Snowboarders’ bones twice as likely to break
Snowboarders are twice as likely to break their bones on the pistes than skiers – with ‘Foosh’ set to blame.
This article recently appeared in…
Those heading to the pistes with boards strapped to their feet are most likely to fall foul of a Fall Onto an Out-Stretched Hand, or Foosh as emergency staff dub the injury.
“Snowboarding is a relatively new sport – but now we are seeing just how hazardous it could be, with 34 per cent of snowboarders – compared to 17 per cent of skiers – likely to sustain an injury from their sport,” said Diane Jackson, spokesperson for Debenhams Travel Insurance, which has carried out the research.
Those most likely to suffer a snow boarding injury are people aged 15 to 24.
Despite the increased risk of snowboarding, many travellers are putting themselves at risk by not organising travel insurance to cover them – either falling back on standard policies or just a European health insurance card (EHIC), which only covers basic treatment costs.
“Winter sports holidaymakers shouldn’t think all they need is an EHIC card,” warned Ms Jackson.
“While it does provide free or reduced cost medical treatment, it doesn’t cover expenses such as being air-lifted off a mountain top – and that could cost thousands.”
She added: “Winter sports insurance is also essential to safeguard your holiday against piste closure, avalanches and theft of equipment – all things that can put an end to the week’s fun.”
Ski Club of Britain research shows there are 210,000 snowboarders in the UK, around a sixth of the snow sports market.
