Skiing and snowboarding result in 600,000 injuries in North America annually, 20 percent of which involve the head. Riders field a range of potential hazards as they descend the slopes or practice tricks on half-pipes. Less snow due to climate change means fewer places to ride as the allure of winter sports continues to attract millions of participants every year, leading to larger crowds and more accidents.
Wearing smart devices and accessories, like attaching ski helmet headphones to your helmet, can solve the underlying cause behind these trends by helping riders avoid collisions. Recent inventions can also take the sting out of accidents by reducing the risk of serious injury. Learn how technology is making winter sports safer for all ages.
Wireless Ski Helmet Communication
Rider-on-rider collisions continue to be one of the leading causes of serious injury on the slopes. Rest, physical therapy and proper stretching can heal a sore knee or leg muscle, but the damage from a brain injury can be permanent — if not fatal. For skiers, most collisions occur on downhill trails. Snowboards mostly collide in terrain parks with ramps, rails and half-pipes.
How should a rider get around all these bodies, especially when traveling over 40 mph? In an ideal world, everyone would practice proper ski etiquette, but the person in front may not realize someone is speeding towards them from behind. Shouting may not get the person’s attention if they’re wearing headphones.
Groups can use ski helmet communication to connect up to 15 riders simultaneously. The device syncs automatically via MESH and creates a direct link between each person so oncoming riders can give the person ahead of them a heads-up to move out of the way when they get too close. Increasing the space between each person reduces the risk of butting heads.
Ski Airbags
Riders traveling as fast as a car should have similar protection. A full-face helmet is the best defense against head injuries, and pads can protect the knees, shoulders, wrists and elbows, but a wearable airbag will inflate upon impact to give the user a padded surface to fall on. Unlike avalanche airbags that inflate when crushed, wearable airbags wrap the rider’s chest and torso in air to create a bubble of protection. Smart options use sensors to recognize different types of falls, including slides, flips and rolls, beyond person-to-person collisions.
RFID Avalanche Detectors
Venturing backcountry is less stressful when rescue teams know exactly where to find missing riders. Avalanches and blustery winter storms can bury tracks in freshly fallen snow, delaying vital medical care for injured riders. A radio frequency identification device sends a tracking beacon to the authorities so they can find and begin treating the patient as quickly as possible.
Anyone venturing into the wilderness can carry a compact passive location reflector to give themselves more peace of mind. These devices can be found in hundreds of different products and clothes that means you don’t have to give off-grid adventures a second thought. When someone goes missing, the rescue teams carry active detectors that can locate the reflectors within 80 meters through the air, 20 meters through packed snow and 30 meters through avalanche debris.
AR Ski Goggles
Goggles powered with GPS fill the rider’s field of view with everything they need to know about their trip, including their current speed, location, elevation and what song they’re listening to on their phone.
These insights help riders better control the various factors that can lead to injury across all types of skiing. They can adjust their speed based on the number of obstacles ahead, monitor their distance from others and better time tricks to ensure a safe landing.
Light-Up Ski Poles
Skiers can make their presence known with illuminated poles after the sun goes down. They make it easier for rescuers to locate downed riders and groups to find each other. Users can flip the light on/off using the switch on the poles. The added luminosity can also help riders stand out during the day if they don’t drain the battery before nightfall.
Smartphone Gloves
What’s a ski trip without an impromptu selfie? Bluetooth-powered gloves interact seamlessly with smartphones, so riders can take photos/videos, add filters and even post without exposing their fingers to the cold. Minimizing exposure to the elements improves handling and control after capturing the moment.
Preventing Accidents with Ski Technology
Proper etiquette, conscientious riding and advanced warnings go a long way in preventing collisions. Smart objects and wearable accessories keep groups connected so they don’t run into each other.
Skiers may not always be able to control their speed, stop on demand or see what’s happening behind them, but they can use devices that help focus on avoiding obstacles. The more riders can communicate with and monitor their surroundings, the safer the slopes will be for everyone.
