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ski death at Sugarloaf
- Thread starter Swamp Dog
- Start date
That's what's so scary about things like this, is that nothing *happens*. You're going a little fast, you catch an edge, you hit a tree. This is really sad.
Did she hit her head?
Robyn
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
My guess is she probably was wearing a helmet. Young racers these days always wear them, whether they are training or not. I've never seen any of our team racers ski whether on their own or with the team without their helmets. Unfortunately, hitting a tree can cause so many internal injuries. :(
Swamp Dog
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
that's what I was thinking.
skigrl27
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Helmets really don't make a much of a difference in skier deaths. Surprising perhaps for some...but true.
I don't have the figures, but at this year's Ski Patrol refresher, there were shocking figures of the percentage of deaths of people with helmets and without from last season. I think it was like almost 70% of fatalities were with folks wearing helmets.
Bottom line: if you hit a tree going that fast with no control, it's internal trauma that will get you.
I don't have the figures, but at this year's Ski Patrol refresher, there were shocking figures of the percentage of deaths of people with helmets and without from last season. I think it was like almost 70% of fatalities were with folks wearing helmets.
Bottom line: if you hit a tree going that fast with no control, it's internal trauma that will get you.
Robyn
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Actually, skigirl27, that's a good point to make. I wear my helmet not to avoid death because I fully know that if I crash hard enough to cause death a helmet likely isn't going to save me but a helmet might help in a concussion vs. no concussion or severe vs. mild situation. Helmets help but are not a guarantee.
MaineSkiLady
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
It's incredibly sad. She was 16 years old, representing the Stratton Mountain School Team. All this week has been h.s. race-training week. She was free-skiing at the time, not competing on the race course. I just skied that same run a few hours ago, also on Wednesday. It's in great shape. I don't know whether she was wearing a helmet - that hasn't been disclosed. The mood among the racers is somber. She had been air-lifted from the nearby airport to a trauma hospital where she died. Incredibly tragic....
MaineSkiLady
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
It isn't a gladed trail. It's completely wide open. It's wooded at the margins. I think there was one eyewitness to the accident. No other details have been made available at this time.
With a lump in my throat, I would like to share a link to a post on EpicSki from someone who is close to the situation.
https://forums.epicski.com/showpost.php?p=1045444&postcount=18
I believe that she was wearing a helmet, according to friends of mine who were at the mountain at the time.
https://forums.epicski.com/showpost.php?p=1045444&postcount=18
I believe that she was wearing a helmet, according to friends of mine who were at the mountain at the time.
BackCountryGirl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
So sad. My heart goes out to her family and teammates. It hits home; I just returned minutes ago from a middle school race at Mt. Abrams in Maine. The kids were all talking about this and it made the mood a bit somber.
pinto
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
X2
Helmets are only rated to 20-ish mph, right?
That said, helmets are great in lots of other circumstances. Like if your ski comes off and lands on your noggin, or someone brings the bar down too fast on the lift, or if you fall and slam your head on hardpack (or a hidden rock), and on and on and on.
MaineSkiLady
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I seem to remember reading somewhere that it's even less, like in the +- mid-teens?
Basically, I got one when I moved to New England because we ski an absurdly cold mountain, and the helmet is warm. And everyone else here wears one (mostly). But a little impact protection is a bonus.
This was obviously one very, very high speed, serious crash. Totally chilling....
I saw a lot of the skis that were being used for this racing week - most were 210-215.
Slidergirl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
There is a difference between those helmets we buy for recreational skiing and those used for racing. And, between types of racing, there is a difference. If you ever look closely at a downhiller's helmet, it's most likely a pretty solid shell, not with the vents. I know that most of our skeleton sliders use ski racing helmets with the hard-shell chin guards. The sliders can reach 70mph on the track. I've seen many concussions in the sport, some severe enough to be flown to the hospital. But, never a death. When I was working with the new sliders back in 2002, the coach was recommending the Carrera Herman Meir helmet. But, hitting a sidewall at 70mps lying on your stomach 3 inches above the ground is definitely a different incident than hitting a tree at 30mph.
Sure, but what does that statistic really mean? If all skiers wore helmets, wouldn't 100% of skier fatalities be folks wearing helmets?
