[Closed] Skiing wear a helmet ?

So if it was proven to prevent death you still wouldn't? Yep, you don't need one

Correct, because I've decided that I don't want to wear one! Again - car analogy. I was cooking the other day, and something splashed into my face. I'm not going to wear a welding mask to cook from now on.

Do most people wear them because there's empirical evidence, or a gut feel they will help? I don't think anyone will deny they reduce the risk of injury. I certainly don't.

It's all about calculated risk. I've made that calculation and decided not to wear one. I hope you don't mind.

I got one when my 4yo started skiing. I figured if he was coming skiing with me and I made him wear a helmet then I had to wear one too. Now I couldn't imagine not having it.

As an aside, a friend who has braids crashed when boarding, and one of his braids punctured a hole clean through his skull! He wears a helmet now...

His hair broke his skull. 😯

Serves him right for having braids frankly!

As I dont':
- have braids
- snowboard
- have a skull made of overcooked pasta...

...I'm not now thinking I must rush out and purchase one, as well as a full flame proof suit for turning on the hob, or a SCUBA tank for taking a shower (you could drown after all). Listening to folk here you'd think I was lucky to be alive after going with 100 miles of a ski slope without a helmet. Such reckless abandon!

being wiped out by other people. Yes its a risk, but if you are sensible you should ALWAYS be looking up the slope when you are startionary.

That's not how it happens. It happens because of crossing lines at different speeds, with the faster rider approaching from behind and incorrectly predicting the line of the slower rider in front. The downhill rider is utterly helpless to avoid a collision. This is why the uphill rider must plan to take a line well clear of the downhill rider as they approach.

The best way to avoid these collisions is to ski faster and straighter than everyone else while looking a long way ahead.

[helmet wearer]

Neal, please can you tell me where you ski? They sound very different to any of the resorts I have ever skied in over the past 30+ years, so best avoided. Plus, as a guide, why does the easy arête off the AdMidi constitute a place to wear a helmet. No objective dangers on that bit, and the most likely accident is a fall. And yet how many go down that without ropes and crampons?

I cannot understand the aggro about helmets and skiing. Personal choice FFS. My kids and wife wear them, I don't. I can see both sides, but Blimey, the "you must do this" or "that" is tiresome.

That's not how it happens. It happens because of crossing lines at different speeds, with the faster rider approaching from behind and incorrectly predicting the line of the slower rider in front. The downhill rider is utterly helpless to avoid a collision. This is why the uphill rider must plan to take a line well clear of the downhill rider as they approach.

Oh well, never happened to me, but then I'm generally going quicker than most. Only seen it a couple of times anyway, and not sure I buy into the "you can't see them coming" school of thought.

[i]and not sure I buy into the "you can't see them coming" school of thought.[/i]

[i]"Neal, please can you tell me where you ski? They sound very different to any of the resorts I have ever skied in over the past 30+ years, so best avoided."[/i]

I lived Mayrhofen for 13 years, so all the resorts in the Zillertal were visited regularly. Also St Anton, Zell am Zee, Kitzbuhel, Kaprun, Westendorf, Lech, Igls.

Also a fair bit of time in the Three Valleys resorts, Morzine/Avoriaz, Val Disere/Tignes, Les2Alpes and various smaller French resorts.

[i]"Plus, as a guide, why does the easy arête off the AdMidi constitute a place to wear a helmet. No objective dangers on that bit, and the most likely accident is a fall. And yet how many go down that without ropes and crampons?"[/i]

I wasn't suggesting that the arrete was particularly dangerous, that's just the place where you see a load of people in one place, and the area where people sort out their kit etc before setting off. And that's where I noticed that so many people where wearing helmets compared to when I first did it.

Well I must have been lucky because I have skied in all but two of those and they didn't resemble the chaos that you alluded to earlier!

Anyway, safe and fun skiing to all whatever your choices!

Serves him right for having braids frankly!

racist 😮

My late wife was quite a slow, steady skier and she got wiped-out quite a lot over the years. I ride my snowboard like my pants are on fire and I've never hit, or been hit, by anyone.

People, trees, rocks and just icy pistes are nasty things to bash your head into, especially at the sorts of higher speeds one can achieve. Bobble hats are only suitable headwear for the pub.

[i]"Well I must have been lucky because I have skied in all but two of those and they didn't resemble the chaos that you alluded to earlier!"[/i]

Working on the mountain every day, you can't avoid the chaos caused by Half Term and Easter holiday, Paris Half term Fortnight, Christmas Holidays, Snowbombing etc. etc.

But if people do avoid all of these the risk is at least in part mitigated, without a helmet...

neal, so are you an IFMGA guide?

Well a lively debate, wore mine for the first time today.
It keeps head slightly cooler with vents open
Taking it off for a beer, its cold when you put it back on
Didnt really notice it there as its fairly light
Banged my head getting a bubble, forgot it sticks up more
No real issues so if it savesme in the odd crash alls good.

[img] [/img]

neal, so are you an IFMGA guide?

No I was an Instructor (Austrian qualified - Anwärter) and also did on piste guiding, not "Mountain Guiding"

Keeps your bonce warm as well as protected.

I've used one for several years after a novice lost control and left me no choice but to ski a large slab of glassy ice. With the best will in the world, I slipped and banged the back of my head - hard!

Wasn't going fast, but tried to minimise the blow by stopping my head lurching backwards, which just caused me to strain muscles.

Before that, they just seems like a fashion accessory, but I wouldn't ski without one now.

If you balk at the idea of spending £120, I'm sure a cheap BMX style cycle helmet would do the same job. They don't come with ear pads, but you could buy a pair of Tune Ups and fit them so you can listen to your music on the lifts.

dales rider, shoulders square to the slope please, weight on the downhill ski, don't drag your poles

have a great hol 8)

(oh, and helmet with goggles, or hat with glasses, all cool. helmet with glasses, nonononono).

as for the other dingdongs here:
* I've done the VB several times too, I don't recall seeing a guide with a helmet
* in-bounds I think collision, specifically some **** wiping you out from behind either due to incompetence or going too fast and not giving a toss, is by far the greatest risk, and I've had a few close calls. It's not possible to look uphill all the time. I try and ski at the edge, or off the piste on different lines, wherever possible. When I'm thinking about maybe taking my daughter skiing in the future it's collision from rear that scares me.

"I've done the VB several times too, I don't recall seeing a guide with a helmet " Balls...

hmmm - Andreas Fransson (most famous extreme skier right now) Miles Smart IFMGA on the midi lift the other day. not a helmet in sight...
[img] [/img]

Not sure if you're agreeing or disagreeing with me. I've not been up there for a couple of years but don't remember guides with helmets.

I don't care tho, everyone should do what they want of course. Maybe I will if I go again, or maybe not.

Oooooh name dropping!

Most off-piste guided trips I've been on in recent years require the use of a helmet. No lid: no guiding. Personally I now feel safer wearing one where there are objective hazards - trees, rocks, overconfident idiots, that sort of thing... but I wear mine all the time, just as I wear my pack all the time.

first time skiing in december and no esf staff that i saw wore helmets and i'd say only about <10 percent of adults i saw wore helmets, lots of kids had them on though, mandatory for them and lessons.
its odd but didnt really feel like wearing a helemt yet almost always wear one on the bike

i also went to hemel hemstead at the weekend for some indoor snow and i highly recommend a helmet there, it was mental, bodies flying everwhere, saw a few collisions and had a few near misses myself.

can certainly appreciate there could be equally if not more risk skiing but it shouldnt be mandatory just like cycling helmets shouldnt be.

wear one if you like or dont

For an internet based mountain bike forum I'm quite amazed at how many professional or more modestly semi-professional skiers we have on here.
I go off piste with the best of them mind, once I was so off piste I could barely see the sticks.

I wear a lid, I don't mind if you don't. That's your choice.

Come to think of it; can't remember the last time I saw someone in a Warren Miller video wear a lid.

Average skier here.

Come to think of it; can't remember the last time I saw someone in a Warren Miller video wear a lid

Do you watch many 😉

2012

2008

Same old arguments as for bike helmets.

Seen and experienced enough skiing to convince me I'm happier with them, and besides if you ski in the US you look a tit without one, and surprisingly the snowboarders are big on them. Gnarly-dude lids are cool. It's only old fart fashion snobs in Europe who don't wear them now. That's fine when daintily poncing around on your teletubbies for an hour and spending the rest of the day apres 😛

and surprisingly the snowboarders are big on them.

Not really thats the spot that hits the floor when edges disengage on a board

Dales' position looks fine to me given he's heading for the camera. That stick isn't dragging, it looks more like he's doing the standard powder/clag [url= http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9bdpg_les-bronzes-font-du-ski-le-plante-d_fun#.UPeqX_JpW78 ]planté de bâton.[/url]

only teasing about the skiing, I'm no expert

Do you watch many

Haha clearly not enough!

No appropriate protective gear?

1) Does not understand the risk.
or
2) Does not want to accept the risk.

Seems like its a "