The recent tragic death of Natasha Richardson after a minor tumble at Quebec’s flagship ski resort, Mont Tremblant, has a lot of people scratching their heads and looking for someone or something to blame. Was it Canadacare that failed her? The instructors and ski area staff? Should she have been wearing a helmet?

It’s a question that comes up at least once or twice every season in the wake of a tragic accident like this one. Helmets have exploded in popularity just in the last 5 or 6 years, leaving fewer and fewer skiers and riders (mostly beginners, it just so happens) who opt out. But should resorts require their guests to wear a helmet? Should it maybe be the law?

The statistics are clear: wearing a helmet while skiing significantly reduces the risk of severe head injury. But like so many things, it isn’t that simple. A recent study by the American Medical Association found that helmet use did nothing to reduce death rates from skiing injuries, because accidents serious enough to result in morbidity typically involve trauma to many parts of the body. Head injuries alone don’t account for a large number of skiing-related deaths.

To further complicate the issue, many skiers and riders are happy to admit that wearing a helmet is a great confidence booster. Are invincible-feeling helmet wearers more willing to take risks and get injured anyway?

The debate goes on. While we will never know if a helmet could have prevented the tragic outcome of Natasha Richardson’s seemingly innocuous fall, there has been an enormous groundswell in the wake of this accident in particular. The Canadian Standards Authority has announced it will be performing testing on snowsports helmets for the first time ever and certifying models that meet certain criteria. Yes, no organization in the United States, Canada, or anywhere else has ever tested snowsports helmets.

I personally think that all of this discussion is a step in the right direction. If helmets reduce injuries alone, that’s enough of a reason to wear one. That being said, I wouldn’t give my bern baker helmet up for anything. It’s too warm, comfortable, and a great confidence booster.