Safety Facts:

The over riding majority of climbers and white water kayakers will wear a helmet. This is not the case with skiers or snowboarders. Here are some interesting facts:

• Your chance of needing hospital treatment for injury on a ski holiday is between 2% and 3%.
• The chance of suffering a minor injury, not necessarily requiring treatment is 1 injury in every 14 days of skiing.
• 75% of accidents relate to falls caused by poor fitness or inexperience, influenced by snow conditions or simply bad luck.
• 25% of accidents are because of a collision, either with another person or a fixed object like a pylon or tree - around 60% to 70% of collisions result in hospital admission.

Safety Advice:

• Helmets - reduce the severity of a head injury by 50% - most head injuries involve a collision.
• Wrist guards - trauma surgeons in hospitals seeing a lot of snowboarding injuries agree that wearing wrist guards would significantly reduce their workload.
• Carry transceivers, a probe, shovel and emergency kit when skiing or boarding in back country areas.
• Follow local daily weather and safety reports and heed local advice.

Snowcard are working in partnership with the UK's leading mountain sports specialist; Ellis Brigham who offer a comprehensive range of Mountain sports products aimed at keeping you safe in the mountains. Visit their website to see if there is a store near you or check out their range of clothing and equipment for skiing, snowboarding & mountaineering online.