Injuries on snow

I thought this was an interesting set of general considerations about injuries in our sport. I don't agree with one of the statements, but this guy does have a lot of analytical knowledge.

http://www.theadventuremedic.com/features/practical-approach-to-snowsports-injuries-part-i/

Interesting article - warning - cool gory photos of broken and dislocated limbs! Pretty "firm" on helmet use......if only to keep the bonce warm and to listen to music.

Helmets seem to generate a debate. 3/4 of an inch of padding is only going to make a limited impact on the deceleration of your brain when you ski into a tree at 30 miles an hour, but it will move the threshold up before injury occurs and presumably the threshold between minor and significant injury.

Besides sharp edges will cut hats and scalps easily so may save cost and wasted ski time if you get hit by your own skis when you wipe out and need stitching up!

Big Helmet debate starts in 4...3...2...

The poor lad who died in Meribel today had a helmet on, it appears to be down to the hardness of the piste through lack of snow (Not my words or opinion, it's on the Telegraphs website). A real tragedy regardless of reason.

The police report indicates that the lad was skiing too fast. This was on a blue run, so I guess most of us might read this as too fast for his ability.

This ties in with another thread with the ski helmet control standards for cycling and skiing.

However, we should not draw conclusions, since other medical issues were mentioned, including cardiac arrest.