Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2025

Neuro-rehabilitation Approach for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Published on: January 25, 2016
Improving Spatial Hearing when Wearing Ski Helmets in Order to Increase Safety on Ski Slopes
Josef Seebacher1, Markus Posch2, Philipp Zelger1
1Department of Hearing, Speech and Voice Disorders, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
Abstract:
This study investigated the effect of a new type of ear pads for ski helmets on the hearing performance of 13 young adults (mean age: 22 years). Free-field hearing thresholds and sound localization performance of the subjects were assessed in three conditions: without helmet, with a conventional helmet and with the modified helmet. Results showed that the modified helmet was superior to the conventional helmet in all respects, but did not allow for a performance level observed without a helmet. Considering the importance of precise hearing and sound localization during alpine skiing, acoustically improved ear pads of ski helmets, as demonstrated in this study, can essentially contribute to enhancing the safety on ski slopes.
Related Concept Videos
Hearing
Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by...
The Cochlea

