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

We are Scottish and my son skies every week, sometimes more, on a dry slope. Then they fo abroad for extra training. So it is part of life for some Brits, and Scotland is not far from anywhere in the UK really...

You can't go through life shielding your kids from all risk.

If I think back over the last 12 months, mine have:
Been on a plane
Been on a jetski
Been open water swimming (out of their depth) more times than I can remember, both UK and abroad
Been trampolining
Climbed up and down cliff faces...the kinds with 'paths', but steep and scrambling/much care needed to avoid a very nasty fall
One dc has been skiing
Another one (17) went to a 3 day festival with no supervision
Been on themepark rides
Cycled miles on roads

Probably loads more. Every one of those activities regularly (although some infrequently) causes death.

For all those who are 'OMG I could never let my dc ski' just think about everything they actually do. You're not a superior parent for not skiing due to the risk. You likely let your kids take risks every day.

Exactly. This thread is ridiculous quite frankly and scaremongering.

This.

Loads of activities, jobs and hobbies can be dangerous. Life becomes very boring and oppressive if risk is removed in the name of "safety".

People can also die or be harmed doing very normal things. It would be very annoying to limit your life experiences and avoid all things "dangerous" then die crossing the road or by falling off a step ladder!

It’s hard to explain but it’s not all about risk and speed for a lot of skiers - I’m a quite risk adverse person so I always take lots of refresher lessons and stick mainly to the easier slopes but the joyful feeling that goes through your whole body when you glide down a mountain.

It’s like happiness and serenity and a whoosh of pleasure all wrapped up in one feeling.

I appreciate what you are arguing - i E broadening horizons but sport is not the only way to do this.

My DH enjoys skiing but I am not keen as in my social group I know of one snowboarder that was paralysed from the neck down and they were pretty young when it happend. I also have one friend who broke their arm and another who injured their back and was out of action for about 9 months! I am not interested anyway and neither are my Teens.

Actually, I also want to try skiing, but after seeing many people around me getting into accidents, I don’t dare to go.

not many people ski. Far more people drive, and if they don’t drive they’re still pedestrians. There are far more accidents on roads than there are skiing. Plus, you don’t ski all year round.

Every sport has its risks, that’s one of the reasons people do it (for the andrenaline or the buzz of the endorphins) but you can’t wrap everyone in cotton wool.

My dd went skiing with the school. It wasn’t something I’d ever been interested in and certainly not something I could afford to pay for both of us to go. I took her to lessons beforehand and she got up to blue/red slopes by the end of the week. She really enjoyed it.

I really think we should encourage our children (within limits) to live bigger lives. Get off the sofa and into the real world. She has also been to Sicily for a geography trip and went up Mt Etna (and it’s a little bit active at the moment) and is going on an outdoor activities holiday to Snowdonia this summer. Life is full of risks, most of them are smaller than we fear them to be.

I agree. Children die every week in regular old car accidents and though it doesn't happen often, I can still remember how haunted my medic friends were when they were called to the scene of a horse accident. The rider slipped, and their foot was caught in the stirrups. It spooked the horse, so it took off with the rider still attached. Suffice to say it was a horrible tradegy and it was that person's horse, so not even a riding lesson. Just out having fun. Skiing is dangerous, but any sport or fun can be dangerous. Amusement parks, sledding, biking, trail running, rock climbing, baseball, all have tragedies yearly.

Oh do give your head a wobble. Plenty of normal people ski. You are making assumptions that aren't valid.

This is a revealing mindset.

People who already have security in their life, the affluent types who can afford to go skiing etc, are very often risk seekers. They'll find it exhilarating.

People who worry about how they're going to put food on the table or heat their house are far more likely to be risk averse.

So you're right, risk is an inherent part of living, but that comes in very different forms.

Skiing is an amazing sport.
Being in the mountains is amazing.
Spending all day outside, having fun with your F&F, in the fresh air and moving your body..... very little compares.

The freedom. Is exquisite. .

By necessity you have to be in the moment. So you leave all your worries behind. No work. No ancient family discord. No gossipy work colleagues. No worrying. Just the mountains and you.

