Planetski.eu brings us this update on the tragic week in the Alps that resulted in 6 deaths.
Breakdown:
- 3 people killed in avalanches.
- 2 children dead after skiing into trees.
- 1 woman died after a collision with another skier.
3 People Killed in Avalanches
3 people died this week in a single small area of Switzerland.
There were three avalanches on Wednesday alone near the PlanetSKI base resort of Verbier in the Valais canton of Switzerland. Three people died.
In one a 20-year old Swedish man lost his life. He was skiing off piste in the Nendaz area with three friends when he was swept away.
2 Children Dead After Skiing Into Trees
A 10-year old British girl lost control and crashed into a tree at the resort of Mayrhofen. She died later in hospital from her injuries.
A 12-year old German boy also died this week after he too collided with a tree in Austria. It is being reported that both children were wearing helmets at the time.
1 Woman Died After A Collision With Another Skier
And finally…. A 44-year old woman from Liechtenstein died instantly after she crashed into a 47-year old German man in the Austrian resort of Zurs. She was wearing a helmet but died from severe head injuries.
Our the helmets in our sport just crap or what? Three here wearing helmets and the woman last week in Colorado… Maybe there were non head related injuries but still, I wonder statistically if helmets are helping or just supplying a false sense of security.
A guide of mine heliskiing in Valdez didn’t wear a helmet… He said he thought he skied safer without it (took less risks, of course while guiding he probably wasn’t pushing his envelope but still)
I’m sure the stats would show that helmets do help. They aren’t built to withstand a headon into a tree, or getting pummeled by an out of control skier straight to the dome. I’m pretty sure if you hit your head on something solid going over 20 mph or something hits your head going that fast, youre screwed no matter what you’re wearing.
Helmets protect the skull but that’s already a solid contoured bone structure and not really the weak link. The neck is the area that connect the spinal column to the brain and is where a lot of “head” injuries stem from. It’s there that a ‘KO’ or blackout typically comes from when the nerves suffer trauma, and the whip/snap force of the neck can separate it from the Medula and instantly cause death. A helmet actually adds unusual weight to the head and could exacerbate a neck injury.
Anyone that has ragdoll-ed learns to grab and tuck their head to ‘Protect Your Neck” as the Wu say.
I’m not claiming I know what happened in any of these instances. Just adding my $.02
They help. You cannot tell statistically whether or not you are going to have your accident at high speed or low speed, and whether or not the low speed impact will have a head hitting something. Low speed, you laugh, think about how to not do that again, or yell at the dweeb who tripped you, and walk away without the concussion. High speed… ?? We are not hearing about the people who sustain falls, all the time, who are spared a head injury because they had one on, because that doesn’t make the news. But you should still be skiing/boarding and taking care to avoid running into things, as if you are not wearing one. No amount of head protection is going to protect you fully, if you are going above the speed that the human body is designed to be able to withstand when it impacts- and that is our natural running speed. Also, it is the sudden stop that can cause a fatal internal injury – case in point, when Princess Di was in the car wreck in Paris that killed her, she was “wrapped” in one of the safest, sturdiest vehicles made, but because her driver was speeding at about 80 to 100 mph when he hit the pillar in the tunnel, when her body stopped as it was slammed around inside the vehicle, her internal organs and heart were still moving, then torn loose and arteries/veins ripped, and she slowly bled to death because it was not obvious to the first responders that she had sustained such an injury. The same thing happens to the brain inside the best helmets – if you’re going too fast for the forces of the sudden de- acceleration of the stop, it gets jiggled around in there, whether or not you also hit the object head first (shudder).
I finally went to a helmet this year for skiing, after doing the most ridiculous low speed fall on ice trying to successfully avoid oblivious people with children, who stepped out right in front of me as I was skiing very slowly back to the lift. I will not run into a child even if their parents are a menace. I did not hit my head that time nor hurt myself, but I cannot stop other people from doing stupid sh*t. Sure enough, I then got tangled up the next month with another ridiculous situation and another person not looking at what they were doing, and down I went again, but at least this time I had the head protection. Short of wearing bright colors, and being hyper vigilant about how far away I can stay from other people, or wearing a star- trek style invisible force field to repel others, what can you do ? It is very icy out there when the temperatures drop.
I can try to point out that all you fashionistas in the dull monochromatic black, brown and grey outfits stopping in the tree shadows are risking getting thwapped by the people who won’t see you, so you ought to stop doing that, but I don’t know if this will do any good.
Children hitting trees… they just have a different center of gravity than an adult… their heads are heavier relative to the rest of their body… just heartbreaking.
That was a little bit long winded, don’t you think?
I’ve said it before, shut up and stay in the valley you freakin kook. Nobody gives a shit about your ranting diatribes!
But if you really wanted head protection why not wear a full face helmet like they do in the “dangerous” sports.
I laugh at those macho biker guys that wear the little upside down bowl on their heads like it will actually help them when they lay it down at 60mph on the highway… but then thats exactly the helmet I and most skiers/riders choose… and I dont plan on sweating on the mountain in a full face anytime soon, go figure.
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