Equipment Became Better in Backcountry Skiing-Did Severity of Injuries Decrease? An Analysis from the Swiss Alps.

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Outdoor Recreation Safety
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Technological advancements in avalanche transceivers and ski equipment aim to enhance backcountry skiing safety.
• Despite these improvements, the frequency and severity of mountain emergencies remain a concern.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the trends in mountain emergencies and their severity in backcountry skiing over a decade.
• To identify the primary causes of these emergencies and assess any changes in severity over time.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective analysis of 3044 mountain emergencies recorded by the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) between 2009 and 2018.
• Emergencies were categorized by cause (falls, avalanches, illness, etc.) and severity was quantified using the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Score.

Main Results:

• Falls constituted the most frequent cause (44.6%), followed by avalanches (18.3%) and blocking (13.4%).
• While no significant sex differences in injury severity were observed, the average NACA-Score significantly increased from 2.1 in 2009 to 2.6 in 2018 (p < 0.01).

Conclusions:

• The rising severity of backcountry skiing emergencies suggests a potential increase in participation by inexperienced individuals.
• Improved equipment may inadvertently lead to underestimation of risks, contributing to more severe incidents.