Redion's 2023 Snow Plane

After the particularly gruelling Covid years, Belgian skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts were finally able to enjoy winter sports again.
In 2023, however, the holiday period was split differently between Dutch speakers and French speakers, which clearly had an impact on the figures and trends.

The 2023 ski holidays

As is traditional every year, the Carnival holidays (mid-winter break) are the time of year when Belgians head to the mountains to enjoy winter sports. In 2022, some countries were still enforcing strict Covid measures, but by 2023 these were thankfully no longer in place.

Because of the light snowfall in many areas since the end of December 2022, skiers tended to look for resorts with guaranteed snow cover, meaning higher-altitude resorts.
The holiday calendar was also very unusual for Belgians, since for the first time the two communities had different holiday schedules. The first week of holidays was the same for both language groups, but French speakers got an extra week from 27 February to 5 March 2023. As a result, many French speakers had also booked ski holidays for the second week, which was reflected in the figures and trends for the first week.

For Redion, the Carnival holidays nonetheless remain a particularly busy period. A ski trip carries plenty of risks, both on the slopes and on the road.

Ski accident figures

From Friday 17 February to Thursday 23 February 2023 (the first week of the holidays), Redion opened a total of 174 medical "ski" files in the Alps, a 12% drop compared with the same period in 2022. 12% of those injured were hospitalised (compared with 16% in 2022).
Ski accidents occurred mainly in France (39%), Austria (37%), Italy (14%) and Switzerland (10%).

As is traditionally the case, the number of children under 10 injured on the slopes during the mid-winter break was high. They accounted for 35% of the total number of injured people in 2023.

The most common injuries among 5-20 year-olds were to the knee (34%), wrist/hand (18%), shoulder (14%) and ankle or foot (6%). The number of head injuries in this age group remained relatively stable thanks to the wearing of ski helmets (4%). This is partly due to the requirement to wear a helmet in ski schools and in certain countries, and to greater awareness among parents. Among 11-20 year-olds, injuries mainly occur while snowboarding, a winter sport practised mostly by this age group.

21-30 year-olds were the age group most likely to injure themselves while skiing or snowboarding: knee (50%), shoulder (13%), arm and wrist (8%).

In general, younger children and teenagers are more likely to get injured while snowboarding. The 31-40, 41-50 and 51+ age groups are more often affected by skiing-related injuries. As a result, in the 31-70 age bracket, the most common injuries were also the traditional skiing injuries: knee (48%), shoulder (21%), ankle/foot (12%) and leg (9%).

Redion found that more than one in two injured people (49%) were under 20. This is a very large group on the slopes during school holidays. Two-thirds of the injured people in this age group are boys!

Redion's 2023 Snow Plane

As it does every year, Redion offered injured travellers who did not need urgent repatriation, or who wanted to stay with their family on site, the chance to be flown home at the end of the mid-winter break aboard its "Snow Plane".

On Friday 24 February 2023, a total of 26 unlucky holidaymakers, including 6 injured people, boarded Redion's Snow Plane bound for Brussels from Grenoble airport. Repatriation from the French and Swiss ski resorts was carried out in partnership with Brussels Airlines.

Roadside interventions

The number of files opened for technical interventions (breakdowns or accidents) abroad during the February 2023 holidays fell by 9% compared with 2022. On the way to the ski resorts, Redion even recorded a 25% drop. This decrease is explained by good traffic conditions on the way to the resorts and the fact that some holidaymakers (French speakers) left during the second week.