One way to think of the helmet dilemma

[volklpowdermaniac]

no matter how good of a skiier you are, the bigger the terrain, the harder you ski, the bigger drops you hit, the more flips you throw, etcetera, you'll be increasing your risk of a nice solid yardsale.

There is probably some intersecting lines on a graph between terrain, ski ability and likeliness to fall. But think to all the films we love, and see all the skiers who are as good if not WAY better than all of us, taking very hard falls because they are pushing it really hard on challenging terrain.

If it could be plotted on a graph, there is no doubt in my mind that chances of falling increase with skill, because you are then expanding your horizons to terrain that tests your limits, and it would seem sound that you fall when your pushing your limits.


All of the above being true, I don't give a shit what others do. I like my helmet, it makes me shred gnar most good.

[ski_adk]

Saturday, I got up to the canyons and realized I had forgotten my helmet at home. Since I was trying out some new skis, and thinking I did not want to hold back on a pow day, I sank the 10 bucks to rent one from shop. Even if I find out I got lice or something from rental bucket, it was the best 10 bucks I spent this year while skiing. On the second to last run, I was bombing down some groomer back to the lift, got lazy, caught an edge and just slammed myself into the snow. By the way the snow was packed into the vents, I know the helmet had to do some good as I didn't even wind up with a headache from the incident.

I'm not trying to preach either, just explaining why I wear a helmet. Of course, even with that logic, my reasoning really doesn't make much sense. My grandfather died as a result of hitting his head on the curb whilst getting the mail. In other words, brain injuries can happen at any time anywhere.

All I know is that I like wearing a helmet out there, and perhaps it's not just necessarily because I want to prevent head trauma or something like that. All I know is that I just feel better wearing one while I'm skiing. It deadens the sound, it blocks the glare, it's warm, it's not gonna fall off. It leaves me with fewer distractions to worry about and it allows me to focus more on what I really want to do anyways -- to keep on learning to ski better and better.

[RaccoonFace]

Tags plz.

okbye

Yea, I thought we were supposed to get these back... Some threads were worth reading JUST for the tags!

[greg]

No, he doesn't. This is America. Go move to the UK if you want to be protected from yourself. Oops, that doesn't work -- there's more violent crime there than America. Oh, well.

i think nazi germany would have been a better comparison.

[Spats]

Make no mistake: I always wear a helmet when skiing inbounds (and sometimes when skiing BC, depending on conditions and terrain).

However, the case for EVERYONE wearing a ski helmet is much weaker than the case for, say, motorcycle helmets. Even the AMA takes the position that helmets don't prevent enough injuries to be mandatory for all skiers.

I think this is the key point people here are missing: given the speed, the terrain, and the conditions most of us ski, helmets are a very good idea. However, the average skier takes maybe 8-10 runs a day on big, wide blue groomers. As a result, the number of head injuries suffered PER SKIER DAY that are also preventable by helmets (many are not) is actually very low, so the benefit to requiring universal helmet use is very low. The obvious exception is terrain parks, and many resorts require helmets to be worn in the park for this reason.

[brutah]

congratulations you wear a helmet yyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy! yay! yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy!

THIS SUBJECT HAS BEEN BEAT TO DEATH! ITS EACH SKIERS OWN CHOICE! I DON'T CARE IF SOMEONE ELSE DOESN'T WEAR A HELMET BECAUSE IN NO WAY DOES THAT CHOICE ENDANGER ME! STFU ABOUT HELMETS! EVERYONE KNOWS THERE ARE MORE REASONS TO WEAR ONE THAN TO NOT, SO WHO GIVES A FLYING FUCK IF SOMEONE DOESN'T! STOP TRYING TO TAKE AWAY OUR FREEDOMS!

[Lone Star]

buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrp

[Telemarketeer]

I don't wear a helmet, I have excuses but I won't waste my time explaining them because there will always be some dork who likes to tell people what to do around telling me I should wear one.


Bottom line, some people just like to tell others what to do. I hate that shit

[Jag]

i think nazi germany would have been a better comparison.

We're back on the Nazi thing again, must be summer soon.



BTW, helmet yes, constantly pushing others to wear? No.

We should start a pool to see how many times a thread is started on this same subject for the '09-'10 season.

[puhisurfer]

How much does wearing a helmet add to the calories I burn in a day of downhill? That's the real question here. Will it affect my Basil Metabilism?

And do I have to factor in how much I leg press?

[Blurred]

Let others do whatever the fuck they want if it doesn't endanger you.

Take the nanny state bullshit and kill it.

If you want safety, maybe getting fat and not skiing is for you.

[imadoofus]

I wear one about half the time but some days I just need the wind on my scalp and by hair blowing back. I don't want that taking away from me.

You could go bald if you go fast. Thats why people in miata's never have hair.


1. helmets probably wont be enough to save your life or prevent head damage if you run into something remotely fast. It just gives you that false sense of security.

2. You could also easily extend this argument and say the same about any other sort of protection, say back protection and give stats of the amount of people who got paralysed in freak accidents or argue for nut sacks and give stats of the number of people who became sterile after skiing on both sides of a tree that didnt bend (or did bend for that matter_.

