Poor Natasha Richardson (Liam Neesons wife)

[nametaken]

|I hope she's gonna be OK

here

sledging is a completely different activity and one that's not usually offered at N. American ski resorts, although there are some businesses that do offer it (one is outside Winter Park, Colorado, and offers inner tubing on slopes and snow mobiling in another area).

In fact, I've never heard of it being offered at a N. American ski resort, even XC ones.

I had a serious accident at a XC resort in Colorado (needed 4 surgeries on my knees) and had to sign a disclaimer after chosing to go home on my own, too (I saw my orthopaedic surgeon the next morning and had my first surgery 10 days later).

But muffle, it's not at all usual to hit ones' head whilst skiiing or boarding unless you're doing it at a pretty high level.

By far the worst you can usually do skiing is hit a tree, and resulting injuries from that are usually abdominal trauma.

When you see people going head over feet and rolling over and over they're on something much steeper than a bunny run.

We're talking slopes that are about 10 degree in steepness. You fall and it's on your arse. She must have had a very freaky accident.

Does it really matter? The woman is seriously injured, may possibly die, and all people are going on about is that she wasn't wearing a helmet?

This is north America, home of the lawsuit. If the risk of injury was that great she would have been made to sign a disclaimer before she went on to the slope without a helmet. These companies don't take chances if they think there's a higher than average chance of being sued.

Exactly, wannabe!

This poor lady had a freak accident and may die and is seriously injured.

Serious head injuries can occur even with helmets. Look at Christopher Reeve - his injury counted in stats as a brain injury because it was his brain stem.

Poor soul.

I had to wear a helmet on the nursery slopes in the US last year. Was really surprised she wasn't wearing one, especially if she was with an instructor. Maybe Canada's different?

Anyway, it's very sad. I always liked her. And she's put up with Neeson's bad behaviour for a long time.

um. the disclaimer is on the back of your lift ticket. matters not if you wear a helmet or not, there's no lawsuit.

family mad all wear helmets btw. largely as dh had enormous head trauma and has plates and screws holding his skull together (not skiing lol) but i'm a bit precious about it.

it was an accident. hope she manages to recover.

I never wore one.

But when I started on bunny slopes I was about 6 years old, over thirty years ago, so that's really dating myself .

i didn't wear one until dh had his accident. at 30. it chimed nicely with the advent of children though, so we all do now. quite a lot do in canada, but by no means all.

I never used walking sticks whilst hiking or backpacking until I mangled my knees. After that, I was a convert.

ah. not got that far yet. can't get my head around the weird walking pole things either. my legs worked perfectly well before they started flogging them...

I was skeptical about sticks at first, so I took the baskets off my XC ski poles and used those at first.

But I was soon converted and invested in some Lekis.

Olympic champions are going so fast on such steep slopes a fair few of them have died or been severely injured even with helmets on.

I'm not a moron or an amateur, but I don't wear a helmet, so thanks for the label .

I also stopped skiing in resorts in about 1996, mostly because they're full of a-holes.

I have never known any adult beginners, anywhere, wear a helmet. I really don't know why they keep stressing that she wasn't wearing one as if she was being negligent or going against the norm. I have never worn one and neither have DCs.

You cannot limit liability for death or personal injury...

But agree with expat: freak accident

Last time we went skiing - 2 yrs ago in Colorado - there were plenty of grown-ups in helmets. Our party, with skiiers of all abilities, did too. Not bad - warmer and less itchy than a hat .

When I was a kid we didn't use car seats - now I wouldn't be caught dead without for DCs. Times change and safety awareness, within reason, is a good thing...

true, the vast majority of skiiers, boarders and snowmobilers who are killed are out-of-bounds people who go out at dawn when the slopes are loaded with new snow and DUH! trigger a slab avalanche.

It's still entirely possible to enjoy the backcountry even in extreme avalanche periods, you just have to use some sense and vary what you do.

Two guys from our climbing gym were killed ice climbing in Rocky Mountain National Park in March one year, and I remember the day because I had a day off and was going to go ski with a friend, but it was super warm that day after the high country had gotten about a foot of new snow and we decided it was just too hairy and went snowshoeing instead to an area we knew well.

Sure enough, there was ice fall and avalanches a-go-go that day all around the state.

I daresay that helmets will be the norm, but they aren't at the moment so there was nothing unusual about her not wearing one.

I am very sad for her and also for her family and Liam. How shocking.

Hopefully she'll recover with no ill effects.

Poor woman. Very sad.

Squeaver, what sort of bad behaviour was Liam up to? I always thought he was sooo lovely.