Page 8 - NSAA_Fall2015Journal

Mountain Operations
SNOWSPORTS HELMET USE
SETS NEW RECORD
BY DAVE BYRD, DIRECTOR OF RISK & REGULATORY AFFAIRS
DURING THE 2014/15 SEASON, helmet use among skiers and
snowboarders set an all-time record, with 78 percent of all
guests wearing helmets across the country, according to the
results of the annual NSAA National Demographic Study,
which was released in August. This new record represents
a noticeable increase from the previous season, when 73
percent of all skiers and riders wore helmets.
Since NSAA began collecting the data, helmet use has
grown unabated every year. In fact, this was the thirteenth
straight year that helmet use has increased at ski areas, dat-
ing back to the 2002/03 ski season, when NSAA first began
surveying guests’ helmet usage rates at resorts. During the
first year of NSAA’s survey, only 25 percent of skiers and
boarders wore helmets during the 2002/03 season.
The helmet data is collected as part of the broader
demographic analysis conducted each year by NSAA, sur-
veying guests on everything from gender, age, geographic
origin, and income to lessons, length of stay, and equip-
ment use. NSAA hires outside researchers to conduct the
study, which includes more than 70,000 surveys to collect
the information, ensuring unimpeachable, comprehensive
statistics.
More importantly, helmet use among minors—the age
group typically targeted by state legislatures seeking to impose the issue.
ski helmet mandates—also set an all-time record. Last season,
85 percent of those skiers and riders under 18 wore helmets.
In fact, 97 percent of children 9 years or younger wore hel-
mets last season, also a new record. Millennials between the
ages of 18 and 34 had the lowest helmet use rate, with 71 per-
cent of this age group wearing helmets. Regionally, the Rocky
Mountains and the Northeast states lead the nation in helmet
rates, with each region recording 83 percent of all skiers and
riders in helmets.
6 | NSAA JOURNAL | FALL 2015
As helmet usage rates continue to set records year
after year, this will likely dampen—if not end—the call
for mandatory helmet laws from nanny-state legislators
around the country. Only one state, New Jersey, requires
skiers and riders under the age of 18 to wear helmets, and
there is proposed legislation pending in New York seek-
ing to require minors to wear ski or snowboard helmets.
Notably, there are 22 states that mandate bicycle helmets
(mostly geared toward minors), but helmet rates for bicy-
cling pale in comparison to skiing. Federal agency data
and bicycle organizations indicate that bicycle helmet use
is somewhere between 25 and 30 percent for all bicyclists,
far below ski helmet rates—and that’s including those 22
states with bike helmet laws.
The ski industry’s near-saturation helmet usage is
likely attributable to an interplay of numerous factors,
including the efforts of individual resorts to push helmet
use and overall safety, as well as greatly improved helmet
technology from manufacturers making helmets more
comfortable and stylish. Furthermore, the prodding of
both “soccer moms” and local and national medical orga-
nizations have focused a spotlight on the broader issue of
head injuries in sports. And certainly heightened media
attention on helmet use—especially injuries and fatalities
involving celebrities—has lead to widespread exposure on
But even with record levels of helmet use, it should be
emphasized that the best way for the skiing and riding guests
to minimize injuries, including head injuries, is to wear a
helmet—but to ski or snowboard as if you’re not wearing a
helmet. Skiing and boarding safely and in control, while
adhering to the tenets of “Your Responsibility Code,” is the
best way to prevent injuries out on the mountain.