One Helluva Helmet Dilemma….

With great snowfall this week Bardonecchia’s gearing up early for another amazing season and so we have set about gearing ourselves up accordingly for the winter ahead.  However, this year we’re committing to a radical change as we’re taking the plunge and adding another “must-wear” item to our long list of accessories…the much maligned helmet. 

As a boarder, Graeme has been a convert for some time, to enjoy the thrills and spills of the Snowpark a helmet is compulsory for all who enter. See http://www.bardonecchiaski.com/en_US/inverno/snowpark/safety for excellent information on how to make your experience in the park enjoyable and safe for everyone concerned.  Yet for our day to day fun on the pistes wearing helmets is something we’ve continued to resist or ignore…. but no longer.

In recent years high profile incidents, notably that of actress Natasha Richardson (Liam Neeson's wife) whilst skiing in Canada in March 2009, have led many countries and ski areas to promote and encourage the use of helmets on the slopes.  Italy has long led the way in Europe with legislation in 2005 making them compulsory for children under the age of 14 and they should be automatically issued as part of your child’s ski hire.  For the fashion-conscious Italians to make such a commitment to a previously “uncool” item demonstrates how safety considerations and technology have combined to produce helmets which are now more functional, attractive, light and less restrictive than ever before.

Take time to choose the helmet which suits both your head and your pocket and seek the advice of a trained sales assistant in the same way that you would do if buying new boots. We paid a visit to our favourite local Ski Sport Dain, where they patiently brought out box upon box until we were all satisfied. Having decided upon the style we took time to ensure that our helmets fitted squarely with uniform pressure all around and once the chin straps were fully fastened they continued to feel snug and comfortable.  We opted for designs which have a removable liner and a rotary micro-adjuster at the back allowing us to achieve that perfect fit.  Remember to take your goggles along to try with your helmet or buy a pair with a swinging outrigger system joining the frame to the strap to ensure that they sit comfortably on your face.

The real upside in all this is that having solved our helmet dilemma we’ve also cracked the problem of Christmas Stocking fillers.  There’s a great range of novelty helmet covers to suit all personalities and (poor) tastes.  So if you are fortunate enough to be out and about on the slopes of Bardonecchia this season and spy a snowbunny and koala in happy partnership that could just be

the pair of us at Sempre Ski schoop-schooping on by.