Any activity can be dangerous, I've know a few people who have died after falling off a ladder while putting up Christmas lights.

Millions of people ski every day in ski season, and fatalities are rare. I skied for many years, usually for a day every weekend, and my wife did much more living just a few minutes from Red Mountain, one of the best hills anywhere. We both had a few spectacular wipe-outs but fortunately ended up with nothing worse than strained muscles and a few bruises (including egos). She had a friend, a promising figure skated, who went skiing for the first time on a school trip. She was standing in line for her first ride up the lift and managed to fall over, breaking both her legs and ending her skating career.

Helmets, while cumbersome, are probably a good idea.

I'll do Podrock one better, as I remember skiing before even ski straps were in common use. It wasn't unusual to hear someone scream "Ski!" and everyone would look up the hill to see if the board rocketing down the hill was headed their way.

I had one fall in the ski-strap era in which I hit a bump (purposely, to "get some air") but my bindings weren't adjusted correctly and one ski came off, so I was in mid-jump with a ski dangling from one foot. Needless to say, the landing was a disaster.

But skiing is a lot of fun, great exercise, and you can get to some really spectacular scenery.