What to Do If There Is an Accident on the Slopes: Calling for Help and Securing the Scene

The first 60 seconds: 6 steps

1. Stop and stay safe: Without putting yourself in danger, stop a little above the accident scene.
2. Mark the scene: Plant your skis or poles crossed about 10 metres above the injured person; lay a snowboard down with the bindings facing down. People coming from above will see the scene and slow down.
3. Assess the injured person: Are they conscious, are they breathing, where does it hurt? If a neck or back injury is possible, do not move them.
4. Call for help: In Türkiye, call 112; if possible, one person should stay with the injured person while another alerts the attendant at the nearest lift station or the ski patrol.
5. Describe the location clearly: The slope number and colour, the name of the nearest lift, the gate or station. The numbers on the piste map come in handy here.
6. Keep them warm and stay with them: On cold ground an injured person gets cold quickly; spread your jacket or a blanket under and over them and stay with them until help arrives.

FIS rules: assistance and identification

The last two of the International Ski Federation's (FIS) 10 rules for conduct concern accidents:

• Rule 9 – Assistance: In the event of an accident, every skier and snowboarder is obliged to help.
• Rule 10 – Identification: Everyone involved in or witnessing an accident, whether responsible or not, must exchange names and addresses after the accident.

According to the FIS commentary, first aid should be given immediately, the authorities should be alerted and the accident scene should be marked to warn other skiers. For all the rules, see our guide The FIS 10 Rules for Conduct on the Slopes.

Who helps in Türkiye?

• 112: Since June 2021, the police, gendarmerie, fire brigade, ambulance and other emergency numbers have been combined under 112 in all 81 provinces of Türkiye. In an accident at a ski resort, too, 112 can be called first.
• Gendarmerie Search and Rescue (Jandarma Arama Kurtarma, JAK): JAK teams are on duty at the large ski resorts. According to Anadolu Agency, JAK teams at Erciyes respond to about 700 incidents a year; they reach the scene by snowmobile, give first aid and hand the injured person over to 112. At Palandöken, the JAK station is at 2,242 metres; patrols are carried out on skis, on motorised vehicles and with dogs, and drones are used to fine people who enter areas closed because of avalanches and people not wearing a helmet.
• The resort's teams: According to Erciyes A.Ş., a 25-person slope team at the resort takes injured people to the medical station and works together with JAK and 112; under the resort's general rules, first aid from the patrol and the medical team is free of charge.

In Bansko (Bulgaria)

In Bulgaria, too, the general emergency number is 112. The Mountain Rescue Service (PSS), part of the Bulgarian Red Cross, announced on 26 August 2026 that it had closed its short number 1470; 112 works better in areas with a weak signal. To reach PSS, you can call 112 and ask to be connected to mountain rescue; the service's other numbers are 02 963 2000, 0887 100 237 and 0887 100 238. Older travel guides may still list 1470; it is no longer valid.

When should you not move an injured person?

• If a neck, back or head injury is possible (e.g. a high-speed impact, loss of consciousness, drowsiness).
• If there is a visible deformity in a leg or arm.
• If the injured person feels severe pain when moving.

In these cases, keep the injured person still and warm where they are; leave transport to the slope team and the medical staff. This is why marking the scene is so important when it is in the middle of the slope.

After the accident

• Exchanging details: Take and give the names and contact details of everyone involved (FIS rule 10).
• Witnesses: Note down the details of anyone who saw the accident.
• Insurance: If you have insurance, keep the accident report and medical documents; we explain what ski cover includes in our guide Travel Insurance for a Ski Holiday.

Preventing accidents

Most accidents can be prevented: wear a helmet (mandatory at Erciyes), ski on slopes that suit your level, control your speed, stop when you get tired and do not go off-piste. We explain the lift rules in our guide How to Use Chairlifts, Drag Lifts and Gondolas.

Skiing as a group

On an activity holiday, skiing as a group also has safety benefits: when something goes wrong, there is someone with you, and the group leader manages meeting points and communication. Every group on Doğadayız winter programmes has a group leader; that is also why each of our programmes is a social adventure holiday. Don't forget to save your group leader's number in your phone.