Helmets are cooler than concussions

As ski season is coming to a close, the annual debate about helmets on the slopes has resurfaced. Take it from me, a helmet can save your life. 

Photo: Claire Zimmerman

I have been skiing since I was four years old, and from the beginning I have always worn a helmet. Growing up in a ski town and in a ski family, it was a no brainer for me, given the advanced terrain and often dangerous conditions of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. But as I have gotten older, I have observed skiers of all ages and skill levels who are passionate about not wearing helmets. 

Some say it looks cooler to just wear a beanie or a baseball hat. Some say helmets aren’t comfortable or impact their peripheral vision. Some just never grew up wearing helmets and don’t feel the need to change. 

But I think wearing a helmet is cooler than ending up with a concussion, traumatic brain injury, paralyzation, or even death. 

Whether or not someone should wear a helmet has nothing to do with how long they have been skiing or even how skilled of a skier they are. Everyone should be wearing a helmet on the slopes because accidents are completely out of your control. 

People die on the slopes every year, and not because of recklessness, lack of skill or extreme activities. According to statistics from National Ski Areas Association, “most of those fatally injured are above-average skiers and snowboarders who are going at high rates of speed on the margins of intermediate trails. This is the same population that suffers the majority of unintentional deaths from injury.”

That is exactly what happened to me. 

After 15 years of skiing, this year was the first time I experienced firsthand the importance of protecting my head while skiing. I was involved in a freak skiing accident over spring break while skiing at my local mountain in Nevada. Another skier hit me from behind at full speed at the intersection of two trails and I was left with a serious concussion among other injuries. I was wearing a helmet. Imagine what would have happened if I wasn’t wearing one. 

I am an advanced skier and I am extremely confident in my ability to ski safely without hitting my head. However, I cannot control everyone else on the mountain. 

According to the Boston Children’s Hospital, “properly fitting helmets reduce the risk of ski and snowboard-related head injuries by 60 percent. Even if a skier or snowboarder does sustain a head injury, the injury will be less severe if their head is protected by a helmet.”

Even though I am suffering the effects of a serious concussion, I am grateful that I only have a concussion. I thank my helmet for preventing a traumatic brain injury or hospitalization following the crash. 

Ski accidents happen every day, and just last spring a veteran skier at Palisades Tahoe died from head trauma after hitting a hidden rock without a helmet. This is proof that even the most experienced of riders need to wear protective gear.

So, the people who think it’s “cool” to not wear a helmet are only setting themselves up for a head injury. And the adults on the mountain riding without a helmet are setting a poor example for the kids and beginners who are at the greatest risk of injury.

Helmets not only prevent injuries from freak accidents, but also allow riders to push their abilities and improve on the mountain, especially in the terrain park. When trying new jumps, rails or tricks it is vital to be cautious of head injuries. People never expect to fall. But even the best riders can fall, and usually the better skier you are, the harder you fall.

If the best of the best, think Mikaela Shiffrin and Chloe Kim, are wearing helmets, why wouldn’t you?