Voici les différents mails échangés concernant ces sujets. Je vais essayer de
tenir cette page à jour.
Here are the mails exchanged concerning these subjects. I will try to keep this
page up to date.
| From Philippe May on
September 18th Hello Adam,
We will probably get the pictures from Scott this week. I will post them
as soon as I got them. The helmets will be available at the end of
october if
everything goes well.
These situation will not afect too much the racers that only race in
Canada.
What we will try to do for this season is to have the new helmet
mendatory only for the high speed races (Speed Master) so in Les Arcs
and Verbier.
The new helmet will only be sugested in FIS races this coming winter.
Both generation (40cm and 48cm) will be accepted on FIS races. This
still has to be
disscuss and officialized at the FIS meeting on the 29 of september in
Zurich... so everybody will get more official news very soon.
Like it was said by several people (Stéphane, Dick, me,...) the new
helmet is NOT the answer to the 2 tragic accident of Les Arcs... but
part of the work
that has to be done to make our sport safer!!!
Cheers,
Philippe May |
| From
Blake Andreassen on
September 18th Dear Speed Skiing Group,
I would like to give Philippe May full marks for the hard work he has
put in on the new helmet study with Scott. Anyone falling on a steep
fast slope wants the best helmet available to protect their head. The
safest option needs to be available to all competitors and regulated.
Maybe it’s time, we get rid of all the homemade helmets and set a new
safe standard. Is your safety as a competitor, worth the cost of a new
helmet and a few hours of work to shape the outer shell as you wish? I
hope sooo!!!!!!
I feel the real problem lies with the course set up and safety systems
that should make our extreme sport a little more controlled. If a
competitor falls in the start area and has the potential of getting onto
the track and sliding the complete length of the track, there is a big
problem!!!!!
All race organizers, course workers and the competitors themselves like
the events to run quickly, smoothly and without delays from course prep
between runs. If the track is so steep, from where you are starting
from, then very strict safety standards must be met. A safety system of
b-nets could be installed across the track to protect the competitors
from the dangerous slope below!! The starter and all start workers need
crampons and to be roped in, so they are not at risk from the track as
well. Several layers of b-net, could be installed across the track so
the competitors have to slowly move through the maze to the start
opening in the net. This net, is not for hanging jackets and bags on,
but to save your lives if you need it. The starters and start assistance
may have to be more involved in assisting the competitors into their
starting point, rather than just watching.
This kind of start safety system can damage the track surface, with foot
prints, drill holes and takes time to repair and lots of work to install
and remove for each start area as we move up the hill. Course prep time
will be needed between runs. Again, I ask you, what is the cost for a
safe start area? Maybe, not going up to the higher start, for the last
run of the day or going from the last start one more time that day?
Every track is different and the safety systems have to be modified to
fit each track. The organizers, jury and competitors, by using their
competitor referee, need to work hard at running safer, controlled
events. It’s not good enough to say, we always run the race like this in
the past. The past is not good enough anymore. Years ago we used to
sidestep up the slope to the top and, we stopped doing that!!!!!
There has been some good information exchanged, keep it up.
Cheers
Blake Andreassen |
| From
Chris Gebbie on September 18th
Hi All,
Organisers - take a look at Sun Peaks.
How about some B-Nett across the fall zone in a
number of locations. Net's have worked for fishermen for centuries,
and we as speed skiers have asked for them in the past every time
someone loses a helmet at Les Arc. Seems no one listens!!!!!!! Block
the fall line.
Let us not rely on human ability (failure) to catch someone, that is
totally unreasonable to expect any one person (people) to accept
that kind of responsibility. We cannot expect someone to live with
the fact they could not do the job they were suppose to do, when in
most cases they will not even be "Johnny on the spot" hence we all
know the result.
Otherwise I fully agree, helmets are not the total cure. Just food
for thought as we will all need to catch a plane somewhere at
sometime, ever tried to fit a 48cm diameter object in a aircraft
carry on compartment??? ever tried to send a helmet in the hold???
ever seen a baggage handler handle a fragile object?
Philippe/Beat - have you got a picture of the new
prototype bucket? inner and outer examples would be nice.
cheers
Chris.
|
| From Dick Taplin on
September 18th Dear Nigel et al,
I am very glad to see the degree of discussion that we are now having
about safety in general, as a result of the excellent work initiated by
Philippe with this helmet initiative. All the areas where we might
improve the security of skiers need to be addressed, and not merely
those signalled by 'the slamming of the stable door' - eg better
monitors en piste, maintaining non-glisse outerwear, use of crampons and
walking lines, testing of tracks with dummy bales, new homologations etc
- all these items have been suggested in the course of the last 2
months, and all need to be discussed, tested, proved (or not) and
incorporated into our processes and rules. We already have an offer of
additional safety netting - but we now need to find the transport and
the individual who will move it and erect it at each WC event - so is
there anyone out there interested?
