The rate was .93 per million skier days with 49 deaths in 52.7 skier days. People are drawn to skiing and snowboarding because it is a risk activity. Risky is not dangerous - boxing with hungry sharks is dangerous. The risk factor is what makes skiing attractive. Depending on the person, the adrenaline rush is just as sweet on a gentle slope, a hundred yards removed from the nearest tree or fellow skier as it is hurtling through a stand of white birch trees at breakneck speed.
Chances are skiing is a lot less dangerous.
Whitetail bounding along Whitetail Resort, Mercersburg, PA, is up and running and if the cold weather holds, will be operating through the end of the season. When fully operational, Whitetail has 17 slopes and high speed lifts serving a 935-foot vertical drop on terrain for every ability. If you are not happy with the snow conditions within an hour of purchasing your ticket, they will give you a voucher to come back another time. Liberty has terrain for all ability levels, on two sides of the mountain. It also claims the largest beginner area in the region.