Skiing and Injuries: Discovering Cause-Effect Relationships Between Characteristics of Skiing and Ski Injuries

Abstract

Skiing is attracting a large number of people around the world as a sport and pastime for decades. Although skiing provides enjoyment and fun, injuries are inevitable. To reduce the risk and improve the skiing experience, analyzing skiing and injury data can be of great benefit. This paper investigates the causal relationship between skiing characteristics and injuries on Mt. Kopaonik over six years. Using the NOTEARS algorithm and causal reasoning, treatment effects on injury rates were examined. The results indicate a dependence between hours of skiing and visibility on injuries, as well as a positive influence of average time spent skiing, average number of slopes, and average vertical distance on the injury rate. That is, higher values of the above-mentioned factors influence a higher injury rate.

Sandro Radovanović

Assistant Professor at University of Belgrade

My research interests include machine learning, development and design of decision support systems, decision theory, and fairness and justice concepts in algorithmic decision making.