Few injuries among Swedish telemark skiers, but equipment requires careful consideration

A study of the incidence and predisposing factors for telemark injuries was carried out in a population of 504 active Swedish skiers, who reported 17,383 skiing days, during 2 seasons in northern Sweden. This is on an average 17 skiing days per person and season. The average age was 33 years. 90 skiers reported 113 injuries in 103 accidents, thus they reported 6.5 injuries per 1000 skiing days. The most common injury location was the knee, followed by, in decreasing order, trunk, thumb and ankle injuries. Skiers who used binding lifters had an increased risk, while more rigid plastic ski boots and increased skiing skill had a preventing effect. The releasable bindings need refinement to fulfil the desired effect.