Skiing is dangerous. Have you ever actually read the fine print on the back of your ticket? The lawyers who wrote that pile of disclaimers would have you believe each lift pass is a one way ticket to a world of pain. And honestly, it can be. There is no shortage of ways to hurt yourself when you’re doing sixty through rocks and trees, and the decision to hurl yourself off that giant exposed cliff doesn’t help things at all. There are, though, ways to give yourself a better chance of survival.
I am not an advocate for mandatory helmet laws in any way. It is your head; it should be your choice. But I do think it’s a good idea to wear one. With California and New Jersey recently passing laws making helmets a requirement for minors, it’s is pretty clear that they think it is a good idea too.
My most recent run-in (with the ground I guess you could say) left me with a profound respect for the chunk of Styrofoam and plastic that I religiously strap to my head. A pretty crappy weekend last December, a good friend and I were spending our day at Keystone, CO. The place was a sheet of ice, and the wind was blowing, so we decided to try our luck messing around Area 51. Most of the time, you won’t find me in the terrain park. I don’t belong there. But thanks to a few “you won’t do it!” ‘s from an unnamed friend, we spent the better part of the afternoon hitting kickers. Feeling pretty confident, I came into a string of three mid-sized jumps ready to put my backflippin’ skills to the test. The first two were smooth. Maybe too smooth. I came into the third jump carrying way more speed than I needed and ultimately ended up with a mean concussion and random spells of dizziness for the next six months. Looking backwards at the landing of the jump, then forward to my feet as they made their second pass over my head, the last thing I can remember thinking was how much my life was about to suck. When I hit the ground, my friend told me I bounced. I woke up five or six minutes later feeling drunker than I’ve ever been. When ski patrol asked me what the date was I smartly responded “I’m on vacation, why would I know that?” but when he asked me for the year, I wasn’t feeling so bright. Getting the answer wrong twice, I earned myself my first ever ride in the big orange sled.
Having put a solid crack down the middle of my helmet, I can’t help but wonder how much worse it could have been. I was pretty lucky. The headaches went away after about a week, the dizzy spells took the better part of six months, and the concussions are much easier to get the second time around, but as far as I can tell, the helmet saved me from any long term problems. So if you think it’s uncool to wear a helmet, or that it won’t happen to you, take it from me, it is worth it. My story is one small, insignificant example of just how you might be glad you did.
The Ullr Influence 