Skiers taking risks on the piste

A study from the Austrian Road Safety board (KFV) has found one in five people ski having consumed alcohol, and 29% of these hit the piste over the legal limit for driving.

The KFV said that 26% of 15-24 year-olds who were tested had drunk alcohol, this fell to 24% for the 25-49 age group and to 7% for the over 50s.

Alexandra Kuehnelt-Leddihn from the KFV said: “People skiing under the influence of alcohol pose an increased risk to themselves and to other people on the slopes.”

The KFV tested 600 people at various resorts in Austria and found that 30 people were very drunk.

Among those who had consumed alcohol, 73% said they had drunk something “light” such as beer or shandy, 24% a stronger drink such as wine and 8% a strong winter-warmer like schnapps.

Kuehnelt-Leddihn added: “Alcohol slows down reaction times and impairs coordination and judgement of speed and distance.

“People greatly underestimate the likelihood of an accident. Even a small amount of alcohol can be dangerous.”

Skiers were warned that being over the limit could invalidate their insurance.

Police figures show that 27 people have died in accidents with other skiers so far this year, up from 19 at the same point in 2012; the number of registered incidents has fallen from 2,120 in 2012 to 1,742 this year.