Cromwell businessman Bob Tovey says his $60 ski helmet is the best investment he ever made.
He is convinced the helmet saved him from death or ''massive brain trauma, at least'' when he fell on the Treble Cone skifield two and a-half weeks ago and ''bounced'' 100m head-first down a rocky, steep slope.
''My first thought was: I hope I don't die and my second thought was: I hope I don't end up in a wheelchair ... luckily I only came out of it with a broken back.''
Mr Tovey (48) has been an avid skier for about 30 years. He bought the ski helmet about eight years ago at the Wakatipu Ski Club's annual sale.
''More and more people were wearing helmets at that time but I didn't want to spend $300 on one.
''I think I spent about $60 on it, which would have to be the best $60 I've ever spent.''
Studying the helmet, which now has a sizeable crack on one side and scratches from the impact with rocks during his head-long slide down the slope, he has a simple message for other skiers: ''always wear a helmet''.
''It blows me away that people don't think of safety first. If I hadn't been wearing this, it would've been my head that was split open,'' he said.
''People say 'But I'm a good skier and don't take risks', but an accident can be caused by other skiers who are out of control and career into you or accidents can be caused by just pure bad luck, like mine.''
The weather and snow were great that day and he had been skiing down a chute under a chairlift.
''There was some plant material and halfway down I stopped, to be more careful around the plant material, but my ski must've caught a plant or a rock and knocked me off-balance and I fell over, head-first and sliding on my back. I was bouncing down and they say I fell about 100m, on snow and on rocks.
''I remember trying to turn around so I wasn't going head-first, but I'd gathered so much speed there was no chance of turning.
''I tried to go limp and then must've hit my head on a rock because I was knocked out. When I woke up, I was surrounded by the mountain rescue team.''
The ''damage'' was four broken vertebrae, two broken ribs and concussion.
''I had a massive egg on my head, underneath where the helmet was cracked. My vertebrae were squashed in a compression fracture - I've measured my height since the crash and I'm now an inch shorter, so that's a bit strange.''
Mr Tovey praised all those involved in his care, from the mountain rescue crew to the skifield staff, St John crew, the medical centre staff in Wanaka, Otago Regional Rescue Helicopter crew and the staff at Dunedin Hospital, where he spent a week.
They were all ''first rate - you couldn't hope for any better''. Now recuperating at home, he is contemplating ''six weeks of doing nothing ... it's a good job the Commonwealth Games are on TV''.
He concedes the ski season is over for him but is adamant he will be back on the slopes next year.
Slippery slopes
• 8000 skiing-related injury claims to ACC in 2013
• $18.5 million paid out for skiing and snowboarding injuries
THE INJURIES
Soft tissue injuries (bruises, sprains, strains): 80%
Fractures/dislocations: 10%
Lacerations/puncture wounds: 3%
Concussion: 3%
Source: ACC
