Never before have so many snow sports enthusiasts worn a helmet

The bfu survey showed a wear rate of 87 percent in the 2012/2013 season - an impressive increase on the 16% of 2002/03. If we look exclusively at people living in Switzerland, the rate is as high as 90 %. Differences are still evident between the language regions: While 91% of snowsports enthusiasts wear a helmet on the slopes in German-speaking Switzerland, the figure in French-speaking Switzerland is significantly lower at 76%.

For the first time, the wearing rate of protective equipment on Swiss sledding trails was also surveyed. Half of the sledders and tobogganers wore a helmet. Children aged 7-12 were the most likely to wear a helmet, while adults aged 26-30 were the least likely. The survey also found that most athletes wore snow sports glasses or sunglasses while sledding. Braking aids on the shoes, on the other hand, were unfortunately hardly used, although soles with spikes, for example, would noticeably improve braking performance.

More than two million people living in Switzerland ski or snowboard. The downside of this pleasure is that every year around 65,000 of these snow sports enthusiasts have accidents (51,000 on skis and 14,000 on snowboards) and require medical treatment. In addition, there are almost 8,000 injured sledders and tobogganers. About 15 percent of the injured suffer head injuries. Around one third of head injuries can be prevented by wearing a helmet; it also helps to reduce the severity of the accident.

But it's not just the head that needs protection when skiing. Around half of those involved in accidents injure their knees, legs or feet. Correct adjustment of the ski binding can help prevent such injuries. The bfu is therefore launching its 23rd ski vignette campaign to motivate as many winter sports enthusiasts as possible to have their bindings checked at a sports retailer with the appropriate testing equipment. This is particularly important for children in the growth phase. The age, height and weight of the skier, the length of the sole and the skiing style - fast/aggressive or slow/restrained - are decisive for the correct setting. If the binding is correctly adjusted, the specialist sticks a bfu vignette on a ski as certification and prints out a receipt for the customer with the adjustment values, which they should keep. You can see which specialist stores are taking part in the ski vignette campaign in this overview.

Surveys by the bfu on the subject:

• Injury transport in snow sports
• Wearing rates of protective articles while skiing and snowboarding
• Wearing rates of protective articles during sledding/tobogganing