British skier dies in Alpe d'Huez

All the more reason for wearing a helmet...

http://health.msn.com/blogs/daily-dose-post.aspx?post=1014042>1=31036

Quote from article: People older than 65 also may not show symptoms for a length of time, says Kalina. With these conditions, the brain is likely to have atrophied somewhat, which means less space is taken up in the skull. It therefore takes a longer time for collected blood to exert pressure around the brain, he says.

That's why Davemac doesn't wear a helmet - plenty of space up there :lol:

Trencher

I just can't make up my mind about helmets.

The following is a quote from the New York Times:

“The situation is sort of mixed,” said Jasper Shealy, a professor emeritus at Rochester Institute of Technology who has been tracking skiing and snowboard fatalities since the 1970s. “We’e now at the point where roughly half the population wears a helmet, and we’ve seen no difference” in fatalities.

But helmets do seem to make a difference in the head-injury statistics: Mr. Shealy’s own research found a 35 percent reduction, and he said that other studies had found as much as a 50 percent reduction in head injuries.

“Typically, in the scenario that results in death, you need something more than a helmet to save you,” Mr. Shealy said. Referring to helmet-wearing, he said, “Where it really comes into play is if you fall into hard-packed snow, and that can turn a serious head injury into a minor injury.”

Helmets have been shown to protect the heads of recreational skiers traveling at a rate of 12 to 17 miles an hour, but typically not at higher speeds.

That last sentence makes me wonder.

Some interesting statistics in the full article :here

There have been so many debates on helmets and their effectiveness over the years for many sports and occupations. Every time people have eventually accepted their use.

The real issue with helmets has nothing to do with safety. Unless it's a hot day, helmets are the warmest, most comfortable thing you can put on your head.

Trencher

I am all about wearing a helmet, it is just another thing to gear-whore about. Even if there is the smallest chance it may stop me dying then it is worth while.

Obviously with blunt force trauma at 50mph not a lot would save you.

Trencher wrote:

That's why Davemac doesn't wear a helmet - plenty of space up there :lol:

Trencher

Ohh burn!

"Helmets have been shown to protect the heads of recreational skiers traveling at a rate of 12 to 17 miles an hour, but typically not at higher speeds."

If this is the case why don't they put the helmets that racers use on the market? Aren't they also supposed to fracture on impact?

I'd want the most advanced cutting edge safest noodle can available.

Neiltoo wrote:I just can't make up my mind about helmets.

The following is a quote from the New York Times:

“The situation is sort of mixed,” said Jasper Shealy, a professor emeritus at Rochester Institute of Technology who has been tracking skiing and snowboard fatalities since the 1970s. “We’e now at the point where roughly half the population wears a helmet, and we’ve seen no difference” in fatalities.

But helmets do seem to make a difference in the head-injury statistics: Mr. Shealy’s own research found a 35 percent reduction, and he said that other studies had found as much as a 50 percent reduction in head injuries.

“Typically, in the scenario that results in death, you need something more than a helmet to save you,” Mr. Shealy said. Referring to helmet-wearing, he said, “Where it really comes into play is if you fall into hard-packed snow, and that can turn a serious head injury into a minor injury.”

Helmets have been shown to protect the heads of recreational skiers traveling at a rate of 12 to 17 miles an hour, but typically not at higher speeds.

That last sentence makes me wonder.

Some interesting statistics in the full article :here

I've seen that before and it's a fairly neat summary of the state of research about helmets for snow sports. There's other data points in the literature as well that are interesting, notably that helmet use in groups tends to reach a tipping point where it becomes a standard and that this is led by reaction to perceived risk and widely publicised accidents rather than any real or absolute risk. Where they've worked is in situations where the impact is predictable, for example rock climbing with debris falling on the head, cycling and going over the handle bars etc, where the helmet design can be matched to the application in effect.

The last sentence though is hugely misleading. This alludes to the lab' test done with helmets which simulate impacts, it's a drop test and done at a low simulated speed, there's plenty of clinical evidence that helmets provide protection at much higher speeds. In fact, the same testing is done for motorcycling helmets which obviously work above this speed.

The reason it gets confusing is it's like listening to a politician explaining how they've lost all our money, it's all x percent of y percent of something else. In this case around 10% of injuries are head injuries, of those around 40% or 50% would be mitigated by helmets possibly but 80% (I think) of fatalities are related to head injuries for which I have no immediate recall of mitigation figures.

I'd also point out if we look at other sports like cycling while there's reckoned to be reduced risk of mortality for helmet wearers much the same can be said of pedestrians and passengers in cars, in fact one study showed more effect would be achieved with helmets for car passengers than for cyclists.

Why don't skiers just wear motorbike helmets then, if they work at higher speeds?

Ally

I have never skied in a helmet in my 30 something years of skiing.....but when I hear things like what happened to Natasha...it makes me think about them.Maybe next year I may get one...

Although my husband was almost killed water skiing 2 years ago..he was dropping a ski and fell forward...hitting his head on the ski,sliced his head open and had a concussion..was completely out of it... Now I joke with him he should wear his hockey helmet while waterskiing :lol:.

Joking aside I am going to make him buy a helmet because he does ski some wild stuff and he doesnt need another hit to the head.I always worry he will hit a tree. I have been thinking about this all day since I heard about Natasha :(