Aspen mandates helmet use for younger skiers
The Aspen Skiing Co. has become the first Colorado ski resort to mandate helmets for ski school students who are 6 years old and younger. The new policy takes effect Saturday.
“It’s been a possibility we’ve had for a long time but basically with the string of accidents we took another look at it,” said Mike Kaplan, the company’s vice president of mountain operations.
The policy will not apply to children who aren’t under company supervision, he said.
Fourteen people have died in skiing-related accidents on Colorado slopes this season, surpassing the previous record of 12 in 1998-1999. Five of the deaths were on Aspen area mountains.
A doctor on Wednesday credited a helmet with saving the life of 5-year-old Eliot Levmore, of Chicago. Levmore skied into a tree at Aspen Highlands on Tuesday, denting his helmet but suffering only cuts, bruises and a minor concussion.
Last month, 6-year-old Leonie Arguetty of West Palm Beach, Fla., died after skiing into a tree at Aspen Highlands during a ski lesson. She was not wearing a helmet.
Three years ago, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission concluded that ski helmets reduce the risk of head injury. The commission’s study determined that between 1993 and 1997, 11 deaths per year attributed solely to head injuries “might be prevented by the use of helmets.”
Kaplan said the age of 6 years old and younger was determined because some studies identify that threshold as the guideline for skills.
Denver attorney James Chalat, who practices personal-injury ski law, said the mandate signals a “change in the message, which is being sent out by ski resorts. ”
“It’s about time and I commend Aspen Skiing Company for having the guts to step forward and say, ‘Yes, we should do this,’” Chalat said.
Carol Hawk, a Basalt mother of two who led a public outcry following the death of the Florida 6-year-old, said SkiCo’s new policy shows “they’re clearly recognizing that helmets can save lives.”
“I just hope we don’t lose a 9- or 10-year-old to prove this needs to be done with all children” she said.
On the Net: Aspen Skiing Co.:
http://www.aspensnowmass.com
Related Articles:
Loading ...
