Snow Sport Helmets
Head Injuries
Head injuries due to skiing and snowboarding have declined significantly over the last two decades as more and more snow sport participants don helmets on the slopes. Helmets have been successful at reducing head injuries from linear accelerations, such as skull fractures, but have been less effective at mitigating head injuries created by rotational mechanisms. Manufacturers have addressed this shortcoming by incorporating technological advances, like slip planes and metamaterials, in an effort to reduce rotational accelerations experienced in a head impact. While ISSS recommends that snow sport participants wear a helmet that meets at least one of the various helmet standards listed below, none of the current standards consider rotational metrics. A working group within ASTM Subcommittee F08.53 on Headgear and Helmets has been working to address this deficiency and create rotational testing methods.
Current Standards for Recreational Snow Sport Helmets
EN 1077: 2007 - Helmets for Alpine Skiers and Snowboarders
ASTM 2040-18 Standard Specification for Helmets Used for Recreational Snow Sports
SNELL RS-98 Standard for Protective Headgear for Recreational Skiing and Snowboarding
ISSS Working Group on Snow Sport Helmets
ISSS members have a long history of research aimed at reducing head injuries for skiers and snowboarders. The ISSS working group has taken a multifaceted approach including monitoring helmet use, performing head injury epidemiological studies, developing materials for helmets, and researching head impact biomechanics. Research conducted by ISSS members have unveiled strong evidence that helmet use has decreased head injury rates in the snow sports arena. Members continue to work with standards organizations on helmet testing methods to create standards that encompass linear and rotational mechanisms associated with head injury to enhance a helmet’s protective capabilities.
Chair of ISSS Working Group on Snow Sport Helmets
Dr. Nicolas Bailly, Aix Marseille Univ, Univ Gustave Eiffel
Associated Publications
ASTM F2040 - Standard Specification for Helmets Used for Recreational Snow Sports
Bailly, N., Laporte, J.D., Afquir, S., Masson, C., Donnadieu, T., Delay, J.B. and Arnoux, P.J., 2018. Effect of helmet use on traumatic brain injuries and other head injuries in alpine sport. Wilderness & environmental medicine, 29(2), pp.151-158.
Bailly, N., Afquir, S., Laporte, J.D., Melot, A., Savary, D., Seigneuret, E., Delay, J.B., Donnadieu, T., Masson, C. and Arnoux, P.J., 2017. Analysis of Injury Mechanisms in Head Injuries in Skiers and Snowboarders. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 49(1), pp.1-10.
Bailly, N., Llari, M., Donnadieu, T., Masson, C. and Arnoux, P.J., 2017. Head impact in a snowboarding accident. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 27(9), pp.964-974.
Bailly, N., Petit, Y., Desrosier, J.M., Laperriere, O., Langlois, S. and Wagnac, E., 2020. Strain rate dependent behavior of vinyl nitrile helmet foam in compression and combined compression and shear. Applied Sciences, 10(22), p.8286.
Bailly, N., Llari, M., Donnadieu, T., Masson, C. and Arnoux, P.J., 2018. Numerical Reconstruction of Traumatic Brain Injury in Skiing and Snowboarding. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 50(11), pp.2322-2329.
Bailly, N., Donnadieu, T., Masson, C. and Arnoux, P.J., 2023. Head acceleration during impacts on snow: evaluation of a ski helmet. JSAMS Plus, 2, p.100028.
Brügger, O., Bianchi, G., Schulz, D., Kisser, R. and Rogmans, W., 2010. Snow-sport helmets: injury prevention, rate of wearers and recommendations. Berne: bfu-Swiss Council for Accident Prevention. EuroSafe Task Force Safety in Sports.
Delteil, C., Manlius, T., Marle, O., Godio-Raboutet, Y., Bailly, N., Piercecchi-Marti, M.D., Tuchtan, L. and Thollon, L., 2024. Head injury: importance of the deep brain nuclei in force transmission to the brain. Forensic science international, 356, p.111952.
Dickson, T.J., Trathen, S., Terwiel, F.A., Waddington, G. and Adams, R., 2017. Head injury trends and helmet use in skiers and snowboarders in Western Canada, 2008–2009 to 2012–2013: An ecological study. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 27(2), pp.236-244.
Dickson, T.J. and Terwiel, F.A., 2021. Injury trends in alpine skiing and a snowboarding over the decade 2008–09 to 2017–18. Journal of science and medicine in sport, 24(10), pp.1055-1060.
Dickson, T.J. and Terwiel, F.A., 2021. Head injury and helmet usage trends for alpine skiers and snowboarders in western Canada during the decade 2008–9 to 2017–18. Journal of science and medicine in sport, 24(10), pp.1004-1009.
Duncan, O., Shepherd, T., Moroney, C., Foster, L., Venkatraman, P.D., Winwood, K., Allen, T. and Alderson, A., 2018. Review of auxetic materials for sports applications: Expanding options in comfort and protection. Applied Sciences, 8(6), p.941.
EN 1077:2007 Helmets for alpine skiers and snowboarders
Foster, L., Peketi, P., Allen, T., Senior, T., Duncan, O. and Alderson, A., 2018. Application of auxetic foam in sports helmets. Applied Sciences, 8(3), p.354.
Haid, D., Foster, L., Hart, J., Greenwald, R., Allen, T., Sareh, P. and Duncan, O., 2023. Mechanical metamaterials for sports helmets: structural mechanics, design optimisation, and performance. Smart Materials and Structures, 32(11), p.113001.
La Fauci, G., Parisi, M., Nanni, A., Crosetta, L., Pugno, N.M. and Colonna, M., 2023. Design and proof-of-concept of an advanced protective system for the dissipation of tangential impact energy in helmets, based on non-Newtonian fluids. Smart Materials and Structures, 32(4), p.044004.
Petrone, N., Candiotto, G., Marzella, E., Uriati, F., Carraro, G., Bäckström, M. and Koptyug, A., 2019. Feasibility of using a novel instrumented human head surrogate to measure helmet, head and brain kinematics and intracranial pressure during multidirectional impact tests. Journal of science and medicine in sport, 22, pp.S78-S84.
Richards, D., Scher, I. and Carhart, M., 2006. Head injury in snowboarding: evaluating the protective role of helmets. Journal of ASTM International, 3(4), p.JAI14203.
Richards, D., Carhart, M., Scher, I., Thomas, R. and Hurlen, N., 2008. Head kinematics during experimental snowboard falls: implications for snow helmet standards. Journal of ASTM International, 5(6), pp.1-7.
Scher, I., Richards, D., Carhart, M., Thomas, R., Hurlen, N. and Lam, T., 2008. Pediatric head and neck injuries in snow sports: evaluating the influence of helmets. ASTM International.
Shealy, J., Johnson, R., Ettlinger, C. and Scher, I., 2015. Role of helmets in mitigation of head injuries: epidemiologic study of head injuries to skiers. In Skiing Trauma and Safety: 20th Volume. ASTM International.
Snell RS-98, 1998 Standard For Protective Headgear For Use in Recreational Skiing and Snowboarding