I'm Going to Look Soooooo Cool
I'm not one to live my life in fear, or shy away from doing things because of potential risks, but it seems to me that there are some risks that aren't worth taking and therefore some reasonable precautions that we should all take.I'm going to Vail, CO next weekend to go skiing, and I've decided that this year I'm going to buy a ski helmet. I've been skiing pretty much my whole life so I'm a decent skier and I rarely fall down, but who's to say that I won't catch an edge and go careening into a tree or rock? I wouldn't dream of riding a bike without a helmet, so why would I ski without one? To your skull, trees, rocks and sheets of ice don't differ substantially from pavement. Besides, my brain is worth probably $400,000+ in education at this point so any insurance adjuster would tell me that the $50 helmet is worth it.
Why the change of heart this year? Well, over the last year I've been following the tragic experiences of a Dartmouth student, Christina Porter '06. Christina suffered a serious traumatic brain injury while skiing at the Dartmouth Skiway during a PE class in the winter of 2004 and spent all of last year in treatment and rehabilitation facilities before passing away due to complications from her injury in January 2005. Her parents have launched a campaign to mandate helmet usage at the Dartmouth Skiway and to encourage helmets for all skiers. It's also important to realize that these accidents occur quite frequently; there are over 20,000+ reported head injuries annually from skiing accidents.
When I ask most of my friends why they don't wear helmets while skiing, the answer is usually some combination of not being able to afford a helmet or thinking that helmets look dorky. Newsflash: Unless you are some kind of sunglass-sporting, uber-trendy, model-type professional athlete/surfer person turned snowboarder or skier - you probably look like an idiot while you're skiing anyways. So why not rustle up the extra $50 to secure your spot at the bar for apres ski?
posted by Anne @ 3:06 PM
2 Comments:
nice work, anne! i'm glad you're buying a helmet. i got one while i was working in tahoe after hearing a few calls come in over my boss's radio of both kids and adults that died on the mountain due to head injuries. i wear my helmet proudly and i'm psyched you will too. mine's blue-what did you get?
amy
$50... $150 what's the difference?
:-)
now we need to convince megs to get one. - f
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