 Poster: A snowHead
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Faced with ongoing concerns over piste collisions and self-triggered avalanches the French sports ministry has relaunched a safety appeal to snow users this winter. Headlined "Maîtrisez votre vitesse" (Control your speed), the simple message also includes:
"Priorité au skieur aval" (Give way to the skier below)
"Le port du casque" (Wear a helmet, particularly young skiers)
The appeal comes only days after a skier died from colliding with a snowboarder in the French Pyrenees... click here for PG's report... and increased installation of on-mountain information boards to advise off-piste skiers
For more information and background on this story, and a link to the French snow safety report, go to PisteHors.com.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Tue 7-12-04 17:01; edited 2 times in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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P.S. One point about this campaign is the French govt. apparently going beyond the standard FIS safety code in advising adults to wear helmets.
The overall question is whether the safety message is actually getting across. There are certainly very serious issues involved here, and maybe snowHeads' combined brainpower could come up with a safety campaign that would really make people think. There doesn't seem to be much evidence that the crazies are vacating the mountains yet...
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Just to add some information not in the PisteHors report, the campaign says that there some 14,000 to 15,000 knee injuries per season, usually a rupture to the Cruciate Ligament which requires surgery - once the initial swelling has gone down. People who have suffered this usually have an unstable knee which may require a brace for skiing. Collisions only make up 5% of the figures, but they are the most serious accidents especially amongst young and elderly skiers. 70% of under 11s now wear helmets against 5% in 1995. Controversially the Americans believe that wearing a helmet makes you more at risk from injury.
Link to today's tf1 report on the campaign (French)
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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My impression, though it's not scientific but based on the evidence of a few well-publicised US cases, is that a helmet can be a life-saver when tree skiing (though, of course, that is actually dependent on the impact being limited to a level at which the helmet is effective) but a helmet has a low likelihood of being used in other situations.
Cycling is a very different baby. I've been over the handlebars twice in my life and now wear a helmet.
The one occasion that I've personally suffered a head injury in 45 years skiing was descending the Vallee Blanche when the tail of a compact ski (late 70s) clouted the back of my scalp and cut it open. I'd had to divert from the guide's tracks because someone fell in front of me, and instantly decelerated by plunging into the soft snow at the side. A helmet would certainly have protected me, but I continue to ski without a helmet and accept whatever risk there may be.
It has to be said that Jasper Shealy, linked to in PisteHors' report, is one of the US's most highly respected ski injury researchers so his views may be more true than controversial.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Which bit of "Le port du casque" translates to "particularly young skiers"?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I think David was reading this line in one of the French reports:
> Principales victimes : les personnes âgées et les jeunes
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| David Goldsmith wrote: |
It has to be said that Jasper Shealy, linked to in PisteHors' report, is one of the US's most highly respected ski injury researchers so his views may be more true than controversial. |
There are some US studies on risk - I think one showed that since the introduction of seat belts and airbags average speeds and the number of accidents had increased. Driver injuries may be less severe but there were more injuries to third parties. I've not found an online reference though.
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I really liked the earlier cartoon-style safety posters on many of the lift pylons. Even if you couldn't understand the French, the message was clear. I can handle a fair bit of Franglais but 'Le port du casque' is definitely not my scope. Help please, PG.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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"Wearing of helmet"
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Easy when you know how. Thanks.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Ian Hopkinson, fair question! I cut and pasted from davidof's report. The whole helmet / governmental advice/law thing is becoming a bit more involved since the Italians legislated for children to wear helmets.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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David Goldsmith, the full phrase in the campaign document is:
| Quote: |
| L’IMPORTANCE DU PORT DU CASQUE, notamment pour les plus jeunes. |
The importance of wearing a helmet, particularly for young children
and elsewhere in the report:
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| ne pas oublier son casque, notamment pour les enfants et les snow-boarder ! |
Don't forget the helmet, especially children and snowboarders!
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| Quote: |
France (Ski Press) The French sports ministry will post up some 20,000 posters and distribute 150,000 postcards at the country’s 76 leading ski areas this winter warning skiuers and boarders to watch their speed and give way to others coming from uphill.
The campaign aims to cut the number of deaths and injuries on French ski slopes which last season amounted to 54 fatalities and more than 55,000 call outs.
The first death of the 2004-5 season came last weekend following a collision between a skier and a snowboarder. The snowboarder was unhurt. |
From SkiPressWorld
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You know it makes sense.
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This summary and analysis of recent research (mainly US) by Dr. Mike Langran of Aviemore is fairly sceptical about the benefit of helmets, and certainly of the arguments for compulsion. There's even a hint that helmets might be dangerous to others impacted by them, though the incidents are hardly statistically significant. This is an excellent site for ski/board injury research generally, by the way.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I wear a bike helmet all the time. I've fallen once in 20+ years of riding. My head did hit the road after my chin took most of the impact. I'm glad I had the brain bucket on.
Helmets are like any other saftey device. I grew up and my parents took me many many miles in the car without a carseat and I'm still hear. I'm sure there are many others that can say the same. I guess just luck.
For a while I never wore a seatbellt in the car. Maybe the first 8 years of driving. But for the past 20 years I always wear one. A few years back someone hit our car and rolled it over 1.5 times. My wife and I walked away from the crash, the car however was totalled.
Next time we go skiing we will wear a helmet. We just think it's time and when our son starts skiing he too will wear one.
I think the reason you currently see a rise in injuries with people wearing helmets is the same reason they saw an increase in injuries in cars with anti-lock brakes and airbags. People tend to drive (or ski) with more reckless thus producing more injuries.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Well done the French. Jumping over from the prior thread about safety (which I don't know how to link to...), control, speed sense and situational awareness are what's needed - so education rather than somewhat unenforceable legislation definitely to be encouraged.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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davidof, Jasper Sheally is to be congratulated for collecting the data. David Goldsmith informs us this guy deserves to be heard. But this is just observational data. There is no reference to where it has been published, if it has been published. Certainly a credible journal would not allow the flawed logic suggested above:
| Quote: |
| helmeted skiers ... sustain the most serious head injuries. |
does not mean helmets increase the risk of injury.
The vital missing information is pre-injury skiing behaviour.
And the article in GoTriad does discuss this:
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| Damage more serious than a mild concussion represents 23 percent of all head injuries for nonhelmeted skiers and 67 percent for helmeted skiers. Most of these grave injuries tend to befall experienced skiers who are likely to travel at higher speeds and seek out difficult terrain. |
So helmets are worn by those whose skiing style makes it more likely they will have a high impact injury. What is not discussed is the condition of these skiers if they had not been wearing a helmet.
Answer? Probably dead.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Jonpim, I am not sure that any of the data leads to the conclusion that someone not wearing a helmet would be dead when wearing a helmet only leads to injury.
The bulk of a helmet can add to the rotational stress on the neck and increase the likelyhood of a broken neck. This might balance off the added protection from collision with sharp objects which may lead to death.
Helmets appear to give added protection from non-fatal accidents rather than protection from fatal accidents.
A similar discusion is current in motorcycling circles and seems non conclusive. The original research which caused the motorcycle helmet compulsion law in the UK appears to be seriously flawed. Florida State has repealed their motorcycle helmet law and deaths of motorcyclists has not risen (whatever that signifies).
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FAQ
