Recorded Speed on Alpine Slopes: How to Interpret Skier’s Perception of Their Speed?

The speed before the accident is a necessary data to understand the injury mechanisms and to evaluate means of protection. In order to interpret the reported speed of a skier in an accident survey, this study aims to identify the governing factors of skiing speed and to propose ranges of speed combining the identified factors and the skiers’ perception of their speed. Travelling speed of 1399 skiers and snowboarders was measured with a radar speed gun. Gender, sport, helmet use, skill level, difficulty, and preparation of the slope were recorded. 170 recorded skiers were interviewed about their age, their skill level, their perceived speed (“slow to medium,” “high,” or “too high”), and their estimated speed (km/h). Linear regression models were used to evaluate the effect of each factor on skiing speed. The mean recorded speed was 43.4 (±15.2) km/h. It was 37.5 (±9.8) km/h when the perceived speed was “low to medium” and 49.0 (±14.6) km/h when the perceived speed was “high.” The factors best explaining skiing speed were the skill level (η2 = 0.26) and the slope difficulty (η2 = 0.19). Gender, age, sport, and slope preparation were found to have a small but significant effect (η2 < 0.1; p < 0.05). Those factors also influenced the speed perception: for the same perceived speed, “less skilled” skiers and skiers on easy slope tended to go on average 6 km/h and 8 km/h slower than the “more skilled” and those on medium slope, respectively. Finally, skiers estimated their measured speed fairly (r: 0.53). They tended to overestimate the speed when they went slower than 35 km/h but underestimated it at higher speed. Ranges of speed were obtained regarding perceived speed, skill level, and difficulty of the slope. This should be considered when interpreting skiers’ evaluation of their speed in accidents reports.