Evaluation of skiing injuries by Injury Severity Score

The goal of this study was to evaluate the Injury Severity Score (ISS) in a n alpine area. Hafjell Alpine Centre was the 1994 Winter Olympic Alpine are na in Lillehammer. A total of 2 044 484 lift transportations and 183 injuri es were registered in the two winter seasons 1991 and 1992. The injury rate was 1.8 injuries per 1000 skier days. The mean ISS was 3.6 per injury for this particular alpine area. Thirty-six per cent of the injured were women and 35.5% were between 15 and 19 years of age. There was no difference in m ean ISS between male and female skiers, but mean ISS was higher in adolesce nts than in the other age groups. Injuries to the knee represented the sing le most frequently injured body region, but injuries to the abdomen had the highest mean ISS. Alpine skiers suffered more severe injuries than telemar k and snowboard skiers. Severe injuries (ISS >16) were recorded when unexpe cted objects, such as a grooming machine, a net, a root, etc., appeared on the slopes. The Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) and ISS give us additional i nformation about the condition of the slopes, and their use as a tool in pr eventing skiing injuries is recommended.