For the most part, adventure seekers in the National Park are often left to their own devices. There are no strict regulations mandating the use of safety equipment, even during the most dangerous activities. Ice climbing, backcountry skiing, kayaking and many other activities place the onus of safety on the end user.

Due to the individualistic nature of many of these activities, regulation would be difficult to enforce.

However, this is not an issue at the ski hill.

Skiers and snowboarders of various skill levels hurl themselves downhill at high rates of speed every day at Marmot Basin. Almost every day, an ambulance or ski patrol officer must respond to an accident.

Helmets save lives. They prevent injury. In terms of ski and snowboard equipment, they are relatively inexpensive.

There is no excuse not to wear one. It should be mandatory.

Marmot Basin has implemented a helmet policy for young skiers in its ski schools, and loans helmets to those who request them. It’s the soft approach, and rewards proactive behaviour. However it is often those who don’t ask, those who are unaware of the risks posed by the sport who need the greatest amount of protection. There is a high level of helmet usage at most of the mountain parks. Creating a rule to bring everyone up to speed is not intrusive.

Removing a lift pass from those without a helmet would be a simple solution. The hill already has an active ski patrol, and monitoring helmet use is not difficult to enforce.

Now those who decry the erosion of personal freedoms may oppose such a move. However this isn’t a question of impingement, but of life or death.

Which is what we saw this week with the accident of Roy Patterson.

Patterson was wearing a helmet at the time of his accident, but it was a bicycle helmet, which offers far less protection. The result could have proved fatal and Patterson is still in the hospital because of the accident. This shouldn’t have happened.

Patterson is a big advocate of helmets, and was a walking example of their importance. Having nearly died in a ski accident 31 years ago, he would often tell young people his tragic story.

The rest of the sporting world has caught up. There are no excuses for the ski hills to lag behind.

Even the NHL, one of the least progressive leagues in professional sport mandates helmet use – and they implemented that rule 30 years ago.

The ski industry needs to come together and form a blanket policy on helmet use. All snowboarders and skiers must wear a helmet. No exceptions.