Norwegian Study on Ski Helmets

DaveM wrote:
The only downside that I can think of is that it is a lot harder to
stuff in my pocket when I am sitting in the bar after skiing so I have
to remember to take it with me when I go.
True, but I find the helmet handy for holding loose items like gloves,
gaiters, etc. Instead of making a big pile of crap on the table, I
just stuff everything in the helmet, hopefully such that it won't fall
out. Then, when I go outside and find that my hands are cold, I head
back in and find my helmet with my gloves, etc.

In article . com,
TexasSkiNut wrote:

just stuff everything in the helmet, hopefully such that it won't fall
out. Then, when I go outside and find that my hands are cold, I head
back in and find my helmet with my gloves, etc.

Another thing. This ain't the NFL either. The last time some wing nut
skied into my line I speared him. I can handle being crippled for the rest
of my life getting slid on a powder day. I'm not going to get my knee
blown by some ****ty skier at the bottom of the hill getting back to the
lift.

The guys wife thought it was hysterical. I dropped my center of gravity and
unloaded. Gear flew into a yard sale. It was self defense. That instict
you learn on the football field.
--
According to John Perry Barlow, "Jeff Davis is a truly gifted trouble-maker."

On Fri, 24 Feb 2006 16:37:13 -0500, "Monique Y. Mudama"
wrote:

On 2006-02-24, DaveM penned:

The only downside that I can think of is that it is a lot harder to
stuff in my pocket when I am sitting in the bar after skiing so I
have to remember to take it with me when I go.

Yeah, that would be annoying. I never do apres-ski unless I have a
hotel room nearby, so it's not been a problem for me.

I was recently in a bar that caters to the many snowmobilers in that
area (long story), and they had a shelf on the wall across from the
bar for people to put their helmets. As skiers more commonly start
wearing helmets, maybe the same will happen in ski bars.
Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
--
At the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

"-2turn" wrote in message
oups.com...
Helmet use is increasing, the group said, with one-third of skiers and
snowboarders surveyed last season wearing helmets, compared with 28
percent the year before.
Over the past five years, almost 40 percent of skiers and snowboarders
who died in ski accidents wore helmets...

If one third of the population, or less, is using a helmet, and 40
percent of deaths were wearing helmets, doesn't that mean....oh my
God...
Be safe out there, get rid of that brain bucket.

Well imagine that.
Does that mean Mary's kyak lid is even more dangerous ?

LePheaux wrote:

"-2turn" wrote in message
oups.com...

Helmet use is increasing, the group said, with one-third of skiers and

snowboarders surveyed last season wearing helmets, compared with 28
percent the year before.
Over the past five years, almost 40 percent of skiers and snowboarders
who died in ski accidents wore helmets...

If one third of the population, or less, is using a helmet, and 40
percent of deaths were wearing helmets, doesn't that mean....oh my
God...
Be safe out there, get rid of that brain bucket.


Well imagine that.
Does that mean Mary's kyak lid is even more dangerous ?

I'm not about to give it up! Unconscious = dead in whitewater.

Monique Y. Mudama wrote:
Do people really take more risks when wearing protective gear? I just
can't imagine thinking "I'm wearing a helmet, so even though those
trees are too tight for my ability level, I'm going to ski 'em
anyway."

It's called "risk homeostasis". The idea is that people have a level of
perceived risk that they're comfortable with, and subconsciously modify
their behaviour to maintain it. Too little risk, and they get bored, too
much, and they get scared.

If you are wearing protective gear (the argument goes), whether that be
a seat belt in a car, or a helmet whilst skiing, you will drive or ski a
bit more aggressively to compensate for your increased feeling of
security, without being aware of it.

It's a controversial theory, with some studies claiming to refute the
effect. Also note that perceived risk is not the same as actual risk
(see: rollercoasters).

"Mary Malmros" wrote in message
...
LePheaux wrote:

"-2turn" wrote in message
oups.com...

