Photo: North Cascade Heli

PlanetSKI, is reporting on a study by Simon Fraser University in British Columbia that indicates heli-skiing is getting safer. Specifically, the risk of dying in an avalanche has significantly decreased since 1970.

The report found there were about 85 fatalities per million skier days in the 1970s, that figure has decreased to about 10 per million skier days from 2010 to 2016.

Image result for avalanche danger sign

The study found that there was an average of 85 deaths per million skier days in the 1970s. That number decreased to 10 deaths per million skier days between 2010 and 2016. Of these deaths, avalanches were found to be the cause in 77% of the cases.

It seems like this can be contributed to an increase in awareness on avalanches and better gear. Beacons, GPS, cell/sat phones, and avalanche bags have been revolutionary in avalanche safety.

Image result for avalanches bags

So skiing is getting safer. What’s the next bit of ski tech we’ll see?

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