The Impact of Ski Geometry Data and Standing Height on the Risk of Falling in Recreational Alpine Skiers  
[PERSON]  
1 Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria;  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.P.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (K.G.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.F.);  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.B.)  
[PERSON]  
1 Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria;  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.P.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (K.G.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.F.);  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.B.)  
[PERSON]  
1 Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria;  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.P.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (K.G.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.F.);  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.B.)  
[PERSON]  
1 Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria;  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.P.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (K.G.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.F.);  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.B.)  
[PERSON]  
1 Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria;  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.P.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (K.G.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.F.);  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.B.)  
soft snow conditions and a lower skill level were predictive for falls in carving skiers. In addition, incidence of falls was substantially lower when compared to the 2009 study which might also be due to the generally shorter length of the new carving skis [7].  
Skiing is a highly complex activity where the individual skier interacts with skiing equipment (e.g., ski, binding, boot) and the environment (e.g., snow, weather and slope conditions) [1]. In recent years, research has focused more and more on the impact of ski geometry data as ski length, sidecut radius, waist width or standing height on severe injuries, but mainly in ski racing. The sidecut radius of a ski determines the turning radius of the skier and the lower the sidecut radius the more a self-steering effect is given and a carved turn will result [8]. In alpine ski racing, a greater side cut radius potentially reduces the self-steering effects of the skis [9] and helps in preventing knee positioning into excessive internal rotation and valgus [10], and therefore has been suggested as a preventive measure. Another potential and still poorly explored risk factor regarding injuries in alpine skiing is the standing height (i.e., the distance between the bottom of the running surface of the ski and the ski boot sole) [11]. Generally, the introduced lifter plates (between the ski and binding) in 1988 led to an increase in standing height, that allows more angle of the skis and also improves the torsional stiffness, dampens vibrations and potentially enhances the release of ski bindings [8]. However, it is assumed that an increased standing height fosters skidding and therefore possibly leads to higher strain on the knee [8]. [PERSON] et al. [12] investigated the effect of modifications in ski geometry (ski length, ski width) and standing height of downhill skis on speed and kinetic energy while skiing a World Cup downhill course. They found that, during downhill ski racing, longer skis with reduced width and standing height showed a significantly decreased mean kinetic energy in the steep section of a downhill course [12].  
Up to now the impact, especially of ski geometry data, on risk of falls or risk of injuries due to falls are scarce in recreational alpine skiing. Thus, due to the complex interaction of the skiers with skiing equipment and the environment, the aim of this study was to evaluate individual, equipment-related and environmental factors associated with falls among recreational alpine skiers.