Abstract

The skiing industry presented a new ski to the market during the 1995-96 season in an attempt to improve the ease of skill acquisition and to add more enjoyment to the entry level skiing experience. A great concern to the authors is the assumption that learning to ski quickly is not necessarily coupled with a significant decrease in the risk of skiing injuries. If skiers who are in control can benefit from the new better turning skis, it is possible that when skiers who are out of control, inadvertently edging their skis, the enhanced ability to turn may lead to the production of loads passed from the ski to the skier that could result in injury. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of ski design geometry on the incidence of all types of skiing injuries sustained at Sugarbush Resort, a moderate sized ski area in Northern Vermont. This study is part of a twenty-eight year ongoing case control study of injuries sustained in alpine skiing and other winter sports. The hypothesis that is evaluated in this paper states that shaped skis will result in impaired control when off balance and an increased incidence of collision related injuries, inadvertent binding releases, anterior cruciate ligament sprains, lateral collateral knee sprains and ankle fractures as well as improved overall control and a decreased incidence of overall injuries and anterior cruciate ligament sprains. Aus der Einleitung (erweitert)