Wearing helmets whilst skiing and snowboarding has been proven to reduce the number of head injuries by 35% in adults and 59% in children under the age of 13.

Austrian researchers from the Department of Sports Science at Innsbruck University found that between nine and 19% of all skiing injuries reported by Austrian ski patrols and emergency departments are head injuries. This includes severe head injuries- a leading cause of death in winter sports. This was the situation of actress Natasha Richardson, who died while skiing in Canada in 2009 after a fall on a beginner’s ski run. She sustained a severe head injury and was not wearing a helmet.

Other studies found that 74% of head injuries occurred when skiers hit their head on the snow, 10% when they collided with other skiers and 13% when they collided with fixed objects.

There is another point of view that suggests that wearing a helmet could give a false sense of security, encouraging more risky behaviour on the slopes and in the parks.

But since studies show that helmet use is higher in more skilled skiers, the researchers conclude that, “the use of a helmet is not necessarily associated with a higher level of risk-taking but primarily with a higher level of skill.”

The good news over the last few years is that helmets have become a lot more fashionable, and seen as part of the attire- the brighter the colours the better. So keep safe on your season, and make a wild fashion statement at the same time!


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