I have been mesmerized by the Winter Olympics. Each night, I eagerly tune into the NBC broadcast and watch with amazement as snowboarders and skiers race, soar and somersault in defiance of gravity, human speed and most probably their mothers. I know the latter are in the crowds cheering their progeny on…How do they do it? Do they have to avert their eyes as their progeny perform impossible feats? Needless to say, I am not the mother of an elite athlete. When my younger daughter competed in gymnastics, I would avoid watching her high beam practice and/or events. Indeed, I was not terribly unhappy when she decided to stop her training at the age of 12!

So while entertaining thoughts of injury, I was rather pleased to find a commentary titled “Skiers, Snowboarders, and Safety Helmets” in this week’s JAMA. The authors cited some statistics that A) verified my concern and B) addressed ways to appease them. Apparently there are 600,000 ski-and snowboard-related injuries each year. Of these, an estimated 15% to 20% are traumatic brain injuries and are the leading cause of hospitalization. Head and brain injuries account for 50% to 88% of total deaths in skiers and snowboarders. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that 44% of head injuries could be prevented by use of helmets and that 53% of these injuries in children would be reduced by strapping the appropriate helmet on their heads. Other studies have been even more “helmet praiseworthy” citing a 60% reduction in head injuries. They have also found that their use does not appear associated with an increase in spine or neck injury.

Despite this, the authors then give the rather astonishing stat that in a recent study at a western New York ski resort only 37% of 1472 children wore a helmet while skiing and snowboarding. Other studies have found that only 12% of the general ski and snowboard population wear them.

Fashion may have been the issue, but the Olympics will, I hope, change that. The helmets the competitors wore looked fabulous….remember the gold one, or how about the new fashion for women of “stick out” pigtails?
It would also help if ski patrols at resorts wore helmets regularly.

Bottom line: Having the wind in your hair may feel great, but not if you are attempting to traverse the surface of snow with skis or a snowboard at any speed. And as you pay those fees for ski and snowboarding lessons and equipment for your kids, make sure that a helmet (in any color they want) is included and always used.