Jail for drunk skiers in France

28th February 2014, by Abi Butcher

Skiers face up to a year in jail if caught on the slopes after drinking

Don’t drink and ski in France is the loud and clear message from prosecutors this week. If you go boozing and then get on your skis and snowboard, you face up to a year in jail or a fine of €15,000 (£12,325).

French prosecutor Patrick Quincy, who last week ruled on the Michael Schumacher accident, said “The spirit of Ibiza sometimes takes precedence over the spirit of the mountain”.

Alcohol plays a part in one in five ski accidents in France, and according to French newspaper Le Figaro, skiers and snowboarders from Britain and Scandinavia are the most likely to be caught skiing while drunk.

Mr Quincy said yesterday that French officials would be prosecuting any skier found behaving in a way which endangers lives.

Other countries adopt a different approach. In the US, if you are caught skiing in Colorado after consuming alcohol you can be fined $1,000 (£630). Drinking while skiing is not illegal in Austria, where 25 per cent of skiers aged between 15 and 24 admitted in a survey to having skied while drunk.

If you cause an accident while skiing after drinking, it is likely your travel insurance will not be valid.

• ski
• snow
• snowboard
• skiing
• austria
• france
• colorado
• alcohol
• drink

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