What are the commonest injuries and how can I avoid them?

The type of injuries you may sustain can depend on what your chosen mountain discipline is. Skiers knee ligaments (anterior cruciate ligament in particular) take the most injuries. Make sure your ski bindings are adjusted correctly for your weight and level of skiing. Over 80% of accidents to skiers which result in sprained knee ligaments resulted from skis not coming off during a fall.

Snowboarders tend to suffer more upper body injuries such as broken collarbones, dislocated shoulders and head and wrist injuries - so a helmet and wrist protectors are a must.

Should you be unlucky enough to get injured whilst on holiday and find yourself hobbling around on crutches – do not despair! Make the most of your situation and check out this fun website: Cool Crutches! Injury rates for skiing are much lower than most people imagine, at between 0.2 and 0.4%. The French Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons suggests the following eight points to reduce your risk:

• Improve your physical fitness before your holiday
• Ensure bindings are correctly set for your ability, weight and height
• Choose the correct equipment for your level
• Wear a helmet (especially in a snowpark)
• Warm up before setting out
• Make sure you take enough food and liquids
• Take a rest or cut short your day when you start to feel tired

To this we would add:

• Follow the piste safety code (see FAQs Skiing & Snowboarding)
• Hire equipment from a specialist sports shop rather than borrowing from friends - there are plenty of Ski Hire Shops in Morzine that can give you expert advice on what you need
• Stay within your own limits and don’t try to keep up with more experienced friends - even if it's not your first time, you will benefit greatly from ski or snowboard lessons with a qualified instructor
• Bring non-slip boots for walking around the resort as pavements can be icy

For more information on skiing and snowboarding injuries, see this Ski Injury website.