Smash hit

Dr Langran says that the afternoon – when people are more tired and the slopes are often in poorer condition – is the most likely time to get injured.

Improved equipment seems to be having an impact on the total number of injuries, says Langran. “There is a year-on-year decrease in the rate of injury,” says Langran.

“There is a feeling that carving skis, although unproven as yet, are safer than traditional old skis because they bite the snow better. There is also an increased use of helmets while ski resorts are taking a lot more care with grooming.”

PICTURE GALLERY

Multimedia

• View our X-ray gallery of the most common ski injuries

My big ski break

Gary Duncan always thought it would never happen to him. Then it did, last month, in St Moritz

My big ski break 2

French surgeons rebuilt Adam McGrath's knee after a snowboarding accident last month

Related Internet Links

• Read more articles in our Wintersports section

Multimedia

• View our X-ray gallery of the most common ski injuries

The picture gallery shows some of the injuries that Dr Langran comes across regularly in his work.

* Image 1 - shows a break in the radius, one of the two bones in the forearm.

* Image 2 - shows someone who has broken the metacarpal bones in their hand. If you look closely, you can see the diagonal breaks in the middle and ring fingers.

* Image 3 - a broken humerus, close to the shoulder, is only likely to happen once every 47,000 days. This image should convince you this is a good thing.

* Image 4 - dislocated shoulders are a relatively common sight in doctor’s surgeries in the mountains, particularly among snowboarders.

* Image 5 - surprisingly, dislocated shoulders are far more common than a dislocation of the elbow (image 5).

* Image 6 - shoulder injuries, such as a broken clavicle are the third most common among both skiers and snowboarders.

* Image 7 - a broken leg (breaks in both the tibia and fibula bones) will put paid to your fun in the snow for the rest of the winter

* Image 8 - but a broken vertebra in the neck is likely to have longer term consequences.