On the piste – 1 in 4 Brits ski drunk

We think we might have spotted a theme here… Only a few days since we reported on the Foreign Office's new campaign to curb excessive drinking in winter resorts, we come across this article claiming that 25% of British skiers are, in fact, drunk.

Insurance company More Th>n has published an online report claiming that as many as 1 in 4 British skiers will hit the slopes at almost double the drink drive limit this winter. Given that the UK drink drive limit is 4 units of alcohol, apparently the chances are that at some point during an average week long ski holiday you will start your first run of the day with 7 units of alcohol in your bloodstream from the night before. Not only that, but you won't come back under the drink drive limit of 4 units until at least 11am (by which point, you're probably wondering whether the weather is more conducive to having a mulled wine or a cold beer with your lunch…)

The average intermediate skier apparently gets up to around 20mph on a clear piste, which makes the above statistics rather worrying reading. More so, given that of the 1000 skiers and snowboarders questioned, 74% believed that drinking the night before would have no impact on the next day. Most cited the “fact” that the cold mountain air works wonders for clearing a fuzzy head.

More Th>n, in conjunction with GP Harvinder Gill, offers the following advice:

• If you have a lot to drink and don't feel right the next morning, don't ski right away. Give the alcohol time to get out of your system and start skiing after lunch.


• If you are going to drink, decrease the pace. The faster you drink, the faster your blood alcohol concentration increases.


• If you do plan to drink on your skiing holiday, buy a mini pocket breathaliser and take it with you so you know when you're safe to ski (they're cheap and readily available).


• Don't be fooled by thinking the "cool air will clear your head" – it won't. Cold temperatures don't affect alcohol absorption.


• Be careful about what you eat. Eating a big meal will delay the absorption of alcohol, in some cases by as much as up to three times. The myth that food helps you to sober up isn't true.