General News

Aaron Tipping, one of Britain’s most promising young ski racers, has broken his leg in two places during training in Austria. Tipping, 15, crashed in a downhill training session on Tuesday (21st November) on the Pitztal Glacier and was taken to hospital by helicopter. Surgeons had to pin his tibia and fibula as one of the breaks was an open fracture. Doctors said he would probably have to spend the next week in hospital and would not be on skis "for some time".

Before the crash Tipping was looking forward to his second winter of FIS racing after a highly successful first season. Said Malcolm Erskine, who runs the British Ski Academy in Chamonix: “Aaron knew it would be tough as this season coincided with his GCSE year and he would only be able to train part time. As he is unlikely to race again this winter, he will now be able to concentrate on his exams”.

Erskine said Tipping was “cheerful” and inspired by the recovery of the champion Austrian skier Hermann Maier, who recovered from a serious motorbike accident to win several World Cup races. “He had just read Maier’s autobiography” said Erskine. “Aaron is currently ranked No 1 in the UK for Slalom and Giant Slalom in his age group,and last season he achieved the best ever slalom results for a British rookie FIS racer. He also matched Martin Bell’s best ever slalom result.”