Mortality in Different Mountain Sports Activities Primarily Practiced in the Winter Season—A Narrative Review

Martin Niedermeier, Hannes Gatterer, Elena Pocecco, Anika Frühauf, Martin Faulhaber, Verena Menz, Johannes Burtscher, Markus Posch, Gerhard Ruedl and Martin Burtscher
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Martin Niedermeier: Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Hannes Gatterer: Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine, EURAC Research, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
Elena Pocecco: Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Anika Frühauf: Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Martin Faulhaber: Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Verena Menz: Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Johannes Burtscher: Laboratory of Molecular and Chemical Biology of Neurodegeneration, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Markus Posch: Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Gerhard Ruedl: Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Martin Burtscher: Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 17, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Annually, millions of people engage in mountain sports activities all over the world. These activities are associated with health benefits, but concurrently with a risk for injury and death. Knowledge on death rates is considered important for the categorization of high-risk sports in literature and for the development of effective preventive measures. The death risk has been reported to vary across different mountain sports primarily practiced in the summer season. To complete the spectrum, the aim of the present review is to compare mortality rates across different mountain sports activities primarily practiced in winter. A comprehensive literature search was performed on the death risk (mortality) during such activities, i.e., alpine (downhill) skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, ski touring, and sledging. With the exception of ski touring (4.4 deaths per 1 million exposure days), the mortality risk was low across different winter sports, with small activity-specific variation (0.3–0.8 deaths per 1 million exposure days). Traumatic (e.g., falls) and non-traumatic (e.g., cardiac death) incidents and avalanche burial in ski tourers were the predominant causes of death. Preventive measures include the improvement of sport-specific skills and fitness, the use of protective gear, well-targeted and intensive training programs concerning avalanche hazards, and sports-medical counseling for elderly and those with pre-existing diseases.

Keywords: mountain sports; risk; mortality; death risk; alpine skiing; snowboarding; cross-country skiing; ski touring; sledging (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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