Three British tourists are injured, with two – including a boy, eight – airlifted to hospital following separate ski slope crashes at Austrian resort hit by heavy snow

Three British holidaymakers, including an eight-year-old boy, were airlifted to hospital following separate skiing accidents at the same resort in Austria.

In the first incident, a 19-year-old male Briton collided with a man from Germany on the slopes in the Tyrolean ski resort of Obergurgl on Sunday, December 17.

The teenager was taken from the piste to the University Clinic of Innsbruck by helicopter due to the severity of his injuries.

The 59-year-old German tourist whom he collided with was less seriously injured  and was taken to the valley with a rescue sledge.

Austrian authorities did not reveal the Briton’s identity.

Due to the country’s strict privacy regulations, they did not provide information on what kind of injuries he had suffered in the accident either.

The following day (December 18), an eight-year-old British boy crashed with a 21-year-old man on a piste in the same resort.

While the young man received medical care in Obergurgl, the child was airlifted to the University Clinic of Innsbruck.

As with the first incident, the police did not reveal the involved skiers’ identities.

In a statement from December 18, the Police of the State of Tyrol said: ‘Around 10.50am on 18th December 2023, an accident occurred on the red piste number seven in the ski resort of Obergurgl. 

‘The reason has not yet been determined. A 21-year-old male skier from Great Britain collided with an eight-year-old British boy. The child sustained unspecified injuries. He was taken to the University Clinic of Innsbruck with an emergency helicopter.’

Heavy early snowfalls have meant there is plenty of deep snow, which can be challenging, especially for beginner skiers, which may have contributed to the spate of accidents involving the British holidaymakers. 

Obergurgl is a small town in the Tyrolean district of Imst, western Austria.

Situated at an altitude of 6,234 feet, it is one of the most ‘snowsure’ regions in the Austrian Alps.

Nicknamed the ‘Diamond of the Alps’, the resort features several four- and five-star hotels, 25 lifts and 70 miles of skiing slopes.

The red slope, where the accident on Monday happened, indicates a medium difficulty level. Black is used to determine tricky slopes only advanced skiers should opt for.

In the first incident, a 19-year-old male Briton collided with a man from Germany on the slopes in the Tyrolean ski resort of Obergurgl on Sunday, December 17. In the second, an eight-year-old British boy crashed with a 21-year-old male compatriot on a piste in the same resort

There has been no information on what kind of slope Sunday’s crash occurred.

The Austrian Committee for Alpine Security said 111 people had lost their lives in incidents while skiing, snowboarding and climbing in the Austrian mountains in the 2021/2022 winter sports season.

Overall, 6,716 individuals were involved in accidents in that period.

Winter tourism is of enormous importance for the Austrian economy, especially in the western states of Salzburg, Tyrol and Vorarlberg.