Helmet use is increasing, the group said, with one-third of skiers and

snowboarders surveyed last season wearing helmets, compared with 28
percent the year before.


Well imagine that.
Does that mean Mary's kyak lid is even more dangerous ?

I'm not about to give it up! Unconscious = dead in whitewater.


For what it is worth my son was involved in an accident last week skiing in
Norway. Both skiers had helmets. After a pretty high speed collision and a
few bruises both skiers made their separate ways down the hill. It was only
after my son took his helmet off he saw the nice deep gash on his helmet
caused by the ladies' ski. Right across the side of the helmet above the
ear. No statistics, no reports, no pain. Certainly made me think


Doug

Scandinavian fun in the sun http://www.ski-norway.co.uk/

Doug Maclean wrote:

For what it is worth my son was involved in an accident last week skiing in
Norway. Both skiers had helmets. After a pretty high speed collision and a
few bruises both skiers made their separate ways down the hill. It was only
after my son took his helmet off he saw the nice deep gash on his helmet
caused by the ladies' ski. Right across the side of the helmet above the
ear. No statistics, no reports, no pain. Certainly made me think

Now you've got to replace that helmet.
The gashed one will make a good souvenir.

On 2006-02-27, Pyriform penned:

It's called "risk homeostasis". The idea is that people have a level
of perceived risk that they're comfortable with, and subconsciously
modify their behaviour to maintain it. Too little risk, and they get
bored, too much, and they get scared.

If you are wearing protective gear (the argument goes), whether that
be a seat belt in a car, or a helmet whilst skiing, you will drive
or ski a bit more aggressively to compensate for your increased
feeling of security, without being aware of it.

It's a controversial theory, with some studies claiming to refute
the effect. Also note that perceived risk is not the same as actual
risk (see: rollercoasters).

Hrm. Interesting. I know people who will choose to wear protective
gear when in unusually risky situations (ie, a mountain biker might
not usually wear shin guards, but for certain maneuvers or terrain
they might put them on), but I'm not sure that this is the same thing.

I honest don't think that wearing a helmet has made me a more
aggressive skier. I am still the same wuss I always have been, just
with a helmet. Put me in the trees and watch me squirm.

The new skis, now, *they* make me a more aggressive skier, because
they can actually handle what I'm doing. My old, crap skis would
skitter on groomers; sink in powder; bounce all over the place going
over the tiniest chunk of crud. The new ones bite into groomers and
hold like glue, float up in powder, and hold to the line no matter
what gets in their way. Mmmm yummy.

--
monique
Longmont, CO

Monique Y. Mudama wrote:

On 2006-02-27, Pyriform penned:

It's called "risk homeostasis". The idea is that people have a level
of perceived risk that they're comfortable with, and subconsciously
modify their behaviour to maintain it. Too little risk, and they get
bored, too much, and they get scared.

If you are wearing protective gear (the argument goes), whether that
be a seat belt in a car, or a helmet whilst skiing, you will drive
or ski a bit more aggressively to compensate for your increased
feeling of security, without being aware of it.

It's a controversial theory, with some studies claiming to refute
the effect. Also note that perceived risk is not the same as actual
risk (see: rollercoasters).


Hrm. Interesting. I know people who will choose to wear protective
gear when in unusually risky situations (ie, a mountain biker might
not usually wear shin guards, but for certain maneuvers or terrain
they might put them on), but I'm not sure that this is the same thing.

Yup. Chicken-and-egg problem, and as with all such, you can slant it
the way you want to see it. If you're a fan of risk homeostatis, why,
that mountain biker never would have done those maneuvers without
putting on those shin guards!

I honest don't think that wearing a helmet has made me a more
aggressive skier. I am still the same wuss I always have been, just
with a helmet. Put me in the trees and watch me squirm.

I know when running whitewater, there are things I won't do if I don't
have certain gear. It doesn't mean that I believe that gear makes me
bulletproof; it means that I judge that it will give me a margin of
error that makes what I'm planning to do safe enough.