Ski helmet debate: a woolly hat wouldnt have saved me

By Gabriella Le Breton Published: 11:09AM GMT twenty-six February 2010

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"Dazed and saying stars, I attempted to consider what harm most"

A split-second after I purebred that I was no longer skiing but flying, I realised that alighting was going to be painful. Coming to a couple of seconds later, I picked myself off the sleet and solemnly pieced together what had happened.

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I was in Andermatt, a small review in Switzerland, with 6 experienced skiers receiving piece in a new "Mystery Powder Tour" run by the Verbier-based running association Powder Extreme. From the warm-up run I had judged that I would need to be on form to keep up, so I had been concentrating earnestly on the second run. So intently, in fact, that I had unsuccessful to see a deep, tough rut in the snow, that I strike at speed. I was thrown from my skis, and landed face initial on the piste.

Dazed and saying stars, I attempted to consider what harm most. My reliable Salomon steel sheet had borne the brunt of the impact, but my head still felt as though it had been by a booze press and my ears were ringing. I seemed to have been strike on the at the back of of the head, too, and my neck was creation meaningful crunching noises. Judging by my thoughtfulness in the others" goggles, my impertinence had additionally taken a battering and was already blasting up and building a teal-and- magenta hue.

Being something of a concussion consultant (this was my seventh), I felt I knew what to design from the subsequent couple of days. Determined to hang the course, I attempted to omit the confused vision, successive blinding suffering in my head and neck, revulsion and perfect exhaustion. I was less successful at ignoring the unpleasant spasms that shot from my neck in to my back, occasional blackouts and few vomiting.

I kept skiing for 6 days until I met friends in Sainte-Foy, who insisted I see a doctor. His diagnosis astounded me: suspected fractured neck and damaged cheekbone in serve to concussion. I was eliminated without delay to the nearest sanatorium for serve tests and a CT indicate to check for draining in the brain. The indicate was clear, but the breaks and "severe" concussion were confirmed, in serve to stretched neck ligaments.

Despite my injuries, I found it tough to stay at the back of in the chalet each sunrise as my friends went skiing. The incident, however, has reinforced the significance of a little useful ski lessons:

1) Always wear a helmet, in any case of your skiing capability (and of what Boris Johnson advises). It can significantly minimise the border of repairs caused by a head injury. If you do have an incident and your steel sheet takes a knock, reinstate it immediately.

2) Always check your own ski equipment. I unsuccessful to check my let skis and didn"t realize they were on a environment that resulted in my being thrown out of both of them.

3) Seek healing courtesy rught away after any situation involving your head and neck.

My doctors reliable that my head injuries would have been worse had I not been wearing a helmet. I have already systematic a deputy "lid" from Ellis Brigham"s fast exhausting stocks. British retailers sole out of helmets last winter following the accidents involving Natasha Richardson, the actress, who died after a fall, and Dieter Althaus, the German politician, whose incident with an additional skier was deadly for her and left him he was wearing a steel sheet in a coma.

Dr Mike Langran, a dilettante in head and ski injuries formed in Aviemore, says: "While wearing a steel sheet should not be noticed as a cure-all opposite deadly damage and should not give the wearer a fake clarity of security, the elemental reply to the subject of either or not skiers and riders should wear a steel sheet is easy: yes. The genuine subject is either helmets should turn imperative on the slopes."