Familiar story?

"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

This year has seen a record number of skiers killed in avalanches. The
following from the BBC report sounds familiar:

""It is crazy the number of people that head into deep powder snow without
the necessary knowledge to know what is safe and what is not," says Felix
Tanguay from the specialist off piste ski school, Powder Extreme, based in
Verbier.

"It's fashionable to wear helmets and have all the safety equipment but
many people never practise and in some ways it gives them a false sense of
security." "
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4767668.stm
--

Isn't it odd how the Beeb will report different types of helmet.

Cycle helmets are completely effective.

Skiing helmets give you a false sense of security.

"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

"It's fashionable to wear helmets and have all the safety equipment but
many people never practise and in some ways it gives them a false sense of
security." "
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4767668.stm

Exactly. My last crash was 4 years ago and it hurt, so I make very sure I
won't do it again. This triathlete I go out cycling with couldn't believe
it - he has had countless crashes in the same time, wears a helmet and goes
bombing down hills with gay abandon, whereas I'm at the back feathering my
brakes with the memory of Christopher Reeve in my mind.

The Minidisc player I use has the same effect making me *look* everywhere.

--
Simon Mason
http://www.simonmason.karoo.net

"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

This year has seen a record number of skiers killed in avalanches. The
following from the BBC report sounds familiar:

""It is crazy the number of people that head into deep powder snow without
the necessary knowledge to know what is safe and what is not," says Felix
Tanguay from the specialist off piste ski school, Powder Extreme, based in
Verbier.

"It's fashionable to wear helmets and have all the safety equipment but
many people never practise and in some ways it gives them a false sense of
security." "
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4767668.stm
--

How apposite!

Lake Louise crash kills Calgary skier
Gwendolyn Richards, Calgary Herald
Published: Friday, March 03, 2006
An experienced skier from Calgary died on the slopes at Lake Louise Mountain
Resort on Thursday.

The 40-year-old man was skiing down The Gully -- on the front side of the
mountain -- with friends around 1 p.m. when he fell forward and was knocked
unconscious.

"He just lost control and fell the wrong way," RCMP Const. Kerry Doran said
Thursday evening. "He didn't hit anything except for the snow."

The man was not wearing a helmet.

His friends immediately started first aid and reported the accident to the
Resorts of the Canadian Rockies ski patrol and paramedics, Doran said.

Lake Louise RCMP and the volunteer fire department also responded to the
incident.

The skier was airlifted by helicopter to Mineral Springs Hospital in Banff,
but he succumbed to his injuries.

The man's name was not released.

RCMP Lake Louise Cpl. Mark Kay said the cause of death had not yet been
determined, but early indications were the man died from head injuries.

Resorts spokesman Matt Mosteller said the ski patrol responded immediately
to the scene.

"They did the best of care possible," he said. "Our care and compassion go
out to the family and friends."

The death comes almost four months after a Kingston, Ont., man died at
Sunshine Village Ski and Snowboard Resort near Banff.

David Schlicter, 32, was not wearing a helmet when he lost his balance and
hit his head on a rock while skiing a run known as Standish Face on Nov. 11.

graham said:

"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

This year has seen a record number of skiers killed in avalanches. The
following from the BBC report sounds familiar:

""It is crazy the number of people that head into deep powder snow without
the necessary knowledge to know what is safe and what is not," says Felix
Tanguay from the specialist off piste ski school, Powder Extreme, based in
Verbier.

"It's fashionable to wear helmets and have all the safety equipment but
many people never practise and in some ways it gives them a false sense of
security." "
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4767668.stm
--

How apposite!

Lake Louise crash kills Calgary skier
Gwendolyn Richards, Calgary Herald
Published: Friday, March 03, 2006
An experienced skier from Calgary died on the slopes at Lake Louise Mountain
Resort on Thursday.

The 40-year-old man was skiing down The Gully -- on the front side of the
mountain -- with friends around 1 p.m. when he fell forward and was knocked
unconscious.

"He just lost control and fell the wrong way," RCMP Const. Kerry Doran said
Thursday evening. "He didn't hit anything except for the snow."

The man was not wearing a helmet.

His friends immediately started first aid and reported the accident to the
Resorts of the Canadian Rockies ski patrol and paramedics, Doran said.

Lake Louise RCMP and the volunteer fire department also responded to the
incident.

The skier was airlifted by helicopter to Mineral Springs Hospital in Banff,
but he succumbed to his injuries.

The man's name was not released.

