ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION Helmet Use and Risk of Head Injuries in Alpine Skiers and Snowboarders

ALPINE SKIING AND SNOWBOARD-ing are increasingly popularwinter sports and are en-joyed by several hundred mil-lion people worldwide. However, the in-jury risk is high,1 and head injuries are common in alpine skiers and snow-boarders.2-4 Head injury is the most fre-quent reason for hospital admission5-8 and the most common cause of death among skiers and snowboarders with an 8 % fatality rate among those admitted to hospital with head injuries.9 In bicy-cling, case-control studies indicate that helmets reduce the risk of head in-jury,10,11 and helmets are strongly advo-cated to prevent head injuries in bicy-cling and in-line skating.12,13 Helmets ar