SKIING NEWS ITEM

Non-Traditional Areas Increase Helmet Effectivenes

SATURDAY, 30 JUNE 2007

Since traumatic brain injury is one of the leading causes of death in skiing accidents, helmet use should be the logical decision. Yet helmet use is low among skiers, especially adults.

The protection helmets offer is also a debated issue. Industry standards have made the helmet effective only until about 15mph, while skiers easily reach 25-30 mph on the open slopes.

A recent study, though, has proven the increased effectiveness of the helmet with the growing trend of non-traditional skiing landscapes such as gladed areas and terrain parks. The study’s team of researchers, led by Vermont pediatrician and critical care specialist Robert Williams, took to the slopes to see exactly how fast skiers could go in these non-traditional ski areas. Instructed to ride aggressively, the skiers and snowboarders were clocked at speeds below 15 mph 87.6% of the time. It was observed that the variation and change of direction needed to navigate non-traditional ski areas required that skiers kept at slower speeds.

The study will be published in the next issue of Wilderness Medicine magazine.

For more information, read the full news story at www.sciencedaily.com.

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