Redion's 2022 Snow Plane

At a glance

Redion reviews the 2022 Carnival holidays and repatriates injured skiers on its "Snow Plane".

Redion reviews the 2022 Carnival holidays

After missing out on their favourite sport in 2021, Belgian skiing and snowboarding fans got back on track to the winter sports resorts.
During the Carnival holidays, Redion received and handled 6,925 calls, with the traditional peak on Monday: 1,421 calls on Monday 28 February.
From 25 February to 3 March 2022, 198 "ski" medical files were opened (+34% vs. 2020).
There was also an increase in the number of technical interventions to and within ski resorts (+45% compared to 2020).

On the ski slopes

From Friday 25 February to Thursday 3 March inclusive, Redion opened a total of 198 "ski" medical files in the Alps. This figure is up 34% compared to 2020 for the same period.
16% of injured people had to be hospitalised (compared to 12% in 2020 and 10% in 2019).
Ski accidents in the Alps mainly occurred in France (48%), Austria (29%), Italy (12%) and Switzerland (11%).

Different injuries depending on age

Redion notes that more than half of the victims (51%) are under 20 years old. This matches the group that is traditionally the most numerous during school holidays. Two-thirds of the injured in this age group are boys.

The youngest skiers (under 10 years old), increasingly common on the slopes, make up 39% of this year's accident victims.

Young people aged 5 to 20 are mainly affected by knee injuries (38%), wrist or hand injuries (21%) and shoulder injuries (14%). The number of head injuries among the youngest remains relatively stable thanks to helmet use (4%). The requirement to wear a helmet in certain ski schools and certain countries, together with growing awareness among parents, has contributed to these results. In the 11-20 age group, we see the types of injuries linked to the widespread practice of snowboarding.

21-30 year-olds, meanwhile, mainly suffer from skiing and snowboarding injuries: to the knees (42%), shoulders (16%), and wrists or hands (16%).

While young children and teenagers are more often victims of snowboarding-related accidents, 31-40 and 41-50 year-olds are more prone to skiing accidents. The same trend is seen among those over 51. The most common injuries among 31-70 year-olds are directly linked to classic injuries: knees (38%), shoulders (13%), legs (16%), and ankles/feet (10%).

Interventions on the roads to and from the Alps

During this 2022 Carnival holiday period, 214 files were opened for technical interventions abroad, 13% more than in 2020. Towards ski resorts, Redion notes a 45% increase in the number of technical interventions.

Redion's Snow Plane: a tradition

For people injured in the Alps whose injuries didn't require urgent repatriation and who wanted to stay on with their family, Redion offered them the option of being repatriated aboard its Snow Plane.

On 4 March 2022, 20 unlucky holidaymakers, including 13 injured people, boarded Redion's "Snow Plane" at Grenoble airport, specially chartered from Brussels Airlines to repatriate them from French and Swiss resorts.

AN ECOLOGICAL OFFSET

Redion Belgium is fully aware of the ecological footprint of its Snow Plane repatriation operation. The flight's CO2 emissions were therefore assessed and calculated by Greentripper. To offset its CO2 impact, corresponding to the round-trip Brussels-Grenoble flight, Redion Belgium will fund tree planting in Belgium. For this project, the assistance company is working with Go Forest (https://goforest.be/) and has chosen to plant 256 trees in Hogne, near Marche-en-Famenne. The species planted will include sessile oak, red oak, European larch and Douglas fir. As part of this partnership, Redion considers it important not only to plant trees but also to provide for 30 years of follow-up and maintenance.

"Sun" destinations

A good number of Belgian holidaymakers preferred to head to far-flung, sunny destinations during the Carnival holidays: 56% of files concern medical problems that occurred at these destinations.

Sunny European destinations: France (20%), Spain and the Canary Islands (8%), and Italy (8%).
Sunny long-haul destinations: Egypt accounts for 7% of medical calls from long-haul destinations, the USA accounts for 4% of medical calls from long-haul destinations, and the Dominican Republic accounts for 3%.