Updated November, 2023.
If you are planning on having fun on the slopes this winter ensure everyone stays safe by remembering these 10 things that will help to help prevent, or deal with any incidents.
1. Incident prevention – be prepared!
- Stay warm and dry – make sure that you have the right gear to stay warm and dry throughout the day. Think about layering and try to avoid sweating – this can be lethal if you get stuck somewhere, hot and wet very quickly turns to cold and wet.
- Protect your eyes – High-quality eyewear goes a long way towards keeping you out of trouble, so pay careful attention to conditions and choose the right goggles, sunglasses or eye protection.
- Fuel up! – Eat a good breakfast. Stop often to warm up and drink non-alcoholic fluids to keep hydrated.
- Tuck everything in – make sure any loose scarves or backpack straps, are tucked away to avoid snagging on tree branches or chairlifts.
- Phone and battery health – Charge up your mobile phone and keep it handy, but in an inside pocket that’s warm – to avoid the battery draining quickly through being cold.
- Read the safety notices as you board the lift or buy your ski pass; pay attention to all posted hazards and warnings.
- Carry a piste map with you and get familiar with the area.
2. Incident prevention – don’t get carried away!
Most skiing accidents happen when pistes are busy during peak holiday periods, and then at the end of the day when legs are tired, and the snow has become cut up, lumpy or slushy. So try not to get carried away – that black mogul run you like the look of is probably best not tackled at the very end of day one!
Take it easy over the first few days of your trip and acclimatise yourself and your body to the demands you are asking of it. Listen to your body, you’ll be using unique muscles and lots of energy to keep moving and keep warm. Know when you are tired and it’s time to call it a day – the black runs will still be there tomorrow.
3. Accident Scene Safety – make others aware of the incident
If an accident occurs, stay calm. It is recommended practice to mark the site of an incident with crossed skis or a board planted in the snow upslope of the incident. This will alert other skiers to the accident and help them avoid hitting you. If multiple people are present, ask one of them to stand upslope and direct skiers away from the incident, particularly if it’s a very busy piste.
3. Airway management
After a fall check the casualty’s airway. If they are talking to you it is a good sign, but if they are unconscious check inside their mouth in case the airway is blocked with a mouth full of powder snow. Do not push anything into the throat by putting your fingers deep into the mouth, use a shallow sweeping motion to clear out any snow or lean them over and let gravity help you clear their mouth.
5. Head injuries and concussions
Look out for signs that the casualty has banged their head, and be aware of the signs of concussion, which may get worse over time:
- Change in the personality of the casualty, perhaps irritability
- Persistent headache since the incident
- Nausea or vomiting since the incident
- Memory loss about the incident or before the incident
- Unusually sleepy
- Blurred vision or double vision
“If In Doubt, Sit Them Out”. Find out more about assessing a bang to the head in the outdoors here.
If you take the casualty to a medical centre or hospital, take their helmet with them too so they can see the impact zone.
If they’re not going to need extra medical help, always monitor the casualty for a couple of days after the incident and if any of the signs above start to appear ensure you seek professional medical advice. Remember that if you suspect concussion at all, the casualty must not continue activity until they are fully recovered, possibly several days later or more depending on the severity of the concussion.
Remember also that casualties suffering from a bang to the head, may experience a lucid interval before deteriorating. If they are otherwise OK, but you suspect a head injury, take the time to go for a break in a cafe, (drink water, not alcohol or caffeine). Take a time out and ensure that their condition improves rather than worsens prior to continuing.
Learn more in detail about concussion. We have a short online course that goes into more depth about concussion, red flags for the first aider and recovery times. The course is 1hr20 mins long and is well worth it if you want to know more about concussion and how to deal with it. More details on this course here.
6. Hypothermia
Exposure to the cold can develop into hypothermia as cold blood from the surface of the body moves to the body core, reducing the body’s core temperature and impacting the minor and major motor functions. This can happen if the conditions were worse than you expected, and you spend a lot of time sitting still on chairlifts without ever really getting going.
Preventing hypothermia is always your best option! Dress in layers, carry extra clothing and stop regularly to eat and drink. Wind and damp clothes rapidly accelerate the effects of the cold. Symptoms of hypothermia initially include shivering, and loss of finger dexterity, later becoming lethargy, confusion and limb stiffness.
