To helm or not to helm?
Some things must be blogged. The tragic death of actress Natasha Richardson after falling and hitting her head on a beginner slope, as well as the death of Kathryn Miller Hess in Jackson, beg the questions. Do you wear a helmet while skiing? Should everyone? Are they really very effective? We’ve been around the block on this one before, but I’m wondering if anyone has any new thoughts on the matter.
For grist, a few factoids from the National Ski Areas Association:
-43% of skiers and snowboarders were wearing helmets last winter, compared to 25% five years earlier.
– Increased helmet use, however, has not reduced the number of ski resort fatalities. Perhaps this is because most “snowsport” helmets are wimpy foam hats that do little to protect in high speed impacts.
Also, this article from the New York Times gives good food for thought.
Oh esteemed commenters, your thoughts?
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