And yes. It is more dangerous than going for a run on a track near your house. But the feeling cannot be compared.

And yes. Of course it is terrible when there is an accident. But like the rest of life you can take precautions and manage risk. But you can never manage a risk down to zero.

If we wanted that We would never leave the house. Never let our kids play sports. Never let them use the tube or learn to drive. We would certainly never let them on a computer.

But we do. We risk assess and make the right decisions for us and our families.

If you don't fancy skiing then you do you and don't.

You are v v unlikely to die while skiing and life cannot be purely about risk minimization. having said that, I let our daughter ski only with her father on family holidays (I do not ski) and would say no to skiing on school trips. Too much silly behavior going on.

Meh - millions ski and snowboard and love it. You don't get to be angry with their choices. It's not for you or your family - leave it at that.

Personally - I don't particularly love it - my children and husband do though. We have been skiing many times without incident.

Why do some British people assume there's a hierarchy to all things, and why do they use the word 'aspirational' when 'curiosity' or 'eagerness to take on a challenge' or 'getting out of your comfort zone' would be valid alternatives?

The long reach of the class system has a lot to answer for.

Maybe in another 75 years, if there's still snow, future generations will venture skiing. After all, it would have been unthinkable back in 1950 for plebs to board planes for Benidorm or Ibiza or Lanzarote.

This. I live in a country where we have a skifield practically on our doorstep. All sorts of people ski, kids go up with the school and lots of little kids ski with their parents. I've never wanted to ski myself, but never give a thought to it being actually dangerous. I hear of far more injuries and deaths from other sports.

Far more people here drown every year than die skiing.

It is bloody marvelous. It's exhilarating. I used to get a similar thrill from hang gliding, too.

You get physical exertion and great views. Once you've got the hang of them you feel on top of the world when everything slides into place. Great for physical and mental health.

Dying young is always tragic. But risk is an inherent part of living. You don't have to do the riskier stuff, but they normally have rewards you don't get in other ways.

Why have you capitalised deadly like that with a laughing emoji, as if the suggestion is utterly ridiculous? This thread is literally about a skiing fatality. It does happen.

I agree with you OP. I think some people love the thrill, but for those of us that don’t care about risky sports - I’d rather be left out of it thanks.

The difference between using a car and skiing, is one is done for convenience and to get things done - and yes it’s unfortunate when there is a car accident. Whilst skiing is a choice - it’s a sport and it’s like getting on a rollercoaster- abit of fun, but you’re praying nothing goes wrong and when it does /m- it’s horrific.

I think skiing is seen as cool or has some kind of social badge attached to it - I couldn’t care less, but wish people wouldn’t glamourise it and push the FOMO

As a higher-risk yet popular sport, overall injury rate from skiing is close to one injury per 1,000 days skied. And, skiing can result in various types of injuries, affecting different parts of the body. The most common are:

• Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture or sprain
• Medial collateral ligament (MCL) rupture or sprain
• Shoulder sprains, fractures and dislocations
• Wrist and thumb fractures
• Head injuries, whiplash and concussion
• Torn rotator cuff

https://www.kingedwardvii.co.uk/health-hub/preparing-for-ski-season-common-ski-injuries-how-to-prevent-them

it’s not normsl in my social class to go skiing so never has to think about it. I can’t imagine paying that much money to go somewhere cold.

My DC have skied since they were 5, late teens now. They also ride and shoot. Any sport that has specific risks needs to be approached sensibly but if those risks can be mitigated, it's healthy. The one change I would make to ski culture is the heavy use of alcohol during the skiing day- we don't think it's OK to drink and drive but there is a lot of drinking at lunchtime on the slopes. I don't think alcohol and guns mix well either.
But with sensible precautions the risk feels to me much lower than cycling on town or rural roads, and I was very glad when my DC stopped playing rugby at 13- I know so many adult men living with old rugby injuries, plus the issue of brain damage.

Been skiing - my understanding is that the preponderance of injury is much higher than average sports. Statistics obviously can be manipulated to reflect any discourse.