New Swiss app aims to help prevent skiing and snowboarding accidents

Nearly 62,000 Swiss people are injured on the slopes each year while skiing or snowboarding. Against that backdrop, the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (BFU) has launched Snow Safety, a free app designed to help winter-sports users manage risks. The announcement came on November 3, 2026.

Developed with Swiss-Ski and Swiss Snowsports, the app is built around three areas: knowing your limits, protecting yourself and staying alert. The BFU says it drew on its expertise in snow-sports accidents to shape the tool. Its launch puts practical safety guidance in a format available to skiers and snowboarders, while also bringing the material into instructor education.

The annual injury figure highlights the scale of the issue for people heading to Swiss pistes. Snow Safety addresses everyday decisions on the mountain, from personal protection to awareness of other slope users. The BFU is positioning the app for both the general public and people who teach snow sports.

Snow Safety centres on three habits: know your limits, protect yourself and stay alert. The BFU developed the app in partnership with Swiss-Ski and Swiss Snowsports, drawing on its expertise in snow-sports accidents. That framework puts individual judgement and preparation at the heart of the guidance.

The app includes reminders on how to wear a helmet correctly. It also presents the rules of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation that apply on the slopes, giving users a reference for conduct while skiing or snowboarding. For accidents, the app offers guidance on what to do when one occurs.

Together, these features cover prevention and response: users can review protective measures and slope rules, and consult advice about an accident. The app is free and aimed at the general public, so its advice is available to both skiers and snowboarders. Its three-part focus gives the tool a clear structure for users looking to prepare for time on the mountain.

Snow Safety is now a compulsory part of basic training for snow-sports instructors and J+S instructors. The BFU says instructors act as role models and can help ensure risks are identified and managed correctly. By incorporating the app into training, the guidance becomes part of the preparation for people who teach others on the slopes.

Benedikt Heer, a BFU specialist, said: “As role models, these individuals help to ensure that risks are identified and managed correctly. In this way, they help to prevent accidents.” His remarks underline the BFU’s emphasis on instructors’ influence over how risks are handled.

The app was developed with Swiss-Ski and Swiss Snowsports, organisations involved in snow-sports instruction and the sport. Its inclusion in basic training links the tool’s advice to instructor education, while its public-facing features make the same app accessible to recreational skiers and snowboarders. The BFU presents both groups as audiences for its safety guidance.

The app gives recreational users access to the same safety resource now included in instructor training. For the public, Snow Safety offers reminders on correct helmet use, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation’s rules for slopes, and steps to take if an accident happens. The BFU says the tool is intended for skiers and snowboarders.

That range connects preparation with on-mountain conduct and accident response. Users can consult the app for safety guidance, while instructors are expected to use it as part of their basic training. The BFU’s stated aim is to help people recognise and manage risks, with instructors contributing as role models.

The launch comes as nearly 62,000 Swiss people are injured each year while skiing or snowboarding on pistes. Snow Safety adds a free digital resource to the prevention effort, developed by the BFU with Swiss-Ski and Swiss Snowsports. Its focus remains practical: limits, protection, awareness and what to do after an accident.