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Letter: Applaud Skico for doing the right thing with helmets

It is with great pleasure I read the article “Trauma surgeon says helmets save lives” in Thursday’s Aspen Times. Great credit is due to Aspen Skiing Co. for being a first-class leader in recognizing the need to do the right thing despite the advice of most major ski industry associations to the contrary. It was 13 years ago this week that our mountains took the life of 5-year-old Leonie Arguetty. At 18, she should have been planning her graduation from high school and awaiting word on college applications. Fortunately, Eliot Levmore has that opportunity because of a helmet. For the four weeks between Leonie and Eliot’s ski accidents, our community discussed and debated the idea of making helmets mandatory. A connection made at Denver Children’s Hospital put Eliot’s story and his dented helmet in the national news and made it hard not to do something. Skico then chose to make the first independent step and required helmets on kids, with many ski resorts following its lead. Arguetty’s life, though tragically short, has made a difference — an increase of close to 50 percent in helmet usage! Kudos to Skico for recognizing the need to do the right thing!

Carol Hawk

Basalt