Six winters ago, I wrote my first post on ski helmets and why they are important for kids (and adults, too).
In 2010, 57% of U.S. skiers and snowboarders wore helmets according to the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA).
Today, that number is 80%, with 89% of kids under age 17 (and a full 93% of children under age 9) sporting helmets every time they ski or ride.
And, most impressive, the growth in helmet use has been largely voluntary.
Only New Jersey requires helmets for kids. While many resorts require children in lessons to wear helmets, the message that helmets are a good thing has been heard and families are acting on it.
And the Data Says…
While there will always be naysayers, a 2015 analysis from the University of Rochester (New York), show that ski helmets are extremely effective at reducing skull fractures and eliminating scalp lacerations.
Helmets are also effective at preventing serious concussions. Three-quarters of all skiing and snowboarding-related head injuries are mild concussions requiring minimal treatment. Without helmets, these mild concussions could be much more serious.
A Eurosafe study, using Canadian data, found that helmets reduce head injuries by 21%-45% with the greatest benefit for children under the age of 10 (a 50% reduction).
A Parent’s Guide to Helmet Safety
1. The Right Fit. In order to offer protection, ski and snowboard helmets must fit. Never buy a helmet for your child with “room to grow.” Instead, look for kids’ helmets with adjustable dials and straps fit snugly and allow for some growth.
Check the fit of your children’s helmets before you buy (or rent) and recheck it throughout the season.
First, measure your child’s head with a soft tape that shows centimeters. Place the tape about 1” above the eyebrows and ears. This will help you choose the right size.
Next, try it on. A well-fitting helmet should neither tight nor loose. It should be snug, but without pressure points. There should be no excess space between the helmet and the head.
Ask your child to shake his or her head. The helmet should stay put, without independent movement. Push the helmet up and down, to the left and to the right. It should stay in place and the skin of the head should move with the helmet.
Also be sure to check your child’s goggles. They should fit snugly against the helmet, with no gap.
These same tips work for adults, too.
2. Replace When Necessary. While it would be nice if helmets lasted forever, they do not. Age takes a toll on helmets, with the cushioning and dampening materials loosing some of their effectiveness after 3-5 years.
If you’ve got a helmet in that age range, replace it. For the same reasons, don’t buy used helmets.
Also, you should always replace a helmet after any accident involving the head and helmet. Our son recently took a hard hit to his head. While he didn’t have a concussion, and his brand-new (of course) helmet didn’t appear damaged or cracked, ski patrol told us to toss it.
It’s a matter of better safe than sorry.
3. Ski Safe. Ski Smart. A few years ago, a report showing an increase in head injuries alongside increases in ski and snowboard helmet use was published in Wilderness and Environmental Medicine. While a supposed correlation between helmets and head injuries got the most attention, the study found additional factors at play including crowded slopes, increased risk-taking and better brain injury detection.
This means its important to teach your kids about skiing safety. The most serious brain injuries come from accidents involving trees, rocks and other people. Avoiding collisions is paramount.
So is skiing safely. The best place to learn about skiing safety is the Skier’s Responsibility Code. Don’t assume your kids understand the rules of the slopes. Have a discussion about safety and lead by example.
4. Make Helmets a Habit. Recently, our family watched some ski movies from the 1960s and 1970s.
These films were enlightening for several reasons. First, the athletes were doing amazing moves on really bad equipment. Second, they were hardly wearing any layers, prompting my son to ask if temperatures were actually warmer back then (they weren’t, so we decided that the bad equipment forced skiers to work harder and stay warmer).
Third, and most importantly, no one was wearing a helmet, not even when sending it from rocky precipices and chutes. My sons, one of whom falls into the category with the least helmet usage (ages 18-24), were shocked. It terrified them to think of the risks these skiers were taking.
It was music to my ears.
Start your children off right by wearing helmets from day one.
Model excellent behavior and always wear your helmet, too.
Be smart, ski smart and stay smart!
Enjoy!
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Our family of 3 all wear helmets when we ski. The primary reason is safety but in reality they are also much warmer than just wearing a hat. Since my son is just about 6 he is learning to ski faster, but with that comes having to also stay in control. It is a constant learning lesson as he moves up in terrain and a topic we talk about often. You can ski fast, but you need to stay in control…
I also liked Bolle on facebook.
Cheers
Such words of wisdom Ginger! Stay warm by wearing a helmet (so true). Stay safe by skiing in control! Glad you are talking about these things!
Thanks for the 2nd entry!
My son has always worn a helmet from age 2- to now 19.. He has had a few bad accidents, two being concussions, I don’t want to think of what may of happened if he didn’t have his helmet on. So there was no question my daughter would wear one from the start as well. We all wear helmets now!
