The risk of head trauma is very real for skiers, including those wearing helmets, especially when descending the slopes at high speed, doctors and specialists warn.
• Also read: Emergencies of injured skiers overwhelmed
“Helmets are there to protect in a normal fall. If we add the excessive speed and altitude [un saut]they are less effective,” emphasizes Dr. Éric Piette, head of the trauma team at Sacré-Coeur Hospital in Montreal.
“You’re not invincible if you hit a tree at 50 km/h. The likelihood of severe brain damage is very high,” he continues.
The Journal revealed on Monday that injuries sustained on the slopes in the middle of the school holidays add to the pressure in emergencies. Head trauma is one of the reasons many skiers go to the hospital.
“Concussions, we see them every day during the ski season,” notes Dr. Simon-Pierre Landry, emergency doctor at the Laurentian Hospital in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts.
Not mandatory
Of the 10 deaths that have occurred on Quebec’s slopes since 2016, six skiers have died from head injuries, the Coroner’s Office says. Five wore helmets [voir cas, ci-contre].
While not mandatory in Quebec’s ski resorts, helmets remain popular on the slopes. According to the Association des stations de ski du Québec, around 80% of snow sports enthusiasts wear them.
However, young people don’t always adjust or wear their helmets properly, notes Dr. Michèle Lucey, director of the emergency room at Brome-Missisquoi-Perkins Hospital in Cowansville.
“It’s like the helmet is loose, it’s more fashionable,” regrets the doctor, who is also a skier.
“You have to wear the right helmet and sit properly. This is important so that it does not move in the event of an impact,” adds Dr. pette
Necessary protection
The experts agree, however, that a helmet is indispensable on the slopes. It reduces the risk of serious injuries by 56% and injuries by 30%, recalls sports safety expert Claude Goulet.
“It’s obvious that wearing a helmet is effective,” says the man, who is also vice dean of the Faculty of Education at Laval University and researcher emeritus in injury prevention.
“Thanks to the helmet you only have a concussion and no worse […] Maybe that matters […] that they no longer have sequelae,” concludes Dr. Lucy.
– With the collaboration of Charles Mathieu
His helmet couldn’t protect him
An 83-year-old experienced skier fell to his face to death after hitting a pile of snow he hadn’t seen.
“It’s a stupid accident,” says Mireille Riopel, whose father died in 2020. He fell face first, breaking every bone in his face.”
On March 5th, 2020 Patrick Riopel was with his family on a ski trip at Mont Cascades in Cantley in the Outaouais. The man, an experienced skier for more than 50 years, had decided to go down after dinner, although he was tired. According to his daughter, he was lost and found himself in an area he was unfamiliar with.
Heavy bleeding
In the coroner’s report we read that Mr. Riopel made a mistake leaving the prepared track in an area classified as “easy”. As he tried to turn back, his skis caught in a pile of snow and he fell forward.
After the fall, the 83-year-old “bled heavily from the nose and mouth,” the document said.
Mr Riopel did not lose consciousness after the impact. While he was waiting for the paramedics, he was moved and his helmet was taken off despite the pain. The ambulance arrived after 30 minutes.
The man, who was transported to Hull Hospital’s trauma center, had a complex fracture at the base of his skull and cervical spine, according to the coroner’s report.
“He was in enough pain, it discouraged him,” admits his 56-year-old daughter. He said, “Let me go. At my age, it’s not worth fighting for and suffering for.
In the days that followed, aspiration pneumonia developed. He finally died on March 20th.
In addition, Ms. Riopel assures that her father was not reckless when skiing and that it was the first accident of his life. Three years later, her daughter admits that unanswered questions remain in her head.
no poster
“If the hole or dent was so big, why didn’t anyone put up a sign or post?” asks the woman, who is also surprised at the long delay before the paramedics arrive.
“At least he died with the people he loved and doing something he loved doing,” she says.
Despite this tragedy, Ms. Riopel continues to practice skiing, but with greater caution.
“It made me more aware, I’m more aware that I stop when I’m tired,” she said.
They died from skiing trauma
Maxime Cote Girard
- Age: 22 years old
- Location: Mont Lac Vert
- Date: January 4, 2019
Without a helmet, the experienced snowboarder skied too fast on a big air jump without stopping at the fun park entrance. Despite the ban, he performed a back jump and passed the landing zone. The maneuver was deadly for him. Toxicological analyzes revealed the presence of alcohol in his blood below the legal limit. According to the coroner, “not wearing a helmet did not improve his chances of survival.”
Denis Gosselin
- Age: 52 years old
- Location: Summit of Saint-Sauveur
- Date: January 3, 2019
The man, an experienced skier, fell violently after losing control. His helmet broke from the force of the impact. He was taken to the hospital unconscious. The examinations revealed intracranial hemorrhages, multiple fractures and a pneumothorax. He showed no signs of awakening after ten days in the hospital. In view of an “extremely grim” prognosis, he died 48 hours after the end of active care, i.e. 15 days after the accident.
Karl Hochfellner
- Age: 80 years old
- Location: Rouyn Noranda
- Date: March 13, 2016
The man, a fit skier, was involved in a high-speed accident with another skier. His helmet was deformed by the force of the impact. A severe traumatic brain injury with subcranial hemorrhage was diagnosed. In view of the gloomy prognosis and considerable consequential damage, comfort care was provided until death, 72 hours after the accident.
Sebastian DuPont
- Age: 31 years old
- Location: Mont Sainte Anne
- Date: February 26, 2021
The snowboarder had an awkward fall in the middle of a slope. When he was taken to the hospital, paramedics noticed the smell of alcohol. Despite wearing a helmet, the medical examinations revealed a very severe craniocerebral trauma. His condition required multiple surgeries. He is placed in comfort care because of his deterioration and an almost non-existent prognosis for recovery. He died on May 29, 3 months after the accident.
*Source: Coroner’s Office
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