High Profile Accidents Highlight Helmet Wearing On The Ski Slopes
Wednesday, March 18th, 2009
The need for skiers and boarders to wear helmets like motorbike riders is increasingly entering mainstream media in the countries where dozens of skiers and boarders are ikilled or injured as a result of head injuries on the slopes.
There is increasing litigation to enforce helmet wearing by national governments. Ironically Quebec, which Natasha Richardson’s accident occurred, was already considering making helmet wearing compulsory from next season on.
Italy led the way by making helmet wearing on the slopes for children up to 14 a legal requirement with fines for transgression. Austria joined with the same law this year after a German regional minister (now up on manslaughter charges) killed a Slovak mother of four in a high speed collision, she wasn’t wearing a helmet and he was.
However, partly because of high profile accidents more people are wearing helmets anyway. A recent US survey found the number of helmet wearers had doubled to 40% of slope users over the past five years.
A popular misconception is that helmets are needed for hardcore skiers doing tough off piste terrain but in reality many of the deaths are first timers on beginner runs losing control and hitting a solid object nearby.
More safety laws are coming, along with smoking bans on the slopes, the Italian Piedmont region is banning off piste skiing for those not fully equipped with avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe with a 250 Euro fine and invalid insurance for transgressors.
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March 18th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
I don’t like hearing about this sort of thing. I personally don’t believe it’s any of government’s business to make the decision to “protect” us, for us. It’s our job, as well as taking the necessary precautions to safeguard against the actions of others. Accidents will happen and whether a person wears a helmet or not affects only that person. We’re ultimately responsible for ourselves, and as such, it should be a personal choice.
As an adult, I don’t like being told what to do or how to have my fun. Going for a motorcycle cruise without a helmet, I’m told, is such a liberating experience. When you think of how fragile life is and that people die of nosebleeds, it makes all of our precautionary measures seem futile in the grand scheme of things. There’s risk in everything. Let people live how they want to.
March 19th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Rachel is arguing about personal freedom and where the boundaries lie. Whether you should wear a seatbelt in a car, a helmet whilst cycling, horse riding, motor biking, skiing and whether the government should decide for you by making a law or leave you to make up your own mind.
I guess there will always be plenty of places to ski where a helmet is not required (currently everywhere, if you’re over 14). I suppose the two main issues are not so much a desire to stop people from choosing, but firstly for the point of view if ski area operators and governments, protecting themselves from people taking legal action against them because they didn’t tell them they should wear a helmet when using their ski slopes.
Secondly there is a need to make iot clear to beginners the liklihood of a severe head industry (pretty small but it still happens) so that they can maker an informed choice whether they wear a helmet or not.
March 19th, 2009 at 9:31 am
“Accidents will happen and whether a person wears a helmet or not affects only that person.”
That’s not realy the case is it? As with any accident/death there are the people left behind, the people on the ski slopes trying to save the life, the hospital staff and most importantly all the family members left bereft.
March 19th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
No mandated helmets. There is no science supporting their ability to prevent or even substantially reduce TBI, and at best can lessen and sometimes prevent injury of moderate and low force impacts ( ie a simple low speed spill). Thus there is no good reason to compel anyone but children and novices to wear helmets, since these skiers typically cannot judge the risk factors wisely, and lack defensive ski skills. Helmets do change one’s subjective experience of the sport substantially, and I do not prefer them for that reason, after 40+ years of rec skiing virtually injury free. It is not skiing if my head is trapped in box. if I must worry about crazy kids and others hitting me I have sense enough to quit or ski someplace else. So far, so good.
March 20th, 2009 at 9:43 am
I agree to no obligation for adults, I think more likely ski areas will have to get anyone buting a ticket to sign a disclaimer saying if they injure or kill themselves through head injury whilst opting not to wear a helmet they won’t surer the ski area, becauser that’s the kind iof dumb world we live in. Makes sense for kids and first timers, the latyter, adult group, going slow but losing control and hitting a tree or something seem to be the ones most often in the news for dying and as I understand it most likely to be helped by a helmet (article I read said studies saw helmets being some help at slower speedsa, less so when gouing fast).
I disagree that helmet wearing changes your ski experience - in my case anyway. I skied without one for 30 years and started wearing one the past two seasons after a guy i knew died from head injuries after a 600 foot fall off piste. Not so concerned if that happened to me, and maybe helmet wouldn’t have helped anyway, but I’ve got a family so feel I should make effort for them. Anyway after the first day I didn’t notice I was wearing it. Actually there has been an unexpected benefit - ‘ve gone bald and found whatever hat I wore I got brain freeze of my forehead when skiing fast on cold days. The helnmet cuts the air and keeps my head warmer better!