We need to produce a safe and exciting circuit to attract media
attention and, from that, the desire to sponsor. Our meeting is in a
fortnight's time (Sat 29 Sep). Keep the ideas flowing, send them to the
delegates or me, and let's make this the most dynamic discipline and one
that grabs the headlines by our innovation and dynamism.
Best wishes to all,
Dick
Chair FIS Speedski |
| From Philippe May on
September 17th
Salut Nigel,
To quickly answer your email:
- We know that the helmet problem is not the only one and we are
working very hard on different new rules to improve the safety in
our sport. It's not only the crash of Cait that push us to find a
solution about helmets but mainly the crashes of racers that loose
everything they have on there head as soon as the crash (like Simone
in Verbier). There is discussions about speed ski helmets since I
first hear about this sport... so something had to be done now that
we are really working on everything we can to improve the safety of
KL. If I can judge by the prototype I saw so far, the visibility
will be as good as what we have know in the new helmets... and the
safety will be enormously improved due the fact that we will be
wearing REAL inner helmet!!!
Cheers,
|
| From
Adam Earle on September 17th
Hello All.
As a long-time racer and organizer I thought I would add my 2 bits
to the whole discussion.
Even though there are many opinions from all camps about the helmet
issue, it is it not really about helmet safety but about racer
safety on track and in the starting areas.
While I was not present at Les Arc for either tragic fall, could
these have not been avoided by the simple installation of catch
nets/B-Nets???
I am not sure what we are trying to correct as the evolution of a
safer speed helmet( Breakaway) has progressed nicely over the
last 10 years with the higher speeds but the safety on courses has
not.
Please correct me if I
am wrong but in my 25 years of speed skiing and 15 years of
organizing speed skiing races I have never heard of a racer dying
because his or her helmet ( 40 cm, breakaway or not) failed to
protect them during an on-track racing related fall.
While I agree
that having a certified DH inner helmet is a good idea, is this not
just a reaction to 2 tragic deaths that occurred due to lack of a
catchments system or B-Net system and were these tragedies avoidable
if a new different helmet was being worn, I doubt it.
After seeing hundreds of helmets over the years, It is obvious to me
that while this new standardized helmet will be safer overall for
all speed skiers and in the long run "may" save someone's life
someday, we all need to look at Where, Why and How these deaths took
place and try to solve that problem first.
While our event at Sun Peaks, Canada is considerably slower than Les
Arcs we have proven that World Cup DH B-Nets are the only way to
stop a crashed or runaway racer. Why not mandate these instead of
changing our helmets???
Another thing I wonder about and have seen very little discussion on
is what will happen to the 40 cm rule (almost 30 years old),
obviously a XL-DH helmet needs a much larger shell than a Med-DH
helmet so were does the 40 cm standard go if everyone is racing with
different size shells and how will this be officiated.
Personally I would like to thank Philippe and everyone else who is
working very hard on this but the reality is that a lack of proper
safety nets has injured far more racers in the last 30 years than
traditional speed helmets, period.
Yours truly
Adam Earle
Organizer
Sun Peaks Velocity Challenge/FISH World Cup
Sun Peaks B.C. Canada
|
From
Nigel Brockton on September 17th
Hi All,
Unfortunately, I
don't have the time to write a full digest of what I think of all of
this but a couple of points.
1. Nobody seems to
have registered that most people would NOT have been wearing their
helmet under the circumstances that Caitilin fell. Indeed, the fact
that she WAS wearing her helmet probably contributed to her falling.
She was unable to see where her skis were catching on the lumps of
ice because she was wearing her helmet.
Consequently, mandating
new helmets does not solve the problem. If another person falls
under similar circumstances, they are NOT likely to be wearing their
helmet and all of this will be for nothing! We will have done
nothing to avoid future tragedies, if we focus purely on the helmets.
Furthermore, in
light of two fatalities from almost identical trajectories, I think
it is likely, that regardless of head-gear, the chances of surviving
a similar fall down the Le Varet bumps are slim. We must
concentrate on stopping these falls “at source” (ie person (GOOD
SKIER), on standby and on their skis who can stop any falling racer
before they can generate any momentum…a simple and effective
solution). It may rarely be needed but must be an absolute
prerequisite for racing.
I do commend the
effort to standardize the inner helmets but I urge that they
consider the very different requirements for a speed ski helmet
compared to alpine.. Most speed skiers are squinting through their
eyebrows. The thickness of the brow area of a DH helmet
dramatically obscures forward vision in that position. Therefore,
we would have lots of people “head-up” (and probably crashing in
compressions) or people not seeing forward at all…some of whom
really should be looking where they’re going!
Vive la vitesse!
Dr. Bullet
|
| From Christer Weiss on
September 17th I can see your point in the second part of
your answer. This is a direct copy of the FIS Alpine WC. Instead of
having internal eye´s as cheif of course they have external eye´s
watching the program. Much better, but Speedski doesn´t have general
sponsor who can cover the cost for a such a person going around at the
WC in speedski. Good toughts but without money, may in the
future.......!
I don´t agree that we have NO problems with the helmets, the helmets is
not the only problem......there are more, but we will build this rules
up slowely so everybody can have a fair chance to convert to safer and
good equipment for future.
Christer Weiss |
| From
Jeff Hamilton September 16th By not having a
strong organization you have let Les Arc define the problem and focus
the responsibility for the tragic accidents in the last several years.
Speed Skiing does not have a helmet problem. It has an organizational
problem. With a strong athlete organization, unsafe tracks and race
conditions would be eliminated by a tour referee, not a chief of course
affiliated with the resort.
Focus on the real issue!
Jeff Hamilton |
| From
Chris Gebbie on September 16th
Hi All,
Excellent work Philippe, I'm sure the benefits will be outstanding.
Now that we know there is a new inner coming, can I ask one question -
Has the circle measurement changed?
Cheers
Chris Gebbie.
www.nzspeed.com |
| From Francesco
Saldarini on September 15th CIAO ALL !
... surely got yr point ... though am sorry not everybody has / had the
chance to travel to FR for the meeting you held ...
if this may help, pls. note that I'm using an helmet designed by FISI (
the italian wintersport federation ) which has a regular Downhill FIS
omologated
inner helmet;
they made it already and would cost them ZERO to either sell anyone the
inner helmet, or the whole thing
... if you feel like this might be interesting pls. let me know and I'll
post you pics of the helmet and the way the shell is secured to the
inner DH FIS helmet ...
Kino |
| From Philippe May on
September 15th Hello everyone,
Just a quick answer about that story...
We had a meeting in June where we had emergency decision to take to save
our sport. It was very simple, we had two options: We improve the safety
of
our sport (specially the helmets) or we WILL NOT race AT ALL anymore in
Les Arcs or in Verbier!!!
So we decide to try to work hard to save Speed Skiing.
I personally accept to try to find a company that accept to developpe
a safe helmet. I think everyone in the sport know how difficult it is
to convince a
serious company to spend money on a sport with so few individuals that
they will never make any money back. Anyway, Scott accept to do it. The
main
difficultie was to test and provide papers about the ejection of the
aérodynamic part. These is also why we decide to have only one producer
of
the inner helmet so we are sure that the inserts that will hold the
screws that hold the aerodynamic part will be respected, safe and
exactelly the same for
everyone. It has been a huge work for all the people involved. And I’m
convince that will be a great improvement for the safety of Speed Skiing
and it
will put an end of the everlasting discutions about the helmets.
Scott accept to work on these only if they have the exclusivity. No
other offer has been received and the developpement took month (not even
done yet). So
everyone will have to use the Scott inner helmet if they want to race
next winter. But everyone will have the freedom to build the aerodynamic
part of
the helmet if they wish!!! The inner helmet will be sold in a very cheap
price (no money will be made on them) and they will be available very
soon. You
will be able to get them from the FSSV, the FSV or Beat at the same
price!
As soon as we have more information we will publish them.
See you soon everybody!!!
Philippe May |
| From : Simone Origone on September 15th Hi everyone,
I'm writing this e-mail to give you my opinion about the new helmet.
First of all want to say that I think is correct to wear an internal
helmet with a CEE omologation, and I want to thank who is working
in this direction.
Yesterday the Italian team had a meeting and we talk about this new
rule, most of us agree with the proposal of wearing a safe helmet
during the competions, but we don't agree with the proposal of
having the same helmet for everyone. In alpine skiing everyone
wear an omologated helmet, but from different brands (for example:
Briko-Poc- Scott- Uvex- Carrera- Cebe- Rossignol- Dainese- Alpina
etc......).
So we think that the best way is to give the rigth informations about the
new rule and let everyone be free of choosing, inside the rule, what
kind of internal helmet to use.
Ciao, Simone |
|