While we wear helmets today - deaths seem more common today than the years when helmets were not even a consideration, not even for kids.
I see people holding carves near the edge of slopes near metal snowmaking / lift poles and wonder how there arent more injuries. One stuck edge and you're gone.
Personally - I'm a bit guilty of riding close to my experience level for safety. I like to ride quickly, and don't really like to throw down turns until I'm going at least 30mph. That thought process on intermediate and expert trails has me wondering how far I would slide if I missed an edge , say around a corner. LIkely I would fall off the trail and into the woods.
I LIKE to think I would curl up or put my arms up in time to mitigate damage, but then yesterday ....this happened...
So I wanted to checkout 7springs glades to see if there was any powder to be had. I ran down one run through the glades and found a tiny bit to run through but nothing people out west wouldnt laugh at. One more effort through I figured I would run through the trees toward the side more and be careful. This area you probably would only be able to go maybe 20mph. Prior to getting there, I was turning skier right toeside and just casually turning without holding an unneccessary athletic stance as I just entered the glades and was picking my path...going a few miles per hour only. Well, the heelside of my board (back facing downhill) hits a small stump which IMMEDIATELY tossed me violently backwards onto my back and thus my head. The cracks that came from my neck BEFORE hitting the ground had me thinking I was seriously injured. When my head slammed the ground, I was downright frightened for a few seconds. I did a quick systems check, got up and just sat there for a minute before riding it out. I wanted to be near the lift and people if I had something wrong with my head. Thankfully, after 5 minutes of rest near the lift, I was perfectly fine. Today, my neck muscles are KILLING me but, alas I am fine.
Without this helmet, Im pretty sure I would be suffering worse or could have gotten a concussion. Keep in mind my original goal was to go into the trees where honestly, boarders shouldnt be unless the trees are spaced at least 5-10' apart imo. I have rapped my head on a low hanging branch once, and it knocked me onto my ass. No headaches but, without that helmet I would have been done for the day.
So what good is a helmet? It helps us continue our day...it helps us take a few less advil , but as a lifesaving unit - I have to question that as a possibility. Have there been any studies on helmets and how effective they truly are? I would venture to say that many people believe that at 30 - 40mph if they had a glancing blow with a tree they would be fine. Reality is most likely not such. At best, the hit would need to be a very glancing blow where the body is allowed to continue through the fall sequence.
I have to wonder if helmets make people think they will be fine with trees, poles, the ground and other skiers...and thus the increase of deaths vs their intention.
S
Scary stuff. Glad you seem to be OK.
I broke my leg in a fluky ski accident a couple of years ago. It would not have led to a serious injury except for the fact that I was skiing as close to the edge of the trail as possible. I am lucky that I only broke my leg and was able to recover and ski the next season; if I impacted my head or neck it could have been a very different story. In my case I was wearing a helment, but I don't think it caused me to take risks I would not have otherwise.
I think the experiences you mention answer your question, helmets help minimize injuries to head but do not completely prevent them.
The Colonel
In trying to learn to ski some bump runs yesterday, I fell pretty hard and cracked my noggin. Neck is pretty sore this AM as well as my right hip and thigh.
My helmet definitely saved a concussion or worse.
The brain inside the helmet is more important than the helmet. Be sure to use both.
Denis wrote:
The brain inside the helmet is more important than the helmet. Be sure to use both.
QFT
Denis wrote:
The brain inside the helmet is more important than the helmet. Be sure to use both.
That is one of the best statements on this subject I've ever seen!
Personally, I don't think having a helmet makes me any more aggressive of a skier. I tried skiing terrain that pushed my skill limits before I had a helmet, just like I do today when I wear one. I don't expect it to protect me from everything, just raise the chance that an injury is less severe than it would have been.
Several years ago a therapist my wife and I see got six broken ribs from a snowboarder running into him full tilt while he was stopped at the bottom of a run. He felt like he might not have survived the collision if it wasn't for wearing his helmet. I started wearing a helmet that season.
whole can of worms - I am not going to go there. this generated some lively discussion on the parkrecord.com web site as it referenced this article
well basically if you go fast a helmet may or may not help - personal choice,
Helmets are warmer and more comfortable than hats, so comfort is a reason to wear a helmet, if nothing else. But I truly believe they serve a valuable safety use...
I wear a helmet and I don't feel that it changes my ski habits, but the changes in equipment and terrain in the last 6-8 years have been huge. I remember going to 7 springs when there was only one terrain park, now they have 5+ with some even designed for kids. Skis are now designed to be faster and provide more control, meaning people will now try to up the game.
as far as numbers are concerned, I would be interested to see the snowboard/ski injury ratios, as well as some numbers on speed and terrain that the serious injuries occurred on.
as a side note, I feel like one thing that isn't addressed in these articles is the beginner injuries, I feel like especially when learning to snowboard, and to some extent skiing , learning to fall is a skill that takes time, and safety equipment can be invaluable on staying on the slopes when learning. I for one feel like a helmet saved me from a minor concussion during snowboarding efforts, had a slight headache and sore neck the next morning, but as soon as I fell my first though t was thank goodness for the helmet. The number of injuries at low speeds should be a bigger factor in this research IMO.
lastly, as far as numbers are concerned, if you count my post I think there are 4+ post in just this thread where people have said a helmet has saved them, not very scientific, but still something to consider.
