A study commissioned by the British travel insurance company InsureandGo has found that 11% of people have skied while drunk. Around 9% of people said they had skied while slightly tipsy, two percent while, “moderately drunk” and one percent whilst “very drunk.”
46% of UK skiers and snowboarders admitted to taking to the slopes after having a few drinks at lunchtime.
Perry Wilson, managing director of InsureandGo said: “Being drunk on the slopes is dangerous, and if you injure yourself or somebody else as a result of this, you may invalidate your insurance cover. This could mean that as well as nursing broken bones, you may also have to pay for a hefty medical bill yourself.” “87% of people are not aware that drinking excessively could invalidate a travel insurance claim.”
The research further revealed that of those people who admit to having skied or snowboarded under the influence of alcohol, 19% said that they have had an accident whilst doing this; with four per cent saying it caused a serious injury to themselves or someone else.
The research also found that 17% of people aged 35 – 44 interviewed who have skied or snowboarded before have done so under the influence of alcohol, which is the highest percentage of any age group surveyed.
A total of 1544 responses were obtained across the UK amongst adults aged 18 and over.