Snowboarders break more bones than skiers

Snowboarders are three times more likely than skiers to suffer an injury during a tumble on the slopes as they are at greater risk of breaking their arms and wrists while stopping their fall, according to a new study.

In 1989, snowboarding injuries accounted for just 4 per cent of all snow sport related injuries, but by 1999 it made up to 56 per cent of all snow sport related injuries.

Dr Brett Owens, a professor of orthopaedic surgery at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Rhode Island, said: “Both sports are responsible for a substantial number of musculoskeletal injuries treated annually by surgeons.”