Zeta Club 40 th Year Reunion Zetans on Piste

How Safe Are We?

Scotland IPTSD (injuries per thousand skier days): 3. ie 0.3% risk NZ ACC 2006 Skiing -> 0.7% insurance claims. No fatalities Horse riding, mountain biking, hiking, surfing -> 60% claims MDBI (mean days between injury): ACL injury – 2100 days

Fatalities USA 2008/2009: 0.68 deaths per million skier/snowboarder visits 90% deaths caused by collisions 60% trees 10% another person (2% NARSID non-avalanche-related snow immersion death)

Serious injury Canada 15% serious 0.06 severe injuries per 1000 skier days 52% head 42.9% chest 32.4% spine 2.6% died

Head Injuries 10-20% all injuries 90% minor Causes: collision with person or object impact with snow surface - beginners, backwards fall - terrain parks lift accidents – swinging T-bars, Pomas or chairs,

Helmets Increasing use: famous events Deaths: Sonny Bono, Michael Kennedy 1998, Natasha Richardson 2009 Helmet-wearing German Politician colliding with non-helmet wearing female who died 2010 sustained brain injury % skiers in Scotland now wear a helmet

Helmets But current helmet standards protect brain adequately up to an impact velocity of 12.2 mph, possibly 17 mph. Most intermediate skiers regularly travel at 24 – 38 mph. Pathological opinion of Vermont fatalities is that the degree of trauma overwhelmed the protective capacity of helmets.

Helmets: incidence of head injury in survivors MacNab 2005 case control study. Helmets associated with 43% reduced risk of head, face & neck injuries. Hagel 2005 case-control study. Helmets associated with 29% reduced risk of head injury. Sulheim 2006 case control study % reduction in head injury. Fewer neck injuries. Shealy % of those who died were wearing a helmet. No effect on serious head injury. Russell 2010 meta-analysis. Odds ratio 0.65, (CI 0.55 – 0.79) adults. Children 0.41, (CI 0.27 – 0.59). Neck injury 0.89 ( ).

Other injuries Knee 45% of injuries Women prone to knee injuries; Men, head & shoulder ACL rupture increasing MCL sprain Meniscus injury Skiers’ thumb A-C joint Fracture clavicle

Ski lessons -> 50% lower risk of injury : impression of an increase in head & spine injuries in Europe – harder pistes due to less snow.

Ski with care within your degree of skill and with well adjusted equipment Wear a helmet if you like but the chance of benefit is small and uncertain