Natasha Richadson passes away

[chapo]

Last year I went boarding with a few buddies and crashed on my second run. I am not a daredevil when snowboarding, just more of a cruiser. The first thing that hit was my head. Nausea, probable concussion, no more boarding with two and a half days left on the trip. I now wear a helmet.

[speeder]

Super tragic. They come off as being some of the nicest people in show business, really just good people with an amazing marriage and really in love. I feel Neeson, if not for their kids he would surely give up living. He was madly in love with his wife. This story just made me sick from the first I read of it.

[Sonic dB]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

My skiing skills are amateurish at best. I learned when i was 16 or so. I've skied probably 20 times in my life. I can't imagine trying to learn in my mid 40s, due to the next day soreness factor alone.

To have everything and lose it in the pursuit of some frivolous new hobby seems like a pretty sick joke by the guy upstairs.

I dont get this pov... she was in very good shape and should have had no problem with this. People that strength train and do cardio should have no problem learning to ski at only 45.

[bonkers]

Tragic.

Always wear a helmet when skiing / snowboarding. No excuses.

You only get one brain: take care of it.

[bonkers]

Originally Posted by slodave

This is a real bummer.

33 years on skis, but I don't wear a helmet - even after the 20' fall that tore my shoulder up and knocked me out. If I die on skis, I'll have died happy. I've even told my parents this. Heck, I don't wear pads/helmet rollerblading and the one crash where I hit my head, the helmet wouldn't have helped anyway. OK, I'm being stubborn...

Yes, you are being stubborn. Even if you are comfortable going out that way - and bravado aside, I wonder if you really are - how do you think your parents / friends / loved ones would feel if you were incapacitated or killed?

Come to that, how would you feel about hitting your head and living the rest of your life in a persistent vegetative state? Could happen...

Every sport has its risks, even Yoga...

Yoga really isn't a sport and while you could potentially tweak a muscle by doing a pose wrong, you'd be hard pressed to hit your head.

When I'm not skiing or snowboarding, I like to get stretchy.

[lyon]

Sad, my best wishes to the family.
I remember when I was living in Colorado 8-9 years ago, a young lady, in her early twenties from Texas died on her first day skiing.

Beginners should never go without a helmet. I am experienced snowboarder and skier, I do a lot of difficult terrain, trees, etc.., I always wear a helmet and would recommend it.

[slodave]

Originally Posted by bonkers

Yes, you are being stubborn. Even if you are comfortable going out that way - and bravado aside, I wonder if you really are - how do you think your parents / friends / loved ones would feel if you were incapacitated or killed?

Come to that, how would you feel about hitting your head and living the rest of your life in a persistent vegetative state? Could happen...


Yoga really isn't a sport and while you could potentially tweak a muscle by doing a pose wrong, you'd be hard pressed to hit your head.

When I'm not skiing or snowboarding, I like to get stretchy.

Both of my parents are life long skiers as well. We've talked about helmets, but they don't wear one and never pushed me. Parents wouldn't really like it, but mom never did expect me to live to age 21, told me that at age 15, then brought it up when I was about 31 and told me how surprised she was that I did make passed 21. Mom does bug me about pads for rollerblading though.

The vegetative state is concerning. That's why I made arrangements for that not to happen.

I will admit that it was pretty stupid to ski through the trees that one year, while on the cell phone. Thankfully, a tree pointed that out to me.

I have not read about how she fell, but Dottore mentioned something about falling over at a stand still. You can fall over while doing Yoga too. The article I posted talks about how little a hit it takes and the potential for death.

Yes, very stubborn.

[mattdavis11]

My condolences to the family.

I must be living under a rock, I never heard her name until a few days ago. Was there another medical condition that precluded this? I'm having a hard time understanding how a seemingly innocent fall can wind up with this as a conclusion to one's life. It makes nearly no sense. It almost seems like her number was called. As for the advocates for helmets, people die with them on too. I'm beginning to think that in this case one would have made no difference whatsoever.

I know some people have inherently soft skulls, but I wonder if having gone through the school of hard knocks is somehow beneficial. If you haven't taken a lick or two to the noggin b/c you sheltered yourself with a helmet, can that somehow prevent thickening of the skull? Or enhance softening? It seems like every wound heals with some extra padding. Maybe that's the problem, she hadn't taken a shot to the melon before. Who knows, it's very sad though.

Life took her away too soon. God speed.

[slodave]

Matt, take a look at this article...

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/18/brain.injury/index.html

[911pcars]

Just recently, a guy I've known for a long time was at the golf course and slipped on a wet path. Hit his head and is now paralyzed. Freak accident. It happens. He's slowly regaining muscle control, but it's going to take awhile.

