Belgian insurer reports fewer accidents on ski slopes

During last week's spring holidays, Europ Assistance Belgium received 32% fewer calls for skiing accidents than in the same week in 2015. The insurance company reported a total of 162 incidents this year, 23 of which required hospitalisation, writes Het Laatste Nieuws.

The decrease is partly due to the fact that there were fewer people on the slopes this holiday, according to Europ Assistance. Limited snowfall over the winter holidays and questionable snow conditions led many Belgian holiday-goers to rethink their plans for a skiing holiday. In addition, only one in three school holidays in France this year coincided with the Belgian school holidays, resulting in less crowded ski resorts.

Europ Assistance received 5,795 calls in total, with a peak of 886 calls last Monday. Most of the accidents occurred in France (46%), followed by Austria (27%), Italy (17%) and Switzerland (8%). The most common injuries involved the knee (34%), shoulder (14%), leg (12%) and wrist (9%). Nearly half of those injured while skiing (43%) were under the age of 20.