"The investigation, conducted for RTS's consumer program A Bon Entendeur, tested 16 helmet models from major brands including Oakley, Uvex, Atomic, Head, Salomon, Albright, Giro, POC, and Wedze. Not a single helmet provided adequate protection in crash simulations at 50 km/h, or in frontal collisions between two skiers each traveling 35 km/h. At 50 km/h, the force transmitted to the brain can reach 2,400 G, a level described as "likely lethal" by Fabien Breda of Geneva's HEPIA engineering school, who led the testing."
"All helmets tested were compliant with the current EN 1077 standard, which has not kept pace with skiing habits. Experts say that is the core issue. Dominique Pioletti, professor at EPFL's biomechanics laboratory, says the standard must be updated both to reflect higher impact speeds and to include rotational forces, which are more damaging to the brain than straight-line impacts."
Testing by Swiss public broadcaster RTS measured 16 helmet models from major brands and found none provided adequate protection in crash simulations at 50 km/h or in frontal collisions between two skiers each traveling 35 km/h. European and ASTM standards require protection only at roughly 20–22 km/h with peak G-forces under 300 G. Impacts at 50 km/h can transmit up to 2,400 G to the brain, a likely lethal level. A SUVA study found most recreational skiers exceed 50 km/h, with many reaching 75 km/h. Experts call for EN 1077 updates to reflect higher speeds and include rotational forces.
Read at SnowBrains
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