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Comment by 0x70dd | Hacker News Reader

I wouldn't call it healthier due to the risk of avalanches and in my experience it's not negligible. It requires some complex skills of being able to both judge the terrain and act fast if something happens. And even then, accidents happen. How many people die annually on the slopes of ski resorts and how many die in avalanches while skiing?

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Well, in this case, your decisions define "healthier". In fact, it's up to you whether you study the daily snow bulletin and decide to ski in moderate avalanche danger. It's up to you whether you ski down the steepest descents.

However when skiing in a resort, others can bump into you by accident. Your muscles cool down while sitting on the chair lift, and get tired at the end of the day without really noticing it, which leads to a number of accidents. I've torn my ACL in a resort couple of years ago, and ski touring feels much safer - at least for me.

Avalanche training and equipment is necessary. The skills aren't really that complex, there are a few rules to follow that will save your life. I can't prove it but I believe most of the avalanche deaths are people with zero training who don't take the situation seriously. You can learn all the necessary skills in a single afternoon.

You can learn the (basic) skills in an afternoon, but being able to use those skills calmly, quickly, and safely in an emergency situation is a whole 'nother ball game. That requires practice, practice, and more practice (at least for me).

That's why I was talking about regular slopes and not the back country. And I meant healthier like physical exercise wise.

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