Snowboarders and skiers are increasing in number every year. As the numbers increase so do the number of injuries. More awareness is being placed on snowboard safety and ski safety.

During the course of a year about 11 milion skiers and 4 million snowboarders in the U.S. alone are on the slopes at least once. The average number of visits to the slopes is around 60 million. For every 1000 skier visits, there are around 2.5 serious medical injuries. This comes out to one injury every 430 days of sking and snowboarding.

The death rate of snowboarders is 40 percent lower than alpine skiers, they are more likely to be hit by skiers gone out of control than the other way around.

When skiers fall they slide alot which causes them to be 3 to 4 times more likely to crash into something or someone. A snowboard on the other hand acts more like a seat anchor, preventing sliding. Death usually is caused from hitting something.

The most common injury faced by skiers is anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) sprains. Those who were injured skied more years, but fewer days per year, were more likely to be female, are older, and fell less often.

Before you begin snowboarding or skiing be sure to take some lessons from a qualified instructor. Plus make certain you have the proper equpment. Ultimately you are responsible for your own safety. The safer you are the more fun you will have on the slopes.