The San Bernardino coroner announced last night that the Fullerton snowboarder who died at Mountain High resort on Monday was not wearing a helmet.

A Weekly reader called Mt High Local commented on the original Weekly report, saying that — from his own observations — less than 50 percent of snowboarders normally wear helmets at the resort.

Another potential factor in the Fullerton man's death, the commenter says, could be the ice that coated slopes that chilly evening. So why wasn't the boarder wearing a helmet?

According to the National Ski Areas Association, about 40 ski- or snowboard-related deaths occur each winter in the U.S.

Since Christmas Eve, there's already been four — and another snowboarder was reported as missing in the Sierra Nevadas this morning.

Here's the comment, in its entirety:

“My son and I were at the resort when the accident happened. We were on the chair leading up to Conquest. We heard the ambulance's siren as it drove into the lot. Several of the runs were icier than the few days before, including the one we were just riding – Conquest. Headwall, Vertigo and Silverspur were just as hard packed. The only trail worth riding that night was Chisolm. I always comment on all of the noobs not wearing helmets for the sake of looking fashionable. If I had to guess, I would say less than half the riders on any given day or night at Mt. High are not wearing helmets. I'm not saying it might have saved his life. However, it's the same behavior of not wearing a helmet…riding beyond one's skills. Look up at the slopes from the base and see how many people are just sitting on the trails (blues and blacks, not just greens).”

What do you think: Could a helmet have saved one Fullerton man's life last Monday? Why can't more downhill snow-sporters be seen wearing them? And most importantly: Do you?

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