It looks set to become law in California as a bill makes its way thought the legislative process. Some welcome it, others say it being done for liability reasons and question the evidence.

Two separate bills are being considered.

The first is based on existing laws requiring minors to wear helmets when riding a bicycle.

The measure would impose a $25 fine on the parents of children that did not comply with the new ruling.

The other would require ski resorts to ensure children wore a helmet and enforce the rule. Some in the US ski industry oppose this as they don't want to police the slopes.

The bill would also force resorts to publish details of accidents on the slopes including how many people were injured or killed.

All kids set to wear helmetsSome resorts fear this requirement would open them up to legal liability.

The pros and cons of wearing a helmet have been reported and debated elsewhere on PlanetSKI and we don't propose to trot through all the arguments again.

Recently Aspen said it would require all its employees to wear a helmet next winter if they skied or snowboarded during their working day.

It was the latest North American resort to do so.

In California the bills have completed the next stage of the legal process and now go on to the Senate.

It's thought the new compulsion would affect the largest group of people so far in North America.

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PHAT Says Wear A Ski Helmet

PHAT stands for Protect Your Head at All Times, Protect Your Head on All Terrain.

It is a team of volunteer doctors and safety professionals led by Robert Williams, M.D., doctor to the Smugglers' Notch Ski Patrol and associate professor at the University of Vermont College of Medicine.

Williams said snowboards and super-sidecut skis have driven a dramatic change in what skiers and riders do on the mountain, and that resorts have responded by offering a variety of terrain and experiences.

"Skiers and riders have to adapt by skiing and riding responsibly and wearing helmets," he said.

He said glades, terrain parks, and off-piste skiing have led to a decrease in the speed that people ski and ride, meaning that many accidents are at slower speeds, where helmets can be most effective.

At the same time, he said, the surfaces that skiers or riders hit are often very hard and unforgiving, like the icy walls of half-pipes, or trees in the woods.

"In terrain parks, at the top of an arc the skier or rider actually achieves zero velocity. But when they fall, they're falling against really hard surfaces.

"Backcountry skiers and riders are a long way and a long time from help, so wearing a helmet to reduce the severity of an injury really makes sense. They can save a concussion; if you have a head injury but no concussion, that's good. If you have a head injury with a concussion, but not worse trauma on top of that, that's good," he said.

PHAT is based at Smugglers' Notch Resort but visits ski resorts across New England throughout the winter. Upcoming stops are Feb. 22 at Sugarbush and Feb. 24 at Okemo.

The stops include information sessions by PHAT and promotional safety offers by the resorts
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Spate Of Ski Accidents Prompts Austrian Ski Helmet Law

Helmets for youngsters on the slopes

A new helmet law for children younger than 14 is being rushed into Austrian ski resorts following a series of accidental deaths this winter.

Authorities said this season in Austria there will be at least 5,500 skiing and sledging injuries, and 10 percent of the victims will suffer head injuries. The sub-zero conditions on the slopes have created much faster pistes, making impacts far more severe when skiers collide.

Christian Kaulfersch an A&E doctor told The Sunday Times, "Crashes at 30 mph are like falling onto concrete from a second-floor balcony." The Ski Club of Great Britain recommends helmet use for 14 year olds and younger, but the Austrian Skiing Federation believes that head protection should be worn by all skiers, adults and children.

Beata Christandl was the 17th skier to die in an accident on the piste in Austria this season. Christandl died of head injuries on New Year's Day after a collision with a German politician at a combined speed of 60 miles per hour.
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Intrawest are introducing new requirements for ski school pupils and teachers to wear helmets on the slopes in its resorts.


The group, which operates nine North American ski areas including Whistler, Panorama, Steamboat, Winter Park and Tremblant, came to the decision after the high profile accidental death of actress Natasha Richardson.

Richardson suffered apparently very superficial injuries after a fall during a ski school lesson at Tremblant last winter, only to die of a resulting blood clot to the brain. The new rules underscore Intrawest's commitment to guest safety, the company said in a recent statement.

People taking lessons will be required to wear a helmet regardless of age, and employees will be required to wear helmets while on duty in any freestyle terrain parks during the 2010/11 winter season, although some resorts are planning to implement the rule for the 2009/10 season.

Ski school staff will not be required to wear a helmet when working working outside the parks, unlike staff working in Vail, which now requires all on-mountain skiing or boarding staff to wear helmets.

Prior to the regulation changes, Intrawest recommended that all children wore helmets but there was an opt-out waiver for parents. This this will no longer being available for children and teens up to age 17, however it is understood adults will be able to sign an opt-out waiver to not wear a helmet should they wish.

Intrawest has also announced that rental packages will now include helmets and that it is embarking on a programme of updating its brochures, website and other marketing material to show on-snow activity at its resorts being undertaken by helmet-wearing skiers and boarders. The company also officially recommends that all skiers and snowboarders at its resorts use ski helmets..