If the symptoms are minimal, moderate exercise and energy filled food or warm drinks will stimulate the circulation and warm the body. So a hot chocolate stop and some star-jumps are a good place to start!
The first step in treating more severe cold exposure is preventing further heat loss. Move to a warm environment, away from the wind chill effect caused by the wind. Remove wet clothing and replacing it with dry clothing if you have it.
For serious hypothermia, you need professional help. Keep the casualty warm and stable and call for the Piste Patrol.
7. Sunburn and creams / goggles
Reflected light from ice and snow considerably adds to the power of the sun and it is possible to burn quickly even on a cloudy day. Because the altitude intensifies the effects of the sun, it’s easier to be sunburnt.
Always cover all exposed areas with high factor suncream and ensure you have good quality sunglasses or goggles (check out our blog about eye injuries here). Ensure you apply regular SPF lip balm, and remember that the snow reflects the UV rays upwards, so protect areas that don’t usually get much sun – under your nose, above your eyes etc.
8. Frostnip
Frostnip, which is a precursor to frostbite, can be seen on many skiers the slopes on cold and windy days. Watch out for unnaturally white patches of skin on the face, ears, nose and fingers of your companions or on your hands as this can indicate frostnip.
Frostnip is a milder form of frostbite which irritates the skin causing redness, cold feeling and may be followed by numbness. Frostnip doesn’t permanently damage the skin like frostbite but it can develop into frostbite if not identified and treated.
Take regular breaks to prevent your extremities becoming too cold. Warming and re-cooling can be even more damaging so if frostnip is suspected it’s time to call it a day. Thaw cold flesh on the face with body heat from your hands. Or if your hands are affected put them in your armpits to warm up slowly. Don;t heat up the affected part too quickly as this will be painful and may make the condition worse.
To help prevent frostnip, make sure skin is not directly exposed to cold air. The face and neck are especially vulnerable because the wind can multiply the effect of the cold. Make sure clothing or straps are not too tight since that will decrease blood flow to the skin and increase the risk of frostbite. Mittens will keep fingers warmer than gloves. Drink enough fluids to help your circulatory system keep you warm and eat enough to offset the extra energy expenditure your body uses to keep warm.
The other area to watch out for is your toes, ski boots are never the warmest of items to be wearing, especially when buckled uptight. So again, regular breaks to warm up, release the buckles and allow blood to flow again, is the best advice.
9. Dehydration, altitude and nosebleeds.
At altitude, there is less oxygen and hence an increased risk of dehydration. Our bodies will adjust to this but when you have just flown in from sea level and start skiing straight away we need to be mindful of the effects of the lowered oxygen level and dry air. Fatigue and headaches can be a problem at altitude and could lead to tiredness and mistakes on the slopes. Stay hydrated and give your body time to adjust to the altitude.
Cold dry air can often cause nosebleeds overnight too. If you experience this, a bowl of water placed in your bedroom which gradually evaporates can help to increase air humidity and prevent nosebleeds.
10. Incident Reporting
If you are within the resort boundary, a piste patrol will be with you reasonably quickly once called, so ensure your casualty is breathing effectively, and keeping them still is usually the best advice if they have a serious fall. Carefully removing their skis or board, and unclipping boot buckles can really help with their comfort too while you are waiting for help.
Some important points to remember:
- Alert the rescue services – the telephone number is normally on the piste map
- Place of accident (piste name and nearest piste marker, or chairlift pylon number)
- Establish the facts of a serious accident
Names and addresses of people involved as well as witnesses.
Number of people injured - Place, time and circumstances of the accident
- Terrain, snow conditions and visibility
- Record the type of injury
Get confident – get trained!
The best way to feel confident about dealing with first aid incidents on the slopes is to take a specialist first aid course. At First Aid Training Co-operative we run 2-day outdoor first aid courses which not only cover the basics but also how to manage accidents in the great outdoors. Click here for full course details.
Everyone on our courses receives a FREE digital first aid manual. We have a range of manuals relevant to the courses we teach – Outdoor, Equestrian, First Aid at Work, Paediatric and Sports. They are a great resource that you can download onto your phone or other device and have all that first aid knowledge at your fingertips. You can view them and buy them for less than £4 here.
