopes but we don’t think it’s the right solution.

“We need more education [about the FIS code of conduct] but some people in society are irresponsible regardless, so even if they take lessons they won’t make the right decisions on the slopes.”

Philippe Janin is the head of piste safety in Les Arcs. He said: “We put warning zones at the bottom of the slopes, appropriate signage in specific areas, operate patrols by piste patrollers and communicate the FIS code of conduct through the media and around the slopes on maps.”

But the bottom line, he says, is for skiers to “always remain in control of your speed and trajectory and never overestimate your level.”