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

*Louisetheroux *
I added it in to show the holiday was about more than just skiing, for those who are incredulous at spending a holiday doing such a DEADLY sport 😅 There were loads of great aspects to it.

And seeing as you brought it up, DC is gcse level and fairly fluent so practised a lot. They did most of the talking as my language skills are sadly lacking in comparison.

What a tragedy. I despair of parents who encourage their children to participate in dangerous sports. Sport should definitely be encouraged but leave the dangerous sports to adults who decide to take the risk.

I picked up on that in your post too and what's hilarious is that you felt the need to add it in. Especially as the reality is probably that they said merci a few times for their hot chocolate

https://scientificorigin.com/top-15-most-dangerous-sports-in-the-world

Often hailed as the most dangerous sport in the world, base jumping involves jumping from a fixed object, such as a building, cliff, or bridge, and deploying a parachute to slow the descent. Unlike traditional skydiving, base jumping happens from significantly lower altitudes, which leaves very little time for the parachute to deploy. This makes it far more dangerous, as any equipment failure or delay can lead to fatal outcomes. The sport’s fatality rate is shockingly high, with an estimated 1 in every 2,300 jumps resulting in death. Even for experienced base jumpers, the risks are considerable, and factors such as strong winds, poor visibility, or technical malfunctions add to the danger. Injuries often include traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, and spinal cord damage from hard landings or collisions with objects.

I'm sure there's something you do or allow your children to do that could be read as reckless etc.

Lots of people are adrenaline junkies etc.

There is probably a Daily Mail article somewhere that claims that skiing causes cancer!

'Extremely' is doing a lot of heavy lifting.

We're not all heli-skiing off piste FFS. If you ski within your abilities, being honest about them, and take precautions, you can avoid most injuries. Not all, but then that's true of driving.

I've posted above the most common causes per ages of deaths in children.

Cancer is the most common cause of a child aged 10-17.

@JoyousGreyOrca children under 5 are one the groups at most risk in their own homes from harm. Deaths of under 5s skiing is vanishingly rare.

So much inverse snobbery on this thread! What on earth has money, or class, or whatever else people have a problem with have to do with the OP's question?

Skiing can be pricey. And?

It's extremely dangerous.

OP stop being so bloody ridiculous and scare mongering. To be honest your post smacks of jealous and envy that you can’t afford to go so you sensationalise a very unfortunate accident.
Thousands and thousands of people ski every hour of the day in season. In the area I live most kids go skiing once or twice a year at least, it’s just the done thing. Most schools here offer a ski trip with proper ski instructors on nursery slopes for beginners.
Yes, accidents can and do happen, as with any sporting activity on wheels / fast motion.
If you’ve never been you will never know the thrill and exhilaration.
Ice skating can also lead to injury as can horse riding, driving a car down the motor way at 70mph, swimming in the sea is something that causes many deaths each year in summer sadly.
There are precautions you can take with all these activities to much lessen risks

I wish people would learn to read statistics and not use a news article to fulfil some strange narrative. Any sport has risk. Want a kid with a head injury? Sign them up to football or rugby. Or is that acceptable because it's more common? Should we not teach our children to ride bikes? Lots more people die every year riding bikes.

Those accidental deaths are largely very old people.

I have been skiing many times and have never had nor witnessed an accident fortunately. However, you do get people who behave stupidly, or drink at lunchtime and then feel brave about skiing down the side of a mountain. For me, despite my extensive experience, each trip started with a ski school refresher. You don't drink alcohol during the skiing day. You don't go outside of your comfort zone or abilities, especially not off piste. You stop when you're tired or if the weather takes a turn. It's a fantastic sport if you are careful and properly equipped. Now I'm in my mid 50's with a recurring knee injury (unrelated), I probably won't go skiing again but I have no regrets at the many fun holidays I had.

*Hwi *
I assume that was aimed at me. You so realise that every child at school learns languages, yes? I presume you agree practising a language when given the opportunity to do so is a good thing? Not sure why it's so hilarious that if abroad I'd encourage DC to practice what they're learning at school 😆

I agree. Reading the post, I was confused because, AFAIK, people do still send their kids go-karting. I was off (unsupervised!) on my pony as a young child and still see little kids about riding on the roads, and I’m sure professional free divers learned sometime.

I understand the sentiment; I’m an anxious person, but as someone raised doing sport, the risks just have to be minimised because there are so many benefits and skills you won’t get from playing at the park or using the iPad.

If you tried to mitigate every single risk to your DC’s safety they’d be a prisoner, unable to cross the road or eat solid foods. Sports are okay, just ensure proper safety guidelines are being followed and when necessary supervised by a professional.

Some very silly people on this thread. Don’t ski then if you’re so sure it’ll lead to certain death or injury. 🤷‍♀️

Just don’t go on any boats abroad, or ride a horse, or get in a vehicle either.

A quick google gives this response to ‘most dangerous sports kids uk’. Skiing doesn’t feature

According to most studies, the most dangerous sport for kids in the UK, as in many other places, is football (soccer), due to its high risk of contact injuries, including concussions, particularly at younger ages; making it the top concern for potential head trauma and musculoskeletal injuries.

Other sports considered relatively high risk for children in the UK include:
Rugby: High contact sport with potential for serious injuries.

Hockey (field or ice): Risk of collisions and stick-related injuries.

Gymnastics: Potential for falls and landing injuries due to complex maneuvers.

Horse riding: Risk of falls and related injuries, especially for young riders.

Cycling: High risk of accidents on roads, especially without proper safety gear.

But then trying to balance on skis or a snowboard whilst balancing a chip that size may be rather challenging.

Haha! Well said 👏

Every state school near me offers ski trips, it’s how my children started. DH and his mates went for a laugh in their early 20s and got the bug. They started on the ski train from London and stayed in Hostels.

The inverted snobbery around what is both a ‘sport’ and, in effect, an essential life skill in snow impacted nations is ludicrous.

But then trying to balance on skis or a snowboard whilst carrying a chip that size may be rather challenging.

Spot on, absolutely. And even here the half-term posts are positively heaving with mentioning dc practising their language skills on the slopes, not only skiing skills!

I forgot to mention - Dr Fischer of Geneva. Experienced skier, based on a true story.

I know a 15 year old who broke her back on a school skiing trip.

Shockingly, she was given a detention after she returned to school for falling asleep in a lesson, due to the heavy duty painkillers she required to even make it to school.

She has more or less dropped out of school now, due to the pain she's in and the lack of understanding shown due to an accident on a trip they organised.

it seems a sort of aspirational thing to do for wealthy British people

I don’t know any plebs (like me) who have ever been skiing. I didn’t even know ski school trips were a thing until I went to university.