Very smart! My younger son has had two head-banging spills. One that was disorienting. He may not be vigilant about sunscreen (another topic) but he is vigilant about his helmet.
Now that mine is older, I have caught him with out it, but luckily his girlfriend also makes him wear it, LOL.. oh, yes sunscreen, good luck with that.. also liked Bolle facebook page
Good on his GF!
Thanks for the FB like and second entry!
The whole family wears helmets! As the kids get older, we seem to be skiing harder and faster. Better to be safe than sorry.
You say it well!
Last March, (2016), my 7 yr old daughter had a high-impact crash with a tree. The doctors at the U of VT Children’s Trauma Center made it clear to us that her helmet saved her life. While she was still very injured, with broken bones and internal injuries, her concussion was the first thing to heal. Helmets were, are, and will always be an essential part of our winter sports fun. Thanks for offering the blog, article, and giveaway.
Audrey, I remember this. Thanks for the update. I am sorry that she is still healing, but so happy her concussion is resolved. I hope you are your family are doing well. And thank you for your important testimonial. Helmets can’t prevent everything, but they can save lives!
Our kids are constantly pointing out people that are NOT wearing helmets and usually go into some explanation why they should in 7.5/9 year old wisdom.
I also liked on the FB.
Kids are often smarter than adults!
You’ve got 2 entries! Thanks.
Those little heads are precious cargo! And, as far as my little guys are concerned, helmets are cool… especially since all the big guys in the terrain park wear theirs!
Leading by example! Don’t you love it?
My husband and I have both been concussed (mountain biking, fell on ice) and appreciate the value of a good helmet. We wear them cycling, skiing, skating, and sledding. My husband’s mountain biking accident could have been fatal without a helmet; even with it he had bleeding on the brain, but he fortunately had a good recovery. The kids know that they can’t ski, ride, skate, or slide without a helmet and they tell their friends! (followed Bolle on Twitter and FB for extra entries)
Wow. I am so sorry to hear about your husband. Glad he is okay, though!
You’ve got two entries. Thanks for the follows.
I’ve seen kids take bad falls and end up on stretchers. My wife and I wear our helmets to set an example for the kids. If the parents don’t wear helmets, the kids are going to think it’s okay. It short circuits any discussion of “I don’t want to wear my helmet today.”
I love discussions which are short-circuited by common sense! Well done!
We are skiing family of 5, we all wear helmets, My husband and I started years before we had kids. We wore helmets to mountain bike and rock climb and we thought “it’s crazy we don’t wear one to ski”. It was never a question with our kids. If they are in control and have the right equipment they can ski faster and harder. There is a great book for young skiers called “Safely Ski from A to Z” which I got from you. My kids loved it and I’ve given it as gifts.
Hi Natasha, So nice to hear from you! Thanks for the reminder about the book. Here’s a link for all those interested. It’s a good one for teaching kids on-slope safety! https://braveskimom.com/ski-safety-know-the-code-from-a-to-z-book-giveaway
We wear helmets because, even when you do everything right and ski conservatively, you might get slammed by an out of control skier or snowboarder. It is a lot easier to replace a helmet than your skull.
Agreed. It is so much easier to replace a helmet! And they definitely need to be replaced after they take a hard hit.
Helmets all around for us! It didn’t take me long to realize that the adults needed to wear them just as much as the kids. I’d never ski without one now, and so glad to see most people wearing them, snowboarding or skiing .
Agreed! Thanks for the comment!
I’ve been wearing a helmet since before it was cool. Back in the early 90’s I skied with my family at Whiteface in NY and all the racers had them. I thought they looked cool and after a nasty heel side fall when learning to snowboard asked my Mom to get me one. It was a black, no vents and very warm (also super hot in the spring). I have worn a helmet ever since eventhough I’m am back to being a skier. My kids are 2 and 4 and both wear helmets even though they are only just at the very beginning of Learning to ski. My 2 year old will definitely due for a bigger one next year.
That’s a great story! Good on you for being an early adopter!
We wear helmets because crashes always could and do happen. A few years back one daughter lost control and crashed head first pretty hard into a wooden cutout bear on the side of a bunny hill. Thanks in part to wearing a helmet this is now a teaching experience and a funny memory instead of a sad one: “everyone please ski in control and no tackling the bears.”
That is a great story! Sorry she hit the bear, but thank goodness she had a helmet. And way to make it fun, I love your safe skiing motto!
My husband is an avid motorcycle rider. Helmets are always worn and the kids love trying his helmet on. So it was a natural thing when my 6 year old took up skiing last winter, that we all wear helmets. There is never even a question. We wear them when biking, skateboarding, skiing, and snowboarding. Lead by example.