Eastern Snowboarding
Helmet Usage Is Up In Canada. Mostly.
Remember when helmets were taboo? It wasn’t too long ago. Anyone wearing a helmet on the slopes who was skiing or riding recreationally was looked at kind of funny. But with the advent of the park, and many snow stars going “mainstream” if you will, helmets have become the norm.
I find there’s a similar parallel with bikes; look back 10 years, and no-one wore helmets. Now it’s perfectly acceptable and normal.
But anyway. I just came across a really interesting report from the Canadian Ski Council. In it, the Council reports that helmet usage – especially among youth – is up significantly over the past four years.
According to the report:
“… usage has increased from 67% of all skiers and riders in 2006 to 71% in 2010. This is significantly higher than in the US, where reports found that 57% of skiers and riders wore helmets in 2010.”
The report has a couple of really interesting caveats, though. For example, usage in the 35-44 age bracket did not increase. Moreover, Ontario and British Columbia have the dubious honour of least usage, with 67% and 66% usage respectively. The keener province? New Brunswick, with 95% usage. Wow.
Discussion
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I was just out snow boarding yesterday and I was is total shock at how few kids had on helmets
“I ride a Specialized Epic with bicycle trailer and kid in tow”
http://www.weehoobicycletrailer.com/
I’ve been wearing a helmet since the past few years and I’m left wondering why I didn’t switch over sooner. Had a pretty bad fall last time I went boarding and I whacked my head on an icy patch. My helmet cracked, but without it it might have been my head!
I agree with Alex, started wearing a helmet this year and don’t mind it any more…not sure why I never put the bucket on before