RCMP Lake Louise Cpl. Mark Kay said the cause of death had not yet been
determined, but early indications were the man died from head injuries.

Resorts spokesman Matt Mosteller said the ski patrol responded immediately
to the scene.

"They did the best of care possible," he said. "Our care and compassion go
out to the family and friends."

The death comes almost four months after a Kingston, Ont., man died at
Sunshine Village Ski and Snowboard Resort near Banff.

David Schlicter, 32, was not wearing a helmet when he lost his balance and
hit his head on a rock while skiing a run known as Standish Face on Nov. 11.

I climbed four of the Ben Lawers group of hills in Scotland on the
16th February. Conditions were whiteout. On the descent from An Stuc
(http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/getamap/index.html <I want
to get-a-map now> NN639431) a friend slipped and fell backwards,
bounced, then fell head first down a cliff and out of sight.
Fortunately, she landed head first in a snow drift.
--
Let us have a moment of silence for all Americans who
are now stuck in traffic on their way to a health club
to ride a stationary bicycle. -
Congressman Earl Blumenauer (Oregon)

In article <Ex0Of.95654$sa3.42755@pd7tw1no>, [email hidden] (graham)

Quoted message said:

The death comes almost four months after a Kingston, Ont., man died at
Sunshine Village Ski and Snowboard Resort near Banff.

David Schlicter, 32, was not wearing a helmet when he lost his balance
and hit his head on a rock while skiing a run known as Standish Face on
Nov. 11.

A couple of years ago I was standing on a balcony leaning against a
balustrade which gave way. I fell backwards and landed head first on the
brick patio below. Measured the distance later. The balcony floor was 10
foot above the patio.

I had an enormous bump a few inches above my right ear so I guess that was
the impact point. I didn't aim to land on my head and might even have
tried to avoid that but the plan went awry when I bounced off a picnic
table stand (hitting it with my shoulder) on the way down.

I had a helluva headache afterwards, an enormous bump above the right ear,
and numerous bruises on my limbs and shoulder but it was my best friend,
who built the balcony, and was standing next to me when it happened, who
was most in need of sugar water afterwards!

I'm not suggesting that helmets aren't necessary, and it is very sad when
people suffer head injuries, but skulls have had the benefit of 10 million
years development and aren't quite as fragile as they might seem.

"Terry" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm not suggesting that helmets aren't necessary, and it is very sad when
people suffer head injuries, but skulls have had the benefit of 10 million
years development and aren't quite as fragile as they might seem.

Indeed - I mock some of our rules at work, such as always having to have 3
points of contact on stairs and other such rubbish by saying "How on earth
did early humans cross the Bering land bridge without filling in their
pre-task safety checklist first?"

--
Simon Mason
http://www.simonmason.karoo.net

(Terry) said:

I'm not suggesting that helmets aren't necessary, and it is very sad when
people suffer head injuries, but skulls have had the benefit of 10 million
years development and aren't quite as fragile as they might seem.

<not for the faint of heart>

In the dissection practical for my Anatomy course we are now doing the
head, so two weeks ago this involved opening the skull to get to the
brain. The bone on the skull is sort of duplex, and the manual said to saw
through the first layer, and then gently tap with a chisel and hammer.
Sawing took a while, and then gently tapping we were not making any
progress, until the teacher stopped by and did some ungently tapping. And
this is the body of a fairly frail very elderly person.
I am very reassured about the strength of skulls; my worry is more about
soft brains with lots of blood vessels being shaken inside that strong
case.

</not>

Roos

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
(Roos Eisma) wrote:

<gruesome detail snipped>

Quoted message said:

I am very reassured about the strength of skulls; my worry is more
about soft brains with lots of blood vessels being shaken inside that
strong case.

That's a very good point. I was careful after my accident to stay awake
and around other people who would have noticed had I begun to display any
untoward signs.

Also, kid's skulls are not fully formed and they almost certainly should
wear some head protection.

In article said:

"Terry" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

I'm not suggesting that helmets aren't necessary, and it is very sad when
people suffer head injuries, but skulls have had the benefit of 10 million
years development and aren't quite as fragile as they might seem.

Indeed - I mock some of our rules at work, such as always having to have 3
points of contact on stairs and other such rubbish by saying "How on earth
did early humans cross the Bering land bridge without filling in their
pre-task safety checklist first?"

While I agree that you can take the assessments and checklists too far,
"by considering large numbers of accidental death normal and acceptable"
is probably part of the answer. To a very much lesser extent, we manage to
mix people travelling at 60mph in tons of metal with more vulnerable
road users the same way.

