Skiing in a Winter Wonderland
I hope you aren’t too (snow)board of these stats
What do you do when it snows?
Some people build snowmen (or snowpeople), others make snow angels, if you’re unlucky you might get hit by a snowball
But for plenty, travelling to the mountains to go skiing will be the best way to enjoy freezing temperatures
And skiing is not a new invention. There are cave drawings in Scandinavia dating back 4,500 years, although this form of skiing wouldn’t resemble a visit to the alps today
For example, the first ski lifts were installed just over 100 years ago, in 1908, and snowboarding first appeared in 1965
How popular is skiing today?
Skiing has become more and more popular over the decades
Back in 1950, c. 5 million people did some form of skiing worldwide, a number that rose to 35 million in 1975 and now sits closer to 400 million
Germany has the most people who ski (14.6 million), followed by France (8.6 million), Italy (7.3 million) and then the UK (6.3 million)
Although, Austria and Switzerland have more skiers relative to the size of their populations. They each report having c. 3 million skiers which is roughly 1 in 3 people in both countries (compared to only 17% in Germany)
Britain is one of the countries with the biggest mismatches between the number of skiers and ski resorts in the country. Approximately 1.5 million people go skiing each year, despite only having c. 10 resorts
There are thought to be 6,100 resorts¹ in 68 countries around the world, most of which are in:
- The Alpes, Europe, which receives 40% of all skiers globally² and has roughly a third of all resorts. Germany has the most ski resorts in the Alpes with 498
- North America is next with 23% of skiers, with New York having more ski areas than any other US state (473)
- Asia Pacific, such as Japan, is next on 16% of all visitors
The most popular resort in the world is La Plagne (France, the Alpes), which receives 2.5 million visitors each year
These resorts have a combined 24,000 ski lifts, which also includes a number of very small ski areas - over 50% of these resorts have fewer than 4 lifts. Les Portes du Soleil, in France, had the most lifts with 165
How dangerous is skiing?
Despite the risks of skiing, the number of injuries is relatively low
For every 1,000 days of skiing, only 0.44 injuries are sustained. On this basis, an individual would have to ski for 2,272 days, on average, before getting injured
Although this does depend on how far you’re pushing yourself on the slopes. Professional alpine skiers sustain an injury every 287 days, on average
This is expected, to an extent, considering the speeds professionals can be travelling at. Simon Billy, a French professional skier, reached a top speed of 158.7 mph (255.5 kmh) in the latest speed skiing competition in March 2023
The most common injuries in skiing are:
- knee injuries (30% of total), particularly those involving ligament strains
- shoulder injuries (13%)
- lower leg injuries (9.5%)
- head injuries (9.5%)
And the risk of dying is even lower, with only 0.01% of these injuries being life threatening, and with only one death per 1.4 million ski days
Note¹: a different source suggested the number of resorts was slightly lower at 5,700, and another believed the number of ski lifts was higher at 26,000
Note²: likewise, another source believed this figure could be closer to 50%
Check out more GoodStats about Winter and the Outdoors:
- Let it Snow! Are you dreaming of a White Christmas?
- The Gift of Giving; I hope you enjoy this 4 minute-long present
- National Beauty; Celebrating America’s incredible countryside
