Survey Finds a Surprisingly High Number of Skiers Are Drunk

A survey finds that a surprising number of skiers are drunk.

Ever come across more drama on slopes than just skiing?

Reportedly, drunk skiers are hitting the slopes in Austria.

A survey of 600 people skiing at resorts shows that one out of every five people on the slopes in Austria has drank alcohol.

29 percent of people who had a drink before skiing were over the legal blood alcohol level for driving.

73 percent of people who admitted to drinking said they had a light drink like beer or shandy and 8 percent said they were drinking liquor.

This could be a dangerous trend since alcohol slows down reaction time and coordination.

When combined with the high speeds reached while skiing or snowboarding, alcohol can be the cause of some unfortunate accidents.

One such accident happened when a drunk skier in the Italian Alps ran into a police officer.

The skier had twice the legal blood alcohol level for driving, and had ran through a security fence at high speed before colliding with the officer and sending them both to the hospital.

Another study found that skiers who admitted to drinking alcohol were actually less likely to be injured than sober skiers.