Unfit skiers on a slippery slope to injury

Halifax Travel Insurance is urging winter sports enthusiasts to get fit before hurling themselves down the slopes this year. The message comes after latest research from the travel insurer found more than a third (38%) of Britain’s 1.2 million annual winter sports holidaymakers were woefully out of shape for their winter holiday last year.

Their apparent lack of conditioning led one-in-ten of them to suffer a serious injury as a result. A further one-in-five (19%) admitted that they’d been lucky to escape uninjured after their lack of fitness had caused them to take a monster wipe-out. The majority of them also stated that the sudden onset of strenuous sporting activity began to take its toll on their body after only the third day on the slopes.

Those whose lack of fitness caused them to injure themselves lost an average of four days away from the slopes – to nurse their injuries. And with a seven day ski pass for a ski area such as The Three Valleys in the French Alps weighing in at £175 they wasted an average of £100 each - equating to a combined £4.5 million annually.

Tim Carter, SnowSports Manager at the SnowDome: “Everyone planning to go Skiing or Snowboarding this winter should ready his or her muscles in preparation. Winter sports use muscle groups that are very specific to the sport. It is very difficult to replicate the stresses and strains put upon these muscles properly without taking part in skiing or snowboarding.”

Paul Birkhead, senior manager of pricing and underwriting for Halifax Travel Insurance said: “We process a significant number of claims each year from skiers and boarders that have been forced to cut their winter holiday short as a result of an injury. Of course in the event of an accident anyone with Halifax’s Winter Sports cover can make a claim for up to £200 per week (for a maximum of 2 weeks) on any un-used ski-pass.”

Paul Birkhead, continued: “But clearly prevention is better than the cure, and a few months of pre-holiday training can help you to cope with the strain of winter sports, as well as to build up your stamina. Those that don’t manage to train thoroughly beforehand should recognise their limits and make sure that they take regular breaks to help their body recover.”