Fatal skiing accident at the Spitzingsee: 62-year-old falls into forest

Fatal skiing accident at the Spitzingsee: 62-year-old falls into forest

A tragic skiing accident occurred on Saturday morning in the Spitzingsee ski area when a 62-year-old skier from the Rosenheim district was fatal. The incident occurred around 8:30 a.m. when the man came off the ski slope of the stick slope for previously unknown reasons and fell into an adjacent forest stitch. He contracted serious head injuries. Despite the help of the help of first aiders and the mountain watches Schliersee and Munich, the man died at the scene of the accident. The alpine operational group of the Raubling border police inspection has investigated the management of the public prosecutor's office. Witnesses reported that the accident occurred without external influence and that the skier independently slipped from the slopes.

The tragic incident is reminiscent of a similar incident that had occurred a week earlier when a 12-year-old ski driver in the St. Johann ski area had disappeared after a fall and was injured in a moat. These two accidents throw a light on the potential dangers of skiing, also in popular winter sports areas.

growing number of accidents in winter sports

The risk of skiing accidents has been a recurring topic in recent years. The 2023/2024 season shows that the number of injured skiers has increased with an estimated 46,000 to 48,000 injured. Compared to the basic season 1979/80, when the number of accidents was significantly higher, this is a decline of 52 percent. However, there was a significant increase in injuries compared to the previous season.

The risk of inpatient treatments remains stable at 1.73 per 1,000 skiers, which shows that around 7,200 to 7,300 skiers had to be treated in hospital. In addition, 48 percent of the injuries needed an operation. The increase in the risk of knee injuries, which has increased from 2.70 to 3.01 per 1,000 skiers, is particularly alarming. There was also an increase in injuries in the shoulder/upper arm area.

The risk of collision accidents also increases, with an increase from 1.50 to 1.73 per 1,000 skiers. These numbers are part of a persistent trend and show that security on the slopes is becoming increasingly important to reduce the number of accidents. Experts therefore advise attention to security measures and caution when skiing in order to avoid similar tragedies.