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Telemark Skiing: What Are the Risks of Injury?

People heading to the slopes and the backcountry to telemark ski may want to know about their risk of injury. The recent surge in popularity of this sport, along with recent design changes in boots and bindings, led researchers to evaluate the risks.

The authors gathered information by polling members of two different ski clubs between 1996 and 1999. By tallying the total number of days skied by the 677 respondents, they calculated a rate of 9.8 injuries per 1000 skier days, nearly the same as the injury rate for alpine skiing.

The types of injuries reported varied by the skiers' gender, age, experience, terrain, and equipment choices. Men had more shoulder and ankle injuries than women. Women had a higher percentage of knee injuries involving the ligaments and cartilage. Although the knee was the most common area injured, telemark skiers tended to have less severe knee injuries than alpine skiers.

Telemark skiers between the ages of 30 to 49 had significantly more injuries than skiers aged 13 to 29. Less experienced skiers were injured more often than experienced skiers. And more injuries happened on easier slopes than on advanced runs. However, the authors caution that "no terrain is safer than another." People using the newer plastic boots had fewer injuries than those using older, leather-style boots. And more injuries took place when people used three-pinned bindings rather than advanced styles of bindings.

In conclusion, the authors state that "the use of flexible plastic boots is the most significant factor affecting the telemark skier's risk of injury, followed by level of skill, and use of releasable bindings."

References: Michael L. Tuggy, MD, et al. Injury Risk Factors Among Telemark Skiers. In The American Journal of Sports Medicine. January/February 2000. Vol. 28. No. 1. Pp. 83-89.

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