Ski resort accidents difficult to verify
By Elyce Kirchner, Kevin Nious and Jeremy Carroll, NBC Bay Area
Unlike accidents on our highways, waterways, and theme parks, there is no system for independently tracking accidents at ski resorts, despite the fact that in California, most resorts are on federal land.
Instead, accident tracking is left up to the ski industry to self-report, with little transparency.
The NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit analyzed injury data from the National Ski Areas Association from 2005 to 2012.
According to the NSAA, during those eight seasons, an average of 47 people were seriously injured (defined as paralysis, broken neck or back, traumatic brain injuries, and other serious injuries) at resorts nationwide. That’s 47 serious injuries out of more than 50 million annual visits to ski areas.
It’s a stellar safety record that NBC Bay Area was unable to verify. The Investigative Unit asked for details showing exactly how the industry tracks and defines these injuries and was repeatedly told that information is confidential.