Terry said:

Also, kid's skulls are not fully formed and they almost certainly should
wear some head protection.

A paediatrician told me that they are not fully formed and the skull is
soft as additional protection against falls to which children are prone.
As the skull hardens and joins up it and the brain inside become more,
not less, vulnerable to impacts

--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] (Tony

Raven) said:

Terry said:

Also, kid's skulls are not fully formed and they almost certainly
should wear some head protection.

A paediatrician told me that they are not fully formed and the skull is
soft as additional protection against falls to which children are
prone. As the skull hardens and joins up it and the brain inside
become more, not less, vulnerable to impacts

Refer that paediatrician to Lord Hailsham, suggesting that he or she
perform a visual comparison of child and adult skull size. The infant
skull is soft, not fully grown, and not completely ossified in order to
facilitate birth and growth of the brain.

Simon Mason said:

"Terry" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm not suggesting that helmets aren't necessary, and it is very sad when
people suffer head injuries, but skulls have had the benefit of 10 million
years development and aren't quite as fragile as they might seem.

Quoted message said:

Indeed - I mock some of our rules at work, such as always having to have 3
points of contact on stairs and other such rubbish by saying "How on earth
did early humans cross the Bering land bridge without filling in their
pre-task safety checklist first?"

Three points of contact on *stairs*? I learned three points of contact
as the rule you teach novice rock climbers before they have enough
sense to be able to disobey it safely.

I was one of some young students who took a summer job in a whisky
bonded warehouse. We had to roll lots of heavy barrels around. To
protect our feet from being crushed we were supplied with strong boots
with domed steel toecaps. To protect our hands from wood and metal
splinters were were supplied with strong leather gloves reinforced
with thick metal staples which gave them a surface of steel scales.

We suspected that this safety gear made one so clumsy that it greatly
exaggerated "boot saved my foot" and "glove saved my hand"
incidents. I devised new different procedures for foot and hand work
with barrels which minimised the risks of damage. A few of us then
refused the safety gear and used my procedures instead. The management
disapproved, but didn't really care because if we explicitly refused
safety gear then any accident was our own fault.

In the three months we were there all the experienced men wearing
safety gear as usual had several accidents, some of which necessitated
replacement of their boots or gloves. One of them nearly lost a
finger. None of the three of us who had substituted intelligence for
safety gear had any accidents.

--
Chris Malcolm [email hidden] +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]

in message <[email hidden]>, Chris Malcolm

(') said:

Simon Mason said:

"Terry" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm not suggesting that helmets aren't necessary, and it is very sad
when people suffer head injuries, but skulls have had the benefit of
10 million years development and aren't quite as fragile as they
might seem.

Quoted message said:

Indeed - I mock some of our rules at work, such as always having to
have 3 points of contact on stairs and other such rubbish by saying
"How on earth did early humans cross the Bering land bridge without
filling in their pre-task safety checklist first?"

Three points of contact on *stairs*? I learned three points of contact
as the rule you teach novice rock climbers before they have enough
sense to be able to disobey it safely.

When the physiotherapists were giving me my final check over before
discharging me from hospital one of the things they checked was that I
could manage stairs, and they were /very/ insistent on three points of
contact. Needless to say, ever since I got out I've ignored them.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; Skill without imagination is craftsmanship and gives us
;; many useful objects such as wickerwork picnic baskets.
;; Imagination without skill gives us modern art.
;; Tom Stoppard, Artist Descending A Staircase

Simon Brooke said:

When the physiotherapists were giving me my final check over before
discharging me from hospital one of the things they checked was that I
could manage stairs, and they were /very/ insistent on three points of
contact. Needless to say, ever since I got out I've ignored them.

Remind me again how many steps are in your house.

--
Don Whybrow

Sequi Bonum Non Time

People must not do things for fun. We are not here for fun.
There is no reference to fun in any Act of Parliament.

in message <[email hidden]>, Don Whybrow

(') said:

Simon Brooke said:

When the physiotherapists were giving me my final check over before
discharging me from hospital one of the things they checked was that I
could manage stairs, and they were /very/ insistent on three points of
contact. Needless to say, ever since I got out I've ignored them.

Remind me again how many steps are in your house.

Two, as you well know. But I do occasionally visit other buildings.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

There are no messages. The above is just a random stream of
bytes. Any opinion or meaning you find in it is your own creation.