“It all started with a concussion,” she explained.
A customer told us the story of how she came to start wearing a ski helmet. It began with a bad skiing fall, a head injury and a trip to the doctor who urged her to pass up skiing for the rest of the season. She managed to get the doctor to reconsider complete ski banishment with the caveat that, “if you ski, you MUST wear a helmet.” Having enough sense left to heed the advice, she headed to Sno-Haus to get her first ski helmet. “That was over 15 years ago and I’ve never skied a day without a helmet. The first helmets looked more like bicycle helmets than the ski helmets that I see displayed here now.” She reminisced about being one of the only people on the mountain wearing a helmet that year.
She was right.
The National Ski Areas Association of America reported that in 2003, only 25% of skiers and snowboarders were wearing helmets. By 2013, over 70% of them were hitting the slopes with a helmet on their heads. Studies have shown that while a helmet cannot prevent head trauma, it can reduce the severity of the injury.
It is rare these days to find a skier without a helmet. Children in ski school are required to wear them and the adults on the slopes are appreciating the benefits of wearing a helmet too. New designs are safer than ever and the current helmets are comfortable, warm, and have good ventilation. The fit is very important, so come in and let us size you for a new helmet or bring your old helmets in for a fit and safety check. A helmet must be replaced if it has been involved in a serious crash or is damaged.
If you haven’t yet joined the growing ranks of helmet wearing skiers and snowboarders, now might be the time for you to try one. We promise if you get the right fit you will forget you are wearing one within a few runs. Catching an edge, falling, and hitting your unprotected head is just not worth the risk when there are so many great helmet options to choose from. It makes sense to not let a great ski day end with a trip to the doctor.
