Helmets intended to protect athletes and enthusiasts from harm aren’t created equally — and Virginia Tech researchers have added equipment for snow sports to the gear they analyze for effectiveness.
“We just released our first set of helmet ratings for snow sports, including skiing and snowboarding helmets,” said Steve Rowson, associate professor of biomedical engineering and mechanics who directs the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab. “We tested 35 helmets and found a range of performance.”
The helmets represent a variety of brands, costs and anti-rotation technology. All are certified for use.
“They pass a standard saying that they’re safe, and that you’re not likely to be catastrophically injured,” Rowson said. “What we do is identify the helmets that best reduce concussion risk.”
You don’t necessarily have to spend more to be better protected.
“When we look at things like cost, it wasn’t always indicative of how safe it was. Some of our top performing helmets cost the same as helmets at the bottom half of the readings,” Rowson said.
Researchers looked at how skiers and snowboarders fell using advanced video analysis to determine impact location and velocity.
“We simulate these type of impacts using an angled anvil, which allows us to both have a downward and forward velocity for impact,” Rowson said.
The top-rated helmets performed well in limiting rotation of the head, which is related to brain injury risk. Rankings declined for helmets as that rotation tended to increase.
The lab previously has evaluated equipment for varsity football, youth football, flag football, hockey, bicycles and soccer. Rankings for rugby equipment are expected next month.
You can find all the rankings on the Virginia Tech website.
