Your ski helmet may not be your sexiest piece of ski gear, but there is nothing sexy about a head injury. Actress Natasha Richardson's unfortunate ski accident, which led to her death, is just one of the many fatalities associated with head and brain injuries incurred while skiing. Many ski areas have a social ambiance, which may tempt skiers to choose a fashionable hat over a protective ski helmet. This choice is unwise.
Statistics
Denver neurosurgeon Stewart Levy is a strong advocate of ski helmet use. In an article on the Colorado Neurological Institute website, he cites enlightening statistics regarding winter sport head injuries. While head injuries only constitute between five and 15 percent of all on-slope injuries, they are the leading cause of permanently disabling injuries and death. Levy explains that there are an annual average of 10 fatal slope accidents in Colorado. When head injury caused a death, 87.5 percent of the skiers or snowboarders were not wearing helmets.
Expert Insight
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission staff issued a January 1999 report detailing the correlation between head safety and ski helmets. From February 1 through March 31, 1998, the staff investigated winter sport-related head and neck injuries that were treated in hospitals. The researchers wanted to see if helmets would have prevented these injuries. They analyzed the point of impact on the head and found that helmets could have prevented about two-thirds of the head and neck injuries incurred on the slopes.
Misconceptions
Some people believe that helmets are not required if you ski in control on easy, treeless slopes and that only collisions cause head injuries. Natasha Richardson was taking a private lesson on a beginner slope at Mont Tremblant. She was not wearing a helmet. The doctors determined that her fatal fall caused a subdural hematoma. Any type of fall on any terrain may be fatal.
Benefits
Safety is not the only benefit associated with ski helmets. Few hats can compete with the warmth and wind resistance that a helmet offers. Most ski helmets come with a convenient attachment for your ski goggles. A goggle attached to a helmet is more secure than a goggle attached to a ski hat. A ski helmet with attached goggles covers your entire head and most of your face, preventing your face from frostbite and your skin from wind damage.
Warning
Despite their safety benefits, ski helmets do not give you license to ski out of control or to ski in terrain that is beyond your abilities. Avoid tree skiing if you lack the skills or the equipment for making precise, short-radius turns. If you accidentally end up on an overly challenging run, avoid collisions with advanced skiers by going to the side of the trail and side-slipping down the run.
References
- Colorado Neurological Institute Reviews:Helmets for Sports and Recreation: An Injury Prevention Battle Far from Over
- ABC News : Natasha Richardson Died of Epidural Hematoma After Skiing Accident
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission:Skiing Helmets An Evaluation of the Potential to Reduce Head Injury
- Ski-Injury: Helmets for Snow Sports
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