P.S I do wear a helmet cos I am not very good and feel more confident with one, especially in the trees. I am also rather tall and it has come in most handy on the damn lifts and will wear it on the lift till I buy a cattle prod.

[Making a Pizza]

My face planting skills have really benefited from helmet use.

[Rossta]

helmets aren't steezy enough for my head (unless im going one third the speed i ski at on a mountain bike)

[Crock]

Hey guys did you know smoking cigarettes is bad for your health too?

[brutah]

Hey guys did you know smoking cigarettes is bad for your health too?

whoa! don't admit you EVER smoke cigs on this site! THEY'LL EAT YOU ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!

here's a nice little fact: my step mom is a second generation skier, she is in her late 50s/early 60s and has been skiing all her life. She has never worn a helmet and has never had a head injury. Her father started skiing in his 30s and skied till his late 70s/early 80s, no helmet, no head injury. My father started skiing in his 20s, still skiing, no helmet, no head injury.

and in all honesty, head injuries are probably pretty far down the list on most common ski injuries. but you can do what you want, wear a helmet or don't.

just saying if you ski you'll probably blow out a knee at some point , so you should probably stay inside, its much safer in there

[mnflyfish]

Make no mistake: I think this is the key point people here are missing: given the speed, the terrain, and the conditions most of us ski, helmets are a very good idea. However, the average skier takes maybe 8-10 runs a day on big, wide blue groomers. As a result, the number of head injuries suffered PER SKIER DAY that are also preventable by helmets (many are not) is actually very low, so the benefit to requiring universal helmet use is very low. The obvious exception is terrain parks, and many resorts require helmets to be worn in the park for this reason.

I beg to differ on this point. On more serious terrain or BC I'm only worrying about myself and my own skiing. On the blue groomers I have to worry about all the first time skiers/boarders or the "I only ski Aspen (insert any number of ski areas)" fool who skis 5 days a year. The area I patrol at is ALL Blue groomers, and even then that's a pretty liberal rating. Head injuries are a huge issue for us do in part to the number of beginning and few days a year skiers. On any nice day I can sit on what is our most difficult hill and watch skiers/boarders get in over their head and crash as well as collide with each other. I get hit multiple times a year by the out of control grom whose parents bought him/her a board for Chistmas but didn't pop for the helmet or lessons. I'm serious when I say I can't count how many times myself or my daughters were hit this year. I had one kid(boarder) collide with another skier this season. The skier had a helmet on, the boarder did not. When he hit her she went up in the air and her skis sliced open the top of his head. Talking to the boarder's dad he said that after buying the board, boots, etc he deceided to save the $50 a helmet costs, even at this point he didn't see a need for one. I casually mentioned that his kid needed approx 40 stitches in his head, and that the average co-pay for an ER visit is $70.

So that's a long way of me saying I believe a helmet is at least as important on the groomers that on the most difficult run at a ski area. Perhaps more-so with human lawn darts flying at you.

[kailas]

Skiing aint that dangerous you bunch of city-slickers. How many skiers days in CO and how many people get hurt?
The percentage is low. All this desk jockey cyber talk is lets me know exactly who most of you guys are, gapers.

[infromthealtitude]

I wear a helmet to prevent head injuries from the "safety bar" on chairlifts. It often smacks me over the head due to over-jealous tourists worried about falling off or something.

[MarsB]

^^

I hate it when the tourists get overjealous...

[Conundrum]

I'd prefer to pull out early. Condoms are a bummer. Judge me.

[TeleJay]

I wear a helmet and even carry it up the skin track and put it on before descending in the BC. It was my Dad's - he died of a stroke, not a head injury, but I decided I'd feel like a real idiot if I didn't use the helmet that I inherited and then brained myself and couldn't be there for my son. I don't feel that it's a tradeoff - it's comfortable and warm and my fleece hood fits under it on a cold day making it even warmer. Why not wear it?

I too feel that its greatest value is protecting me on the chair. I really got drilled by the side bar of a non-detachable (they come quick) chair while trying to scoot my kid over where he belonged. I turned around just in time to catch the bar in the side of the head and slumped into the chair seeing stars. The un-announced safety bar has bounced of my helmet several times as well and I've been whacked with poles as six people try to load onto Summit. My helmet has lots of dents - I'm glad they're not in my skull.

I agree that helmets are a personal choice. I feel that I'm a better BC partner if I have a working brain than if I don't. I'm a better role model for my son when I strap on a helmet every time I mount a bike or clip into the hammerheads. When I bust his chops for riding his razor scooter without a helmet, I'm not a hypocrite.

I'll probably brain myself by falling down the stairs and I'm not going to start wearing a helmet 24x7 though I get the point. But, hauling ass through tight trees really floats my boat and seems like a good place to wear a helmet. Speaking of boats, I hit my head REALLY hard on good solid granite when kayaking last summer - never been happier to have a good helmet. No one seems to debate the merits of wearing a helmet for that sport...

[Lone Star]

buurrrppppp

[Jag]

Hey guys did you know smoking cigarettes is bad for your health too?

Glad I'm drunk and don't really give a fuck.

[Blurred]

I'd prefer to pull out early. Condoms are a bummer. Judge me.

Dear Nate.

Pulling out doesn't prevent the HIV.

Your friend, Blurred