New Safer Helmets Are Heading Your Way!
A lot of people are out doing sports that require head protection. Most popular of course are skiing and road biking. Motorcycle riders are next and ATV riders are also on the list. Not to mention rock climbers and even baseball players. In fact, there is a whole new focus on helmets in everyday sports. I always remember the photos of Japanese school students walking down the street with helmets on. Maybe the Japanese were on to something?
Today, research on the effects of numerous concussions to football players has brought helmet investigations to a whole new level. But, world wide, the newest technology comes not from football injury research but from hockey and skiing research done in Sweden by a company called MIPS. The name of the company is also the name of the technology employed: Multidirectional Impact Protection System. This technology mimics natures own design of the skull. This idea was first developed in 1997 by Hans von Host, a brain surgeon at Stockholm’s Karolinska Hospital. After initial investigations, rotational forces and not straight on impacts became his research focus. The idea is to allow the brain itself to float in a cushion of cranial fluid allowing for some movement of the brain in several planes: vertical and side to side. So when the head is impacted from any direction, the brain slides within the helmet instead of being locked within it. The helmet technology employs multiple layers: the helmets most outer shell, an inner dense layer, a sliding surface and than a softer layer that rests on the skull itself. This type of helmet increases concussion resistance by allowing some movement of the head within the helmet vertically and obliquely during lethal impacts which otherwise would be absorbed with lethal effect otherwise. Luckily, most ski helmet manufacturers are shifting to this technology. POC of Sweden was one of the first with Scott, Burton and Giro following close behind. At the recent SIA Snow (Ski Industries of America) Convention in Denver, a POC spokesman showed me the features of the POC helmet that will coming to many new sport helmets in the future: The outer shell was slightly flexible so that sudden impacts are deflected. The inner liner is made with a foam of poly polypropylene. It flexes but is very hard at the same time. You can’s even push your finger nail into it. The inner shell is soft and comfortable but is encased in a sliding inner skeleton of plastic in which it slides.
Picture this scenario if you will. Apply it to your sport if you can, but it will give you the picture: You are in an avalanche. POC research has shown that 45% of victims die from head impacts on the ride down the slide rather than from the burial itself. With the typical helmet and its “one time” use legal clause, if you hit a rock, that helmet looses all its protection factor legally. It is also done mechanically since the hard non flexible outer shell is meant to crack in absorbing shock instead of flexing. That helmet will not protect you if you have further impacts during that incident. It was made for only one impact. How many hits has your loved ones helmet had that you are even aware of?
Many manufacturers are looking at this new technology. Newer models are getting lighter and lighter each year. While a rock climbing helmet is meant to handle rockfall, it is not designed to handle skiing impacts such as face-on impacts. You have to make the call on what hazard is greater. Helmets must be strapped on correctly during use for maximum protection with a snug helmet strap. The helmet should cover the forehead. Some girls think it’s cute to have the helmet tilted back like a hat so they can show some curls. That is not safe. Helmets are for safety not looks.
Some features that you might appreciate include hard but flexible shell construction (POC actually uses Kevlar in its helmets- that same material used in bullet proof vests) to prevent penetration by pointy tree branches, or rocks while allowing for the shedding of snow. In addition there is an insulating, impact resistant liner. A goggle strap retainer is handy to keep goggles centered on the head. Look for side openings to allow for better hearing. The helmets profile itself should allow for optimum side vision. Also look for a quick-release chin strap to keep the helmet centered and on the head during impact.
Helmets aren’t just for looks. They can save your life and the lives of the kids you try to keep track of. Newer helmets are coming. Look for the “MIPS” sticker or advertising that comes with helmets you try on. They may cost a little more but it will be worth the piece of mind that it will give you.