The Importance of Ski and Snowboard Helmets
Here it is, almost December and only a light dusting of snow covers the ground. It hasn’t been the best start to the season for ski areas. Man made snow, and some of the natural stuff, is starting to blanket those hills. But there’s something to keep in mind when it comes to keeping yourself and your kids safe on the slopes.
Sixty-three-year-old Ken Marini of Bloomington took a spill last year going down the moguls. “You know it’s just a matter of time and you’re going to take a hit,” he says. It is what was on his head that allowed him to get right back on his feet. Helmets are being seen more and more on the slopes. Without one, Ken believes, “I just know I would have gotten hurt if I didn’t have it on.”
Tanya Thomas had her 5-year-old daughter, Mia, fit for a helmet last year at a clinic put on by North Memorial Medical Center and SAFE KIDS NW Metro Minneapolis. When it comes to her daughter, she says, “I wouldn’t have her ski any other way. A helmet protects her head and I wouldn’t want to take any chances on any injuries to her head.”
Ann Strong-Schmitz is with SAFE KIDS NW Metro Minneapolis which helps put on Ski and Snowboard Helmet Fit Clinics and Sales. She says those who have the most accidents on the slopes are beginners and kids, “About 40 percent of the hospitalized people are kids ages 14 and under.”
Skiing and snowboarding are relatively safe sports, but still, 33 people were seriously injured in the U.S. last year. According to Fred Seymour who runs Hyland Ski and Snowboard Area in Bloomington, helmets can help prevent injuries both big and small. He says, “Sometimes we find when kids fall, or when anybody falls, their heads will snap back and hit the snow and get a minor concussion and a helmet will certainly prevent that.”
As Ken Marini knows, his $100 helmet certainly cost less than a trip to the hospital. And if nothing else, he says “it keeps me warm 100 percent of the time.”
Ski and snowboard helmets start at $40 and go up. North Memorial Medical Center and SAFE KIDS NW Metro Minneapolis are putting on two helmet fit clinics and sales. The first is Tuesday, November 30, at the Maple Grove Community Center, 12951 Weaver Lake Road from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome. The second is Monday, December 6, at the South Metro Public Safety Training Facility, 7525 Braemar Boulevard in Edina from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
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