Objectives This papers aims to provide a large overview of accidents related to sporting activities in the mountain areas. The situation review presented here in results from the collection and cross-referencing of existing data, mainly in France but also abroad, concerning sporting accidents in the mountains. It intends to improve our knowledge of the scope of the phenomenon, victim profiles and the explanatory factors and contexts that favor accident occurrence. Actuality The supposed importance of mountain sport accidentality, sometimes the subject of rather alarmist interpretations, must be analyzed meticulously, since the implications are many, both in terms of public health, prevention and the treatment of victims. Perspectives & projects This situation review aims to get as much as possible from the existing data, while identify any shady areas that may constitute improvement areas for accidentology. Conclusion In spite of numerous initiatives, or perhaps because of the fragmentation of sources, there appears to be room for improvement regarding the study of sporting accidents in the mountains; a multitude of data exists, providing interesting framing elements, but current knowledge remains dispersed and sometimes incomplete, due in particular to heterogeneous methodologies that do not always provide an overall vision. Prevention should be based on detailed knowledge of the frequency of accidents, their circumstances and risk factors, which represent the pillars of accidentology, in the sense of the scientific study of accidents. The prevention of risks related to mountain sports requires more detailed knowledge of the accident mechanisms. Such progress will enable us to make progress in terms of preventive measures, information and practices.