The article 'How to Avoid Injury on the Slopes' in todays NY Times is worth a read, whatever level you ski/ board at:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/16/phys-ed-how-to-avoid-injury-on-the-slopes/

Interesting! The cited article says: On the other hand, according to British told they have no head for mixing drink and skiing: I would argue that simple common sense suggests that skiing and drinking do not mix, unless the drinking is done, as it should, après ski (love the seasonal smilies ).

I imagine boarders are at less risk for dying since they seem to spend the majority of their time sitting in groups in the middle of the piste or helping out the groomers by trying to terraform the mountain.

I like the final bit of advice about helmets.

No kidding. I can't think of the number of times I've seen someone screaming out of control towards the trees or towards a crowd but refusing to simply fall down and hit the snow rather than something hard.

Although they do get wiped out regularly by skiers.

Why is that - do they panic, or is it that some genuinely don't know how to stop?
I suspect it's some of some of each.

(Unless a percentage have suicidal or pyschopathic tendencies).

It's a topic covered extensively in Inner Skiing , and basically is an
inability to distinguish between "healthy" fear and "unnecessary fear"

The "healthy fear" says "if I don't make myself fall over now, then I'll go
out of control and hurt myself", where the "unnecessary fear" says "falling
over might hurt me so I'll try not to fall over". Oops!

Same deal with learning to lean out more and more from the hill as it gets
steeper, when the temptation is to lean in and away from the "problem".
.

That sounds like a pretty good book, eh?
I imagine a fair bit of skiiing injuries are also caused by insufficient physical preparation beforehand.
I know that if I haven't adequately prepared via training, I take it pretty easy.