Renewed call for mandatory helmets on ski hills
Posted October 7, 2015 6:18 pm.
Last Updated October 7, 2015 6:31 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – There’s no law making helmet mandatory on BC ski hills and the Coroners Service is again asking for that to change. The suggestion is made in a report on the death of a 16-year-old international student at Grouse Mountain in November of 2013. A group representing ski resorts doesn’t think making helmets the law would make a difference.
Luca Cesar was found with severe head trauma at the bottom of a cliff near the Heaven’s Sake run. He wasn’t wearing a helmet, something the coroner believes one may have saved his life. The coroner’s report found Grouse requires all staff and children in lessons to wear helmets, yet doesn’t make this same request of its guests.
The Canada West Ski Areas Association, a group of which Grouse is a member, opposes making helmets the law. It seems easy to do. The lift operator could simply deny a ride to anyone without a helmet.
President and CEO David Lynn wonders what would stop a rider from taking the helmet off after. “What would the implications be if someone didn’t wear a helmet and perhaps they were injured? We feel that people have a right to make those choices for themselves and we want to educate people on both the benefits and the limitations of ski helmets.”
He says 85 per cent of skiers and boarders wear helmets already. “When you look into the costs associated with drafting legislation and enforcing that legislation, we would argue that those time and resources would be better spent educating people.”
The coroner notes in its report that since the accident, Grouse Mountain Resort has brought in a “Mountain Safety and Orientation” program.