Snow + moisture = ice. Ice is hard. The first time I skied, I was near the base of the ski lift. My skis slipped on a patch of ice and I went down. Luckily, all it did was rip through my ski pants and thermals and tear up my thigh. And I was standing still when it happened.

HardDrive,
Buckle that seat belt too.

NR, RIP. Very sad.

Sherwood

[speeder]

I grew up skiing a lot, close to 100 days a year. (Season pass). haven't skied in the last 25 years and have to say that I've never seen anyone skiing in a helmet unless they were developmentally disabled or something similar. Times have really changed in terms of safety awareness, I guess. never saw anyone wearing a helmet on a bicycle when I was a kid either. ('60s/'70s).

Makes me wonder how we all survived. I would think that a helmet would be of limited usefulness while skiing, most catastrophic skiing accidents involve collisions with steel poles or trees at high speed. A little helmet wouldn't do anything. Her death is a freak accident and so sad, I could think of 100 famous people I'd rather see die than her.

[mattdavis11]

I guess she had her poles in her hand and didn't try to cushion the blow. Or maybe she did, and it was a pole that did her in, assuming she had them. Now that I think about it, it's an unconscious movement I make with my arms anytime I fall. Elbow out, forearm right at ear height. Obviously she was going down the hill and maybe the pole grabbed, shoved the handle to ear height and she fell on it in the worst spot imaginable. That sucks.

I guess everyone needs to take a shot to the ear at least once, learn how it hurts like hell, and figure out how not to do it again. I'm pretty sure that gets burned into the subconscious, otherwise I'd have been toast a long time ago.

Motorcycles and helmets are one thing, but skiing? I've only been a few times, and have been lucky that the powder was a plenty, but I think a helmet would have ruined the experience. Helmets on bikes (kids, not Mr. Triathlon's)) is kind of a joke, think about the location of the soft spot and how much coverage one of those half skulls provide. The critical portion of the head is still exposed, is it not? A handle bar or a curb at the right angle defeats the purpose. You learn to protect yourself without one on too.

[grudk]

Haven't read the details but the bleed may have been the cause of the fall, rather than the other way around. More will be revealed.

[slodave]

For the record - I do recommend that new skiers wear a helmet. I do think they have a value or they wouldn't be pushed and part of the industry now.

[mattdavis11]

Originally Posted by grudk

Haven't read the details but the bleed may have been the cause of the fall, rather than the other way around. More will be revealed.

I was thinking something of the similar, then the beer started me down other avenues.

Either way, what a terrible deal.

[slodave]

From a Reuters article:

The NSAA urges skiers and riders to wear a helmet but stresses that people's behavior on the slopes counts most, with skiing and snowboarding no more dangerous than other high-energy participation sports, with 39 deaths on average a year.

It cited researcher Jason Shealy, who studies ski-related injuries and found recent research indicated helmets cut the incidence of any head injuries by 30 to 50 percent but these were the minor injuries and wearing helmets had not cut fatalities.

"The increase in the use of helmets has not reduced the overall number of skiing fatalities," said the NSAA in a statement. "More than half of the people involved in fatal accidents last season were wearing helmets."

Full article...
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE52I0US20090319

[rammstein]

It was a freak thing period. Sucks.

I already know how I am going to go- I'm gonna have a heart attack or a ruptured brain aneurysm while I am on the toilet. It will be god's final sick joke at my expense.

[ruf-porsche]

Originally Posted by rammstein

It was a freak thing period. Sucks.

I already know how I am going to go- I'm gonna have a heart attack or a ruptured brain aneurysm while I am on the toilet. It will be god's final sick joke at my expense.

Just take some laxatives or stool softener so you are not straining while taking a dump.

[Rikao4]

Ramm, you would be suprised how many folks do just that..
you grunt and pop goes the weasel...

Rika

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by mattdavis11

Motorcycles and helmets are one thing, but skiing? I've only been a few times, and have been lucky that the powder was a plenty, but I think a helmet would have ruined the experience. Helmets on bikes (kids, not Mr. Triathlon's)) is kind of a joke, think about the location of the soft spot and how much coverage one of those half skulls provide. The critical portion of the head is still exposed, is it not? A handle bar or a curb at the right angle defeats the purpose. You learn to protect yourself without one on too.

I used to feel the same way. This is my first season skiing with a helmet—and I have been skiing all of my life. And you know what? I like the helmet.

These things are incredibly light. No more than a few grams. They are warm and comfortable, and even have vents you can open in warmer weather.



People have been wearing these things for a while, but I was only recently persuaded. Of course the fact that almost everyone is wearing one is a big factor. There will be days in April and May when the sun is out that I will take the thing off and stick it in my backpack. No question. But mostly I just wear it.