General News

The accident happened on New Years Day when a Slovak mother of four, Beata Christandl who was skiing on a blue piste, collided with senior German politician, Dieter Althaus who was wearing a helmet and descending a red run which crossed the blue.

Mrs Christandl, who was not wearing a helmet, died on the way to hospital whilst Mr Althaus was seriously injured but survived which doctors say is probably due to the helmet. Both skiers were reported to have been travelling quickly at around 50kph but conditions and visibility were good so it is unclear how the crash occurred.

The accident has sparked a national media debate in Germany and Austria on whether helmet wearing should be made compulsory as well as leading to a boom in sales of helmets in those countries. The Austrian tabloid newspaper Kronen Zeitung even ran the headline, "Should wearing a helmet be made compulsory?"

IT'S YOUR CHOICE

Helmet wearing is still a matter of personal choice. In parts of Italy, it is compulsory for children to wear them and increasing numbers of ski schools in other countries now insist on children wearing them.

Some people argue that they can contribute to whiplash, and that when people are wearing a helmet they feel safer and therefore might go faster or ski in places they might not otherwise go to.

However, research carried out by Norwegian scientists last year seemed to suggest that wearing a helmet had measurable benefits. Of the 3,277 skiers and boarders surveyed , there were 578 head injuries (17.6%) and the scientists claimed that the effective use of a helmet would have reduced the risk of head injuries by 60%.

Here at the Ski Club we advocate helmet use for the under 13s, and for adults it's at their own discretion. If you are in the market for a helmet, check out our online guide, and have a look at our guide to safety on the slopes.