Flickr user: Doc Searls Santa Barbara, USA http://searls.com/, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How fast do you ski? Seriously, at your top speed (while still in control), how fast do you think you’re going? 20mph? 40mph? 60mph? How fast do you think the average skier is going? What percentage of skiers are consistently exceeding 30mph, and what percentage are staying under?

The Swiss Accident Insurance Fund (SUVA) recently did a study on the speed of Swiss skiers using its Slope Track application and, reported by swissinfo.ch, three out of four have a top speed above 50km/h (~31mph). 20% of Swiss skiers, on the other hand, are reaching top speeds above 70km/h (~43.5mph). According to the same study, a “significant number” of Swiss skiers regularly exceed 100km/h (~62mph).

This speed, which has apparently been on the rise over the past several years, is attributed to several factors by the Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS). Ski slopes have been both widened and improved, with heavier grooming and fast, icy runs created by man-made snow. At the same time, skis designed for speed on groomers have seen a load of technological developments, making them faster and easier to control. Helmet technology may have also boosted the skiing community’s confidence and sense of safety on the mountain.

Ski accidents, though, have not seen a significant decline. While the number has decreased slightly to 60,000 per year, the number of Swiss skiers has also gone down. So, proportionally, things remain around the same.

Maybe I’m an idiot, but I don’t really think 3 out of 4 skiers reaching speeds above 30mph is that much of a shocker. Looking at the mountains in the United States, it feels like most people certainly are. Also, I would think Swiss skiers are generally faster than American skiers on the mountain. Maybe that is the case and I’m just overestimating American skiers.

Martin Weinhardt, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Related: The Incredible Sounds Of A Speed Skier (242kmh)

Featured Image by Jonathan Sollender on Unsplash

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