When I cut my head open in France (snowboarding) earlier in the year

Ouch. Out of curiosity, did you have a helmet on at the time? My friend who goes snowboarding swears by them now, even without a major injury. Ironicially, the first time he used his, he had what he called "an ass over teakettle" accident. I was skiing behind him, and he literially did a cartwheel with his head. He was stuned from it, but no major injury thanks to the helmet.