Ski resort faces safety concerns over 'severed finger' claim

The Shanghai L*SNOW Indoor Skiing Theme Resort in the Pudong New Area has come under fire after a skier was said to have suffered a severed finger after colliding with another at the venue on Sunday prior to the official opening.

The resort, due to open on Friday, is undergoing internal testing to fine-tune operation procedures and services.

A social media post by the man's girlfriend claimed the injury happened when he was hit by a novice skier from behind. He was sent to hospital to have his finger reattached, she said, but none of the resort staff accompanied him.

Subsequently, she challenged the resort's management about the requirement for novices to hire a coach to enter the novice area, leading to many beginners skiing on intermediate slopes as a result. She also challenged potential safety hazards at the venue and the lack of timely assistance after the incident.

In a statement released on Monday, the resort said the man had collided with another tourist on the snow track at around 11am on Sunday. He fell down and his right little finger was injured by one of the tourist's skis.

Staff immediately sent him to the resort's medical room, and medical staff there found no sign of a severed finger or obvious fracture, but due to the open wound, they provided emergency treatment, the statement said.

An ambulance arrived at 11:24am, and staff helped the injured skier onto the ambulance, which then headed to the Lingang branch of the Sixth People's Hospital of Shanghai.

The resort said that in addition to public liability insurance, it had accidental injury medical insurance for all tourists. After the injured man completes treatment, it will assist him in submitting documents to the insurance company, coordinating assessments, and formulating a claim.

It said that prior to the incident, the venue had placed conspicuous risk warnings stating: "The ski trails are suitable for individuals with a certain degree of skiing skill" and reminding beginners to be cautious.

It said that during the internal testing and trial operation, similar warning signs had been added near the gate machines, ski equipment rental area, and the cable car station.

Following the incident, the resort said it had added further risk warnings and would beef up efforts in informing skiers of skiing risks, trail difficulty warnings, and safety precautions to educate and raise awareness about risk identification and safety education for high-risk sports.