1 May 2005

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I hope that everyone had a safe trip home from Japan, and that thoughts of the recent 16th ISSS Congress and of Winter Sports safety research are still fresh in your minds. The 17th ISSS Congress in Aviemore, Scotland, hosted by Dr. Mike Langran, is now officially set for 6-12 May 2007.

Our sincere thanks go to Dr. Tsueno Yamagishi for inviting us to the beautiful Arai Resort and for organizing the entire conference. The conference facilities were wonderful, and the organizing staff made our stay both comfortable and easy. Even though the winds did not cooperate enough to allow us to have the Ski Race, many enjoyed the deep spring snow and the beautiful views from the resort.

We want to honor the Society’s outgoing President, Arne Ekeland, MD, PhD, and thank him for his many years of service and leadership of the ISSS. We are pleased to announce that Robert J. Johnson, MD, Kenechi Yahashi, MD and Professor Koreo Kenoshita were elected as Honorary Members of the Society.

The research presentations and discussions were rich with information – a summary of the proceedings of the Congress has been written and is being reviewed by the ISSS Board before distribution on the new Society website. Irv Scher, PhD, PE was presented the Sachiko Yahashi Memorial Award for his outstanding presentation “Head Contact After Catching an Edge: An Examination of Snowboarding Helmets”.

Several important open discussions and forums were held - the conference attendees, the National Secretaries, and the ISSS Board all called for an increase in the visibility of the Society moving forward, and more specifically, for an increase in the dialogue amongst our members between ISSS congresses. To address these important discussions, the ISSS Board has discussed and approved a redesign and relaunch of a new website that will become a focal point for communication among the Society’s members and a source of information for the community at-large. A target launch date for this site is set for Fall 2005 – more detailed information about the site and requests for materials will be provided in coming months.

Additionally, the Board approved the formation of Workgroups that will be forums for open exchange of ideas, research, and collaborations. Initially, Workgroups for Ski Systems (Ski/Boot/Binding), Protective Equipment, Snowboard, Sports Performance and Safety, Personal Behaviour, and Snow Surface were proposed – these may be combined or expanded as needed. It is our goal that the new Website will provide the medium for this information exchange. The Workgroups will present key summaries of their work and will hold additional working sessions at future ISSS meetings. We requested that interested parties send via email (rgreenwald@simbex.com) specific points for inclusion in each Workgroup by 1 June 2005. This information will be organized, and the Workgroups can begin to communicate. Once the website is active, we can use it for most interactive communication. Thank you in advance for your participation and interest.

We hope that these changes allow the ISSS to continue to grow, and to be a strong leader worldwide in the Winter Sports research community. Most of all, we want to remain close friends, with a common love of Alpine sports and safety. It is this tight bond that has made the Society such a success for 30+ years – and which will drive it forward. I look forward to hearing from you all – please send any comments and suggestions along.

Enjoy the summer, think snow – it will be back soon enough.

Best regards

Rick Greenwald

President, ISSS