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More British & Irish skiers now wearing ski helmet!

Ski hire specialists Ski Republic report that around 75% of British skiers hiring from their 46 stores in the French Alps and the Pyrenees, are now taking ski helmets, a dramatic increase in recent years in the face of heightened awareness of the dangers of head injury while skiing.

Ski Republic’s Claire Drapier said “Our stores report a huge increase in helmet wearers in recent years, a complete reversal of what we were experiencing when Ski Republic opened its first shop in the 2007 ski season. Those who don’t accept our free helmet offer have usually got their own helmets, so the percentage of skiers wearing helmets now has certainly increased dramatically”.

The statistics, from two-for-one ski equipment hirer Ski Republic, come in the wake of the Nova Scotia government passing a law requiring all skiers to wear helmets. The law comes into force in November 2012 and any skier not wearing protective headgear will face a fine of $250 for each offence.

Claire Drapier continued “When we see skiers wearing helmets we know they are usually British, or from Scandinavian countries. Although most of our customers insist that their children wear helmets, many adults still don’t, including the majority of French customers, with only two or three in every ten accepting our free helmet hire.

“Helmets are essential in any sport where there is a possibility that the head may come into contact with a solid object and, without head protection, skiers are particularly vulnerable”.

Researchers from the British Medical Journal, who have studied a project by the University of Innsbruck in Austria, concluded that ski injures go down by 35% for adults if they are wearing a helmet and 59% for children under 13 and urge ski equipment hirers to include helmets with all rentals.

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Press information is available from Mary Stuart-Miller, 01403 738844, mary@mstuart-miller.co.uk

Photos credits : Objectif Photos, Tignes.