Ski Helmets

Helmet is an essential protection measure. I started using it years ago and now I never ski without it. Dr. Stewart Levy and Dr. John Nichols of the InterMountain Neurosurgery and Neuroscience in Denver (Colorado) conclude that helmets reduce the risk of sustaining a brain injury of any kind by about 60 percent to 65 percent and mean an 80 percent reduction in fatalities. Helmets seem to help the most in these cases because they turn what could be a direct impact into more of a glancing blow and instead of the energy being focused in one point, it’s spread out more over the head.

Findings from studies conducted in Canada and Norway, as well as the most recently conducted study in the U.S., "have all found evidence that ski helmets reduce the risk of head injury," Professor Peter Cummings of the University of Washington in Seattle told Reuters Health. In the U.S. study, investigators compared injured helmeted and non-helmeted skiers and snowboarders treated by ski patrols at 3 western U.S. ski resorts during the 2000 to 2005 seasons. A total of 4,224 had head, face, or neck injuries, while 17,674 received treatment for injuries below the neck. Overall, 21, 25, and 24 percent of those who sustained head, face, and neck injuries, respectfully, wore helmets, as did 22 percent of those sustaining injuries to other body areas.