So fed up of stories like this every single year. Stupid bloody Skiing.

Obesity is often caused by making daily risky decisions about health that has far more deadly outcomes.

Obesity is its own extreme sport in many cases.

Have you got a source for that? Because I had a quick search and it looks like that stat is indeed for downhill skiing. It’s even lower for snowboarding - less than 1 in 2 million snowboarding days.

Skiing is the best sport ever!

Lots of fear mongering on this thread although I can understand it given the way the media sensationalises ski accident stories without putting the risks into any sort of context. But the flip side of that is some people are too blasé about skiing and don't put their children In ski schools or stick to the slopes appropriate for their level. Not saying that happened in this case but I've seen it plenty of times. Skiing is brilliant if done responsibly, like any activity that carries a level of risk.

I adore skiing amd it's the reason I exercise all year round - to be fit for my ski holidays. I've never been Injured but stick to intermediate slopes.

I have ski buddies from all walks of life - one is a carer, another is a retired teacher, another is a personal assistant. When I ski with them we go on the cheapest holidays we can find on Crystal Ski or else UCPA. They save for them all year and it doesn't have to be expensive compared to other types of holiday. And we always have a great time.

I’m not sure it really matters now experienced you are. When I was in secondary school, a boy two years older than me was on a skiing holiday with his family. He had a fairly minor fall but unfortunately landed on an area of quite thin snow with stone underneath. He died of his head injuries. He was 16. I can still remember his devastated parents and his sister, who was in my year. I agree with you, OP. It’s just not worth it.

I don’t think this is a reasonable comparison. Obesity is a disease. Sports injuries are the result of accidents.

i think your being sarcastic but It would certainly improve the health of the nation and would make people take personal responsibility for there lifestyle choices.

I agree, OP! Saw a social media post the other week (think it was Zissman or Clancey?), who posted their young daughter(s) skiing down (supposedly one of the most difficult slopes) and THANKING the instructor for ‘getting them down safety’ whilst clearly beaming with pride. The pride to boast came before the safety aspect, clearly. It baffled me.

Likewise with diving/snorkelling or people entering the deep seas in general, then us having to endure horror stories about people being killed by sharks. This is risk you take when entering their territory!

I am not prepared to encourage my kids to take these big risks in hope that the fun side will outride the dangers.

Exactly, yes there are dangers involved in skiing but so are there with driving, getting out of bed etc. If you are sensible the risk is low, it’s just people like to tell these stories so the risk is overinflated.

Why so vehemently joyless @ExcessiveNumberOfNinjas ? You don’t like skiing, fine don’t go, but I suspect you’re not this frothing about, for example, yoga, squash, parkrun, learning to drive, gardening etc, all of you can get seriously hurt doing. I love skiing, it makes me happy and gets me out in the fresh air in the worst park of the dank, dark, British winter. I have been doing it for over 30 years and never seriously hurt myself, the only time I have been hurst is when I’ve been dicking around or pushing my boundaries in a way I knew was stupid, so my own fault or when someone else was being a prat- if we all take care and are sensible it’s really not that dangerous.

50% of British kids are now overweight. Seems to me they could do with a little more sport (and a lot less stodge).

TBH I was more worried about my kids being mugged / stabbed than being injured skiing!
I know Jimmy Mizen's family. I'm sure they would rather Jimmy had been skiing than buying a cake when he was killed and 16.
And now his killer is out of prison and making songs about killing Jimmy.
I also know Rob Knox's family.
(Killed at 18 literally roads away from where I brought up my kids)
I wish Jimmy and Rob could go skiing.

I said I barely see anyone without helmets - in agreement with you?
I've only skiied in Japan and Australia and pretty much everyone wears helmets. It's really only some holdouts in their 70s I see without them.

I don’t understand off piste. People are killed in avalanches and accidents every year and most of them seem to be when they’ve gone off piste. Just why would you do it??

OP, do you make such gross generalisations in all aspects of your life, and is this disdain for skiing down to jealousy? It's a shame you seem so taxed about something that doesn't affect you, nor are not forced to participate it.

My kids have skied since 2, DD also did baby bmx, we went and watched one tournament that was hosted by the bmx club. And that was the end of bmx for us. If you want to see a dangerous sport that’s the one to watch! Those kids are made of something else

If skiing is not your bag due to fear, fat or finances, then great.

All the more piste available for those of us who like to live a little, risks and all.

I've been skiing since I was a child and I'm far more worried about the bus journey from the airport these days. I'm taking my kids for the first time next year. Yes it can be dangerous due to people skiing out of their depths but no more so than an 18 year old make getting into a car and speeding to show off to his mates. And we experience that on the roads more than we experience bad skiers. It's an amazing holiday. I feel safer in the Alps than many places in the world quite frankly.

I go skiing and never had more than a bruise or two - one pretty bad bruise but even that was gone in a week or so.
I also ride horses - used to compete, again nothing worse than bruises though I did have to get an x-Ray once after a fall - nothing broken in the end.
I also cycle - mountain biking I smashed my face once (with helmet but hit the ground cheek first), road cycling I have been injured by cars three times and one more time due to a fuel spillage on the road where bike went from underneath me in the middle of a junction.

I also hike and surf and run and swim outdoors and indoors, minor injuries whilst doing all those through the years.

It shouldn’t be, but cycling 20-30min on the road daily is the most dangerous activity from above (even though only about 5-10min of that is on an actual road, the rest on bike lanes) - I’m firmly of the opinion that you can get hit by a bus crossing the road and life is for living. My mum was very anxious about my activities growing up but it seems to have made me more determined to enjoy my life and not sit inside terrified most of the time.

Perhaps people should be made to have insurance to take the load of the NHS who eat fast food or smokes or drinks a lot or cycles or drives or uses a motorbike or rock climbs or does drugs or eats lots of UPF or is overweight or doesn’t exercise……

I bloody love skiing. And running. And cold water swimming. And cycling. Perhaps I ought to stay home wrapped in cotton wool though 🤔🤔

For Christ's sake, a 14 year old boy has literally just died! How on earth can you think that’s an appropriate comment?

What’s aspirational about enjoying clean, bright mountain air and enjoyable exercise? Why can’t brits enjoy this too? Is it too good for us?

I love skiing and have been since age 5. It’s common where I live.

Your statement is incorrect and cruel though.

Accidents happen and sometimes the person hurt was trying to avoid other out of control skiers.

This is a thread about a 14yo.

Please be respectful.

I'm not interested in skiing or other high risk sports, it's no different to a lot of more risky things that people enjoy though. DS went on a skiing school trip and enjoyed it, he also went skiing with his university friends but there is no way on earth you would get me on a pair of skis though but I wouldn't persuade others from doing it.

Agree @CautiousLurker01 both my kids went on skiing holidays with their state schools in Y6. I bought them second hand kit from eBay. I was more worried about the very long coach journey up the mountains, than them skiing.