Fatal Skiing Accident.

[Churchill]

Dislocated my little finger once when I crashed into a (small) tree off piste. Now much more cautious and old - I may get a helmet I suppose, I got one for cycling.

Beats a cycling proficiency badge I suppose!

[IR35 Avoider]

Many years ago, while have a private lesson at Sunshine Village in Canada, I caught an edge on turn, struggled to regain balance, just got myself under control 30 metres later, in time to hit the instructor at right angles as he traversed back from the other side of the piste. I was fine, he was knocked out. When medic arrived and asked him the day of the week as part of his examination, he had to think for some time and reason aloud to work out the answer.

This was so much more serious than the one that apparently killed Natasha that I wander now if he was OK afterwards.

Injured myself for the first time this year. Skiing with a guide and lots of other skiers who were mostly better than me. (That in itself was a bit of a surpise, I'm not expert, but I'm usually in the better half of any package holiday group. One of the guys was a Canadian who had been in his school ski team.)

The day started with bad light and by mid-afternoon we were skiing in thick cloud. At one point I nearly fell over while standing still because my eyes couldn't tell me which way was up. I could just about make out the next piste marker, or the upper half of the skier in front of me if he was less than about 20 metres away.

I normally need to see the ground to pick a route and control my speed, which was impossible in those conditions, but most of the rest of the group didn't seem to have the same problem. Eventually I worked out that the only way to keep up was to judge the rise and fall of the ground by the watching the skier in front of me. This worked well until it didn't, on a red run the skier in front got away, ground in front seemed to disappear, not that I could really tell, I think I tried to stop/turn, next thing I was sliding on my stomach, feet first. I waited and waited for my slide to slow, but after a while I seemed to be accelerating if anything, so I tried to slow myself with the toe of one boot. My foot stopped and the rest of me rolled over the stuck leg at some speed, banging my knee.

Stretched/partially torn ligaments, no more skiing that holiday, wear a brace for three weeks. Knee still not right two months later.

Next time I must remember, if you're going to try and slow yourself down, use whatever extremity is most uphill. In fairness, I don't have much practise with falling, when I ski on my own I'm cautious and go whole holidays without falling.

Can't see myself ever wearing a helmet: there's already more than enough kit to drag along when skiing, and I imagine it would be hot and unpleasant on warm days.

[Moscow Mule]

Can't see myself ever wearing a helmet: there's already more than enough kit to drag along when skiing, and I imagine it would be hot and unpleasant on warm days.

Better that than a concussion (or worse).

[darmstadt]

As we say here: Sport ist Mord. There is a politician here who might be in a bit of trouble as he skied into a woman this year and she died:

Wear some headgear

[NotAllThere]

Can't see myself ever wearing a helmet: there's already more than enough kit to drag along when skiing, and I imagine it would be hot and unpleasant on warm days.

No, no, no, no, no!

They are not hot and unpleasant. I used to think they'd be like motorcycle helmets, and they're not. The good ones have vents. Believe me, if you're skiing below freezing and the vents are open... you'll feel it...

My wife and I have vents in our helmets. My kids not, because they expensively keep growing... they NEVER complain about being too hot because of the helmet.

The politician Darmstadt is talking about has been prosecuted and fined. He went down a red piste, and then up a blue piste, and crashed into a woman. He was wearing a helmet and ended up in a coma, she died.