A brain injury charity has welcomed statistics that show a boom in the number of skiers wearing helmets while out on the slopes.
The figures, which were provided by ski-wear specialist Ellis Brigham, show sales of helmets in the UK have grown by 191% in the past 10 years.
The steep rise has been welcomed by Headway – the brain injury association – as a positive step forward in the way winter-sports enthusiasts treat safety while enjoying their favourite pastime.
“The evidence is clear; helmets decrease the risk and severity of head injuries in skiing and snowboarding, and we’re delighted to see more people take note of this simple common-sense approach to safety,” said Peter McCabe, Chief Executive of Headway, who added: “Beneath the soft snow is a compact layer of ice which can be as hard as concrete. Even a minor head injury can have a major impact, so it’s important people use their heads and wear their helmets.”
Headway’s safety message is being backed by winter-sports instructor Charlie Elmore, who had to relearn how to walk and talk after sustaining a traumatic brain injury while snowboarding wearing a helmet in Austria in 2011.
“I set about doing a jump I’d done many times,” said Charlie. “One moment I was snowboarding in Austria and the next, as I knew it, I was coming round in a hospital in England six weeks later. Had I not been wearing a helmet that day, there would be no story to tell.” headway.org.uk