Since the death of Natasha Richardson in March 2009 due to a head injury resulting from a skiing accident a call has gone out to ski resort owners particularly in Canada to make the wearing of ski helmets mandatory. Up until now the wearing of a helmet for skiing has been purely on a voluntary basis, but since that fatal day last March the mindset has changed on the subject.
The Quebec resort when Natasha fell has just recently issued a press release stating that they will require all skiers at the resort to wear a helmet. As I understand it, the owners of the resort in Quebec also own several other resorts through out Canada and the Western United States. All of these resorts will be making the wearing of helmets mandatory.
And this is just a start. With the Olympics just about to start in Vancouver there is a movement afoot to make the wearing a helmets in BC mandatory.
Soon the cry will be going out to all ski and snowboarding resorts around the world to make the wearing of helmets mandatory.
Why does it take a fatality for people to start creating regulations? Helmets have been worn for several years now particularly by the ski racers, freestyle skiers and now the snowboarders.
Natasha wasn’t the first person to die of head injuries nor will she be the last. As long at the wearing of ski helmets is voluntary will always have those macho and cool people that refuse to wear helmets.
It seems to me that the younger generation is more apt to put helmets on whereas the older generation tends to be a little reluctant. The mindset seems to be that “I have been skiing without a helmet since I started and nothing has happened to me, so why should I start now?” This is precisely the person that will end up falling and possibly hurting themselves.
Fortunately the latest helmets are fashionable and people are starting to wear them. Not only that, the new breed of ski and snowboard helmets, come with audio capabilities, so you can listen to music while whooshing down the hill.
It will be interesting to see how many people will be wearing helmets this coming season.
Sometimes getting your child to wear a ski helmet can be quite difficult. They do not understand the seriousness of head injuries and most believe it can not happen to them. By following the five tips below it will make your job of convincing them to wear a ski helmet a lot easier.
- If you want your child to wear a ski helmet then you should also wear a ski helmet – Lead by example, your child looks up to you.
- Always point out to your child who is wearing a helmet. It could be a professional athlete, it could be others on the hill, or it could be one or all of their friends. Make sure they know the importance of wearing one.
- When buying a ski helmet, make sure you buy one that they like. Let them pick it out for themselves, no one likes to be told what they want, least of which is kids. If they want one that is colorful let them get it. Remember if they do not like the helmet, they will not want to wear it.
- Make sure that the ski helmet you buy is light, comfortable and fits properly. Nothing is worse that a helmet that does not fit.
- The most important thing is to make sure it is their decision and if they want to decorate it as they see fit then let them do it even if you do not care for it. They will wear what they like and what they have created.