Skiing

Is skiing safe?

Yes, by the standards of this list. A day at a US ski resort carried about 0.8 micromortsMicromortA one-in-a-million chance of death. It lets you compare the risk of very different activities on one scale.More in the glossary in 2024/25 and about 0.6 in 2023/24, according to the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). That is close to the background risk of an ordinary day and less than a 200-mile round trip by car in the US.

The catch is injury. Deaths are rare, but knee, wrist, shoulder and head injuries are a normal part of the sport, and serious spinal and brain injuries have been rising.

Who dies on the slopes

NSAA's 2024/25 fact sheet gives a clear profile. Of the 50 people killed at US ski areas:

• 46 were men and 4 women.
• About 37 were skiers and 13 snowboarders.
• Most were on intermediate (blue) runs, not expert terrain.
• Nearly half died after hitting a tree.
• About 10% died in snow immersion, mostly in tree wells.
• 16% were not wearing a helmet.

The common factors were speed, loss of control and collision with an object. That pattern is consistent over many seasons. The danger is not the steepest run on the mountain; it is a confident skier going fast on an easier run lined with trees, catching an edge and being unable to stop.

Counting the risk honestly

The NSAA numbers leave out three things. They exclude deaths from heart attacks and strokes, which are a real cause of death at altitude in older skiers. They exclude backcountry and off-piste deaths outside resort boundaries, including most avalanche deaths. And they exclude ski area staff killed in industrial accidents.

So "0.8 micromortsMicromortA one-in-a-million chance of death. It lets you compare the risk of very different activities on one scale.More in the glossary per day" is the risk of trauma on the pistes for a resort skier. A backcountry tourer in avalanche terrain faces a different and much larger risk.

Injuries

Most skiing injuries are not life-threatening, but many end a holiday and some end careers. Skiers most often hurt their knees, particularly the anterior cruciate ligament, when a ski twists the leg. Snowboarders more often hurt wrists and shoulders falling onto outstretched hands.

The serious end is growing. NSAA reported 63 catastrophic injuries, such as paralysis, serious brain injury or loss of a limb, at US ski areas in 2024/25, compared with a 10-year average of 44. That is roughly one per million visits. About half involved people aged 21 to 30, and about two-thirds happened on beginner and intermediate runs.

Is the drive the bigger risk?

Often, yes. A 200-mile round trip by car to the mountains carries about 0.4 to 0.6 micromortsMicromortA one-in-a-million chance of death. It lets you compare the risk of very different activities on one scale.More in the glossary in Britain and about 1.4 to 2.2 in the US, using the per-mile figures on our driving page. That is more than the average day on the slopes. Mountain roads in snow and the drive home on tired legs and short daylight add to it. A week-long ski trip with a long drive at each end can put more risk on the road than on the pistes.

How to ski more safely

1. Ski at a speed at which you can stop or avoid anyone below you. The skier downhill has priority.
2. Stay away from tree edges at speed. A tree line along a fast blue run is where many deaths happen.
3. Wear a helmet, and replace it after a hard impact.
4. Ski with a partner in the trees on powder days and keep each other in sight. Tree wells kill quickly.
5. Get your bindings set by a technician for your weight, height, ability and boot sole. Correct release settings help prevent knee injuries.
6. Use wrist guards if you snowboard, especially as a beginner.
7. Stop before you get tired. Late-afternoon runs on tired legs and icy snow are when control slips.
8. Going off-piste? Carry a transceiver, shovel and probe, check the avalanche forecast and take a course first. That is a different activity from resort skiing.

How we scored it

Fatality risk (87) is low at under 1 micromortMicromortA one-in-a-million chance of death. It lets you compare the risk of very different activities on one scale.More in the glossary per day. Injury risk (62) is the weak point, and catastrophic injuries rose in 2024/25. Controllability (72) is good because speed choice explains most deaths, and ski patrols keep help close (84). Compare marathon running, with a similar overall score, and Mount Everest for mountain risk at its extreme.