Ski helmets were a rarity in the early 1990s. But in 1997, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that the number of head injuries on the slopes in 1997--12,700 cases--constituted a larger proportion of total injuries than head injuries reported in 1993. While improved equipment decreased muscular-skeletal injuries, head injuries still represent close to 14 percent of all skiing and snowboarding injuries. By 2005, the National Ski Areas Association reported that 33.2 percent of skiers and snowboarders were wearing helmets.
Expert Insight
A February 2010 study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal detailed the safety benefits of helmet use. Authors Kelly Russell, Josh Christie and Brent Hagel compiled and analyzed 12 ski and snowboard injury studies published in North America, Europe and Asia. The research team searched data relating to 46,564 ski-related head injuries. Only one in five head injury sufferers was wearing a helmet at the time of the injury. Hagel and his team concluded that wearing a ski helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 35 percent.
Misconceptions
Two misconceptions prevail regarding helmet use when skiing. People who ski on treeless beginner terrain sometimes feel that helmets are unnecessary. In 2009, actress Natasha Richardson was taking a private lesson on Mont Tremblant's beginner area. Her fall on this green-rated terrain caused a subdural hematoma, which eventually caused her death.
Dr. A. Stewart Levy, chief of neurosurgery and neurotrauma at St. Anthony Central Hospital in Denver, is a vocal ski helmet advocate. But he warns that helmets will not prevent all brain injuries, and they do not give skiers license to ski recklessly.
Benefits
Ski helmets have a multi-layer construction, which provides shock absorption and warmth. Most modern helmets have a special ski-goggle attachment that holds your goggles in place. Ski helmets also have some off-slope benefits. They protect your head from careless skiers and riders who have not yet learned how to carry their gear.
Considerations
Only well-fitting helmets have safety benefits. Experts at PHAT, an acronym for Protect Head at All Times, suggest that skiers protect their foreheads by selecting helmets whose rims extend about 1 inch above your eyebrows. This also keeps your face warm by closing the gap between your goggles and helmet. The helmet must have a snug side-to-side and front-to-back fit.
Features
Some ski helmets boast high-tech features, such as Bluetooth technology, which lets you listen to music and make phone calls while on the slopes. However, think twice before you decide to block out the sounds of approaching skiers or avalanche guns.
References
- CPSC: Skiing Helmets An Evaluation of the Potential to Reduce Head Injury
- Seattle Times: Helmets Cut Ski, Snowboard Head Injuries By 35 Percent, Says New Study
- Canadian Medical Association Journal: The Effect of Helmets on the Risk of Head and Neck Injuries Among Skiers and Snowboarders
- PHAT: Ski Helmet Safety
- Geek Sugar: Pimped Out Ski Helmet
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