Nearly 13,000 Dutch skiers needed help this season, including 1,300 with injuries
This past winter season was a tough one on Dutch winter sports enthusiasts. The travelers’ organization ANWB received almost 13,000 requests for help from Dutch people in the Alpine countries between December 2024 and March 2025, 13 percent more than last winter season. Most had car trouble, but 1,300 reported injuries to the ANWB’s emergency center. That is 20 percent more than the previous winter, De Telegraaf reports.
Of the injured Dutch skiers, 180 had to be repatriated to the Netherlands by plane, ambulance, or lie-flat taxi. Most were hurt in Austria, followed by France, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany. Knee and leg injuries were the most common, followed by arm fractures and bruises.
“We see an increase in the emergency calls on the well-known third day,” ANWB director Victor Geskes told the newspaper. “Then fatigue starts to play a role, the legs are acidic, and accidents happen more quickly. We see that not only on the slopes but also, for example, after après-ski or when someone falls down a staircase.”
According to Geskes, the number of emergency reports from travelers during the winter season has been increasing for years, though less significantly as this past season. “We simply see that winter sports remain popular. This season, the conditions were perfect, and that automatically encourages a lot of people to book last minute,” he said. The crowds and sunny weather ultimately caused problems. “The well-known slush at the end of the day on the descents causes more and more injuries,” Geskes said. “More people are also looking for higher slopes, which also causes extra crowds. We do see a connection here.”
The ANWB emergency center also received 11,500 reports from winter sports enthusiasts with car troubles. Most breakdown assistance requests came from Germany, followed by France and Austria. Cars that won’t start and fault reports were the top problems. Flat tyres were also common.
“It turns out that many people keep their spare weel at home,” Geskes said. “We urge you to always take it with you. Because if you have af lat tyre on a Saturday and there is nothing to be had anywhere, you have to wait until Monday to continue. We also advise you to take your spare key with you. The figures show that you often need it.”
