A U.S. report says that there is a rise in the number of overall injuries when snowboarders are introduced to a new ski area. An example of this is Taos, New Mexico where the overall rate of injuries increased from about 207 per 100,000 visits to the mountain in the 2006 to 2007 winter season, to about 234 injured per 100,000 in the 2009 to 2010 season after the ski area opened its terrain to snowboarders. That is a 13.5 percent increase in injuries.
“If you did that (study) at 10 different mountains, the trend would be the same,” said Robert Johnson, from the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington.
The rise was due mostly to an increase in the kind of upper body injuries that are most common among snowboarders, such as wrist sprains and fractures. Broken wrists jumped from the then most common injury before snowboarders were allowed to the second most common at the end of the study. On the other hand, lower body injuries that are most typical among skiers, such as anterior cruciate ligament or ACL tears, and knee sprains, remained constant.
Also interesting was the fact that the average age of injured people dropped, from 39 years old without snowboarders to 31 with them.
Read more:Adding snowboarding at New Mexico ski resort spikes injuries, reflects trend – The Denver
see a lot of people sidescraping on boards at taos. not a lot of people actually turning and carving.
It’s all good and well saying the total number of injuries has gone up because of snowboarders, that’s always going to happen when you allow more people onto a mountain. The total number only goes up by 27 injuries per 100,000 people. A better study would show the percentage of injuries sustained by each group of riders be that skiers or boarders. A slightly pointless report in my opinion stating the obvious fact that the number of injuries happening on a mountain will increase when the number of users increase.
I think the article says its a per 100,000 participant injury rate.
Yes genius, thats why it says “per 100,000 people” and not “total injuries”
Gapers gona gape
i say we form a coalition to ban those knuckle dragging bastards…
“plan and simple”? Is this a Freudian slip from a local ER doc? But you are correct. All things being equal, more users=more injuries. Statistics 101.
They are calculating accident per 100,000 visits, therefore the research considered the rise in the visit as product of the introduction of snowboarders. If the snowboarders had the same rate of accident, the number wouldn’t have increased.
That’s not 13%… That’s the Burton “B”… it’s actually “Burton %”.
are you trying to be ironic, funny or something? cause that statement just came out queer.
Watch me straight line the shit out of this groomer and explode when I try and snowplow doing 40+
Snowboarding is just a fad anyways.
Probably snowboarders starting fights.
That’s expected. Snowboarders are half sighted.
Alot of jackass comments.I am a skier who skies 70 to 100 days per year.I also enjoy snowboarding,even though i only ride it 5 days a year ,usually in certain conditions.If you are ripping on a board it is way more difficult to see what is going on heelside ,behind you.When i ski i am always keeping an eye on boarders.A heelside turn can cut one off rather quickly.As a proponent of both sports i can honestly say snowboards on the hill make it a more dangerous place.It is what it is.I do have 2 admit when i am on the lift with a board i feel like a second rate citizen .But surfing down beautiful untracked cream by myself is a great feeling.
This is just another sad excuse to bag on snowboarders. Its not any more dangerous to you or others on the hill. I believe the increase is the fact snowboarding is still a fairly new sport with an amazing growth happening as we type these lame ass comments. Theres a lot more people trying it out for the first time nowadays that this shit went mainstream. New skier = dangerous new snowboarder = dangerous. Experienced anything and we lose these ridiculous rants about skier vs boarder. Everyone knows if you rip nobody cares whats under your feet as long as theres some balls between them legs. Yes chicks can grow balls too if they hang with the boys enough.
I started snowboarding in 1988. I gotta tell you from 88-98 was a great time to be a part of the sport. To have really been there from for the progression, advances in equiptment, the culture and the influence it had on the world of skiing. So many good memories. It’s not the same mentality these day’s. Ask anyone of these kids about some of the legends from just 10 years ago? They’ll be like…”banana reverse camber?” “Carve? What’s that mean?”
Wow what a stunning conclusion! When snowboarders are allowed onto a mountain for the first time, snowboarding related injuries go up. I bet the person conducting that study had a PhD in stats to make such an unexpected find. But seriously why can’t we all just rip… who cares if you ride one board or two