Most people have had an accident of some sort, from dropping a glass, to flying off a
mogul ending in a crash.  The question is, did we learn from our mistake(s)?  Could this 
 "accident" have been prevented or the outcome at least mitigated?  Planning is the basis
for the prevention of nearly all accidents.  Little things, like have you had enough rest.  Am
I thinking about the task at hand or is my mind on something else?

 

A good ski run is planned. It is thought out, the hazards are considered, the traffic is observed and the decision as to what line to take is made. Throughout our run we instinctively re-evaluate the conditions, the traffic and any previously unobserved hazards.  Even after all our careful planning however, sometimes things are not in our control.  For example, the skier or boarder who is not looking ahead or considering any hazards that he might encounter.  Perhaps this person is out of control at a merging trail and you can not see him/her before collision.  Have you planned?  Can you make an emergency stop or is it too late and collision imminent?  All of us have or will encounter this type of situation at least once, if not several times, in our skiing/boarding life.

 

After skiing for 40 years I re-evaluated my planning.  I found it was NOT adequate to mitigate the above scenario.  I had taught my kids to ski and insisted on the best equipment including a quality helmet that fit appropriately.  I, of course, had not, and did not ski with a helmet.  It just wasn't "done" when I learned to ski.  I have had my share of "accidents" from sprains, lacerations, contusions and broken bones.  I have been lucky!  But why should my kids need helmets and I don't?  Because I don't have accidents?  Wrong!  Because I had failed to learn from my mistakes and my accidents.

 

Two years ago, I purchased a helmet.  The first day I wore it at Pine Mountain, it was a beautiful spring day.  The snow was great and the temperature was approaching 50 degrees F.  I hated wearing the helmet. The helmet vent was open and I was still hot.  While riding the chair lift with my son, we saw an adult skier come off a headwall.  He was airborne and could not see the little boy who had stopped just below the headwall. The airborne skier could not alter his path in the air and the little boy was hit in the head with the sharp edges of the adults ski.  The boy had no helmet.  He was unconscious after the collision with a large scalp wound.  The large loss of blood that stained the crystal white snow was what you would expect with this type of injury.

 

As is typical in the U.P. of Michigan, the next day the weather was cold and snowy.  My helmet vent was closed this day and I was warm in spite the environment which was cold and windy.  My helmet was more comfortable and provided great protection from the wind, the cold and perhaps even the unforeseen.

 

As Patrollers we have an obligation to ski safe and in control.  Like it or not, people look to Patrollers as setting the example or standard for skiing and equipment.  Wearing a helmet transmits a message to the rest of the skiing public.  The message is I am a Patroller, I know how to ski and I wear a helmet to protect myself.  I believe this image is important for the influence we as patrollers may have on the skiing public, if not for the protection it provides for us.

 

Get a good vented helmet if you don't have one.  If you do have one wear it!  The cost is miniscule compared to a trip to the emergency room.  Ask Sonny!

Excerpted from: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml99/99046.html 
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff concluded that helmet use by skiers and snowboarders could prevent or reduce the severity of 44 percent of head injuries to adults, and 53 percent of head injuries to children under the age of 15. The proportion of skiing and snowboarding head injuries is higher in children than in any other age group. In 1997, there were 17,500 head injuries associated with skiing and snowboarding. The CPSC study estimates that 7,700 head injuries - including 2,600 head injuries to children -- could be prevented or reduced in severity each year by using skiing or snowboarding helmets. The study also shows that helmet use could prevent about 11 skiing- and snowboarding- related deaths annually.

 

Safety  Is  No Accident . . . . It is Planned!