Accident prevention with Wendy Holdener and augmented reality

Many snow sports enthusiasts are aware of the risks on the slopes. This is shown by evaluations of Suva studies. However, knowledge alone is not enough to avoid accidents. "It's crucial to take responsibility for your behaviour on the slopes if you want to reduce the risk of injury," says Samuli Aegerter, a snow sports expert at Suva.

Every year, around 2300 snow sportsmen and women have serious accidents. Such accidents result in 90 or more days' absence from work and sometimes longer hospital stays. In the worst case, they end in disability or even death.

Warm-up training is important

Whether it's in the morning before the first downhill or after a longer break at midday - warming up the body well helps to counteract serious injuries: "If I start off in the morning with cold muscles without any warm-up training and then fall, my body tolerates this fall much less. The result is a possible more serious injury," says Aegerter. A 5 to 10-minute warm-up not only activates the muscles, it also has a beneficial mental component: "The ability to concentrate and perceive is increased by the increased blood flow to the nerve pathways. So the body perceives signals from the outside more quickly and can react faster on the slopes," explains Aegerter.

Playful warm-up with professional ski racer Wendy Holdener and AR

With the App With "Slope Track", Suva provides a free tool for optimal preparation and support in snow sports. The app helps you to assess yourself and your skiing behaviour correctly and to know the risk factors involved in snow sports.

The app now offers a warm-up game in augmented reality with professional skier Wendy Holdener. Users have to free Wendy Holdener from the ice gnomes by winning a snowball fight. The digital prevention tool can be downloaded free of charge from the App Store and Google Play.