With helmets' proven effectiveness and ever-increasing style and comfort, there's no reason not to protect your noggin.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 2011, more than 290,000 people were treated in hospitals, doctors' offices and emergency rooms for winter sports-related injuries. And according to a statement from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), that includes approximately 108,986 snowboarding injuries and 124,324 snow skiing injuries.

Two ski industry icons have come together to bring skiers a first-in-kind, chance-of-a- lifetime ski experience, featuring helicopters, deep powder snow, next-season ski technology, up-close riding with professional athletes, and a customized heli-ski lodge in British Columbia.

Sound too good to be true? Trust us. K2 Skis, along with the world's first and largest heli-skiing operator, CMH Heli-Skiing (CMH), introduced this season a revolutionary heli-ski concept to allow skiers and riders of all types access to some of the deepest powder of British Columbia's famed Kootenay region.

Sugarbush makes a strong case as one of Vermont's top ski destinations, which in turn makes it one of the greatest ski resorts on the Eastern seaboard.

With two mountains, three terrain parks and plenty of tree skiing to be had among the 2,000-acre Slide Brook Wilderness area and surrounding national forest, Eastern skiers and riders can find everything they're looking for at Warren, Vermont's Sugarbush.

Contour leads the market in hands-free video story-telling devices for snowsports enthusiasts. Their products allow not merely professionals but all modern skiers and riders to capture their adventures through digital video.

Vail Resorts, Inc. announced it has closed on its acquisition of Kirkwood Mountain Resort at Lake Tahoe, Calif., recognized by skiers and snowboarders as offering some of the best high alpine advanced terrain in North America. Vail Resorts now operates three world-class mountain resorts in the Lake Tahoe region including Heavenly Mountain Resort and Northstar California.