Hello all

Off to Italy skiing next week and every person I speak to tells me to where a lid. Fair enough have had my life saved a few times on the bike by wearing one. Question is do I need to wear a specific one or would a good old Giro Xen helmet work as well ????

Just thinking about all those holes in the bonce whether it would be a nightmare if you keerashed hitting the snow and dragging you down like a shovel in the snow ?? Or is it just likely to be too cold.

Whats the thinking on this ??

Cheers
Sean

Be a bit chilly (depending on the weather). I wore a Giro pis pot last time I went skiing and it was ok but on the cold days it was cold around the ears. TBH i’ve been skiing for 30 years and last year was the first time I’ve worn a helmet. Can only really see any benefit safety wise if it’s really icy or you are off pisting near to trees / rocks. Although if you fall and bash your head I take that back 😀

I suspect somebody will be along presently to outline the pros and cons of helmet use!

I would buy a skiing specific one. They are very different and you can get them cheaply from Decathlon.

I wouldnt ski without one know given how busy the slopes are and the amount of out of control idiots there are !! I also wouldnt cycle without one.

Too cold – you’d need something to cover your ears.

Never worn one snowboarding myself, but it seems to be the done thing these days.
Mrs.B once got knocked out by t-bar being released from the person in front like a catapult, so I can definitely see the need for it.

I suspect somebody will be along presently to outline the pros and cons of helmet use!

Sadly not, well at least not since FlounceGate.

Helmets is good, but I think it’s a matter of personal choice. For me, if I was spending the day cruising the blues, I’ll not bother. If I’m ripping through the trees, then yes, I’ll wear one.

[TJ]
It’s all about risk asessment, you see
[/TJ]

Where in Italy are you off to? Not a lot of snow….

As above really.
There was a chap who skied with us over Christmas wearing a cycling helmet, however he did admit to feeling chilly.
Mine’s from decathlon and while inexpensive really does a good job.

seen plenty of folk knock themselves out on ice or hard pack. a Xen with a beanie underneath would be better than nothing!

Or don’t fall… Use the force…

Same here, used a Pis-Pot for skiing as I’m a beginner so my path is sometimes random! I think a Xen might be a bit cold, even with a buff or something underneath, I use one of those Berghaus ear warmer bands with my helmet to keep my ears warm. I know a few seasoned skiers and snow boarders wear them, mainly after their own close calls. Personally, if I knew I was going to get the use from a ski specific helmet I would buy one, until then I’ll use my bike lid.

It’s funny, a few years ago you’d see very few people wearing helmets while skiing/boarding – now there’s not that many people that don’t.

On One were selling some off mega cheap a while ago for some reason, but I’m guessing they are all gone now. As above, bike helmet is better than nothing, though people will point and laugh. 🙂

I would buy a skiing specific one. They are very different

I use a RED Trace for skiing which is apparently also certified for cycling and skateboarding. Never used it for cycling but the earpads come off which is great for hot skiing days!

Edit: I think some of the POC helmets are dual purpose as well – seriously good kit, I’ve got some of their armour for riding which has also been used for skiing!

DezB – Member
Mrs.B once got knocked out by t-bar being released from the person in front like a catapult, so I can definitely see the need for it.

Did she forgive you?

The snowboard helmets that I’ve seen have made bike helmets look like tin foil hats. I guess that because they are being made without too much consideration to ventilation they can be made much stronger (at least in appearance, I did not do any crash or stress testing while dicking around in the shop).

If you want to wear a cycling helmet then a proper wooly beanie may be a bit thick but you could try looking in roadie shops for a skull cap that is actually meant to be worn under a helmet in cold weather.

Whatever you do, enjoy the trip.

I have one of those uber warm Rapha ear hats with the peak – look like Gomer Pyle without a lid on but oh so toasty.

But hadn’t thought about the fashion faux pas ! Bloody hell, helmet for MTB, several for road, one for the train bike……and another for skiing. Won’t be any room in the shed for bikes with all the bloody helmets hanging up there !

Going to Folgarida, supposed to be ok with manmade snow. Old and slow anyway with kids, won’t need much snow, just be lovely to get out in it. Wish I could take my land rover to play with !

Did she forgive you?

SSSSHHHH!!

Just to get you in the mood;

Hope you get some snow!

Used my dirt-jump lid when I was out in Canada, but to keep my ears toasty I wore a Berghaus microfleece beanie underneath. Seemed to do the job ok and the lid saved me from a nasty fall on my first day when I was still finding my legs (so to speak).

Where in Italy are you off to? Not a lot of snow….

Snow was remarkably good in Dolomites (on piste) last week, and didn’t see any brown worn patches. May not have snowed for a month, but that doesn’t mean there’s not a lot of snow 😉

Must be well over 50% lid wearers now. Not sure I’d use a bike lid for skiing though. Would need at least a beanie and/or ear warmers, and look like an idiot.

Just come back from Meribel where the snow is suffering, and as a result is very icy, seen more people strechered off slopes this time than in the last 10 years put together, as a consequence i think it will be my last year without a lid (a ski specific one)

Wore a lid boarding for the first year ever, and I dont think I’ll ride without one again. It was very comfortable, adjustable vents kept me warm or cool as required, its nearly the norm now, its there if you need it and you can mount a go pro to one!

In other words, I found no downside and plenty of pro’s. I was hitting jumps bigger this year than before as I wasn’t so worried about washing out and hitting my head, though some impact shorts for my cocyx might be my next investment after getting some landings wrong!

I would go skining specific purely on fashion grounds. Try and get one on ebay or even decatlon. Outside chance of one in tx max,

pisspot type helmet would prob be ok. if its a regular helmet, you will look like a twerp.

if that doesn’t matter for you, go ahead!

I got a Trespass Sky High helmet for £27 last year . Its a worthwhile investment , and about 9 /10 of skiers and using helmets now .
You could use a bike one , and it will help, but might be colder especially around the ears .
I have to wear goggles with mine as the fit is such that the arms of sunnies push into my head causing headaches. I do have it strapped up so it wont rotate in a big stack, as i ripped the top of my ear off by wearing a helmet with a far too loose strap once .
Burton RED with built in speakers were the ones to wear a few years ago,

http://www.winfieldsmegastore.com/trespass-burlin-ski-helmet-p-burlin-c-black.html

£16.99 or potential life threatening brain injury ?

It really is a no brainer. . . .

Well your head is warm enough with a beenie on so beenie and helmet will be fine.

But…how much is your “single big crash” Xen worth and what is the likely hood of a bump? I would say get a cheap ski/board helmet and save your head and your wallet.

£16.99 or potential life threatening brain injury ?

Would you wear a £17 helmet on your bike?

I wear a Giro Flak for skiing and it’s plenty warm enough (I get hot though). I also use it sometimes on the bike in winter

Wouldn’t consider a proper vented bike lid for skiing

Would you wear a £17 helmet on your bike?

If it fitted, yes.

As has been pointed out it’ll be cold and if you are playing in the trees it’s more likely to get caught in branches.

I’d say get a specific one, although it needn’t be too expensive.

Helmets are good. It’s my opinion that upper-body injury, including head injury, is more common snowboarding than skiing. High-speed collision on busy pistes kill people and colliding with trees and hardware kills too, while getting clonked on the head when dismounting a chair lift can merely ruin your day.

Ski helmets seem expensive. Until recently I used an inexpensive but sturdy jump-bike helmet ~£20, together with a stretchy tube-scarf to cover my ears. An XC helmet has too many vents to be comfortable IMO.

But I recently got a proper ski helmet from Aldi for £25, and it’s quite nicely designed too. If you can’t get one, I recommend the jump helmet and scarf method.

I recently got a proper ski helmet from Aldi for £25

that’s a bold claim if ever I’ve heard one. Details?

A cheapish pisspot is worth the money. Check your goggles fit the helmet, and the helmet has a strapy to hold the goggles on. When its warm I tend to take my helmet off on the lifts and enjoy the sunshine so I don’t really think vents are that important. You will get years out of a half-decent helmet, I think mine is about 10 years old now.

CFH

Its half price at £16.99 . I do wear a £34 helmet on my bike .

It is also CE EN1077 rated ( whatever that means )

It is not like a mtb hat which you hope will last a couple of years and maybe 50 – 100 days riding . I was trying to point out that for not a great deal of cash you can buy a helmet designed to the job , which might / might not save you from being a statistic .

Wheres TandemJesus when you actually need him.

Plus they keep your head warm and toasty .

that’s a bold claim if ever I’ve heard one. Details?

I think this is it…

She’s laughing because she saved so much money on her helmet 😉

It has the safety standard marking, a hard plastic shell, a coolmax padded lining, front vents, stud removable ears, one handed rotary fit adjuster at the back (like a giro zen), adjustable strap. It seems as good as anything I’ve seen at £100 in Snow and Rock. Of course it might fall apart at the merest impact, but then I’ve seen crashes smashing ski helmets for real (£100 Giro cracked right through after a 30+mph impact with the piste – my mate was shaken but OK).

Based on actually handling this, the Aldi seems sturdy enough.

I have a pro-tec snowboard helmet ( pro-tec b2 Snow ) its the same as skates use but with extra warmth + goggle strap and ear bits, its an awesome lid and did not cost the earth + you can clip out the ear bits and wear it on your bike!.. once you bail and bang your head on the ice you will wish you had one.

Yeah, well, yeah, I mean, what good is a lid if you, like, get hit by a bus, man???

Also:

not since FlounceGate.

Anyone care to expand on that incident/point me in the direction of the flouncing…?

I’ve worn TSG and Fox dirt jump lids on my last few boarding holidays, i prefer them as I seem to overheat in boarding helmets., if I get chilly it’s easy to stick on a buff or similar. The best bike/skate helmet TSG make is half the price of a decent ski/board specific helmet and it’s plenty good enough for pro vert riders… it also means you have a dirt jump lid which you might use on the odd occasion in the summer, rather than a ski helmet that’ll get used once or twice a year.

I have too many crash hats – MTBing one, horse-riding one, motorbike open-face one. And am thinking of getting a full-face MTB helmet and then a skiing helmet. They all do the same job but I risk becoming a social outcast if I try to use the wrong variety because they look so different…

I was hitting jumps bigger this year than before as I wasn’t so worried about washing out and hitting my head,

Risk Compensation in action. TJ would be so proud (RIP).

an old TSG pisspot and a buff does the trick for me. First time I needed it this year too and it certainly did the trick.

A couple of the people I was with had ski/boarding specific ones and there heads steamed each time they took them off…..they look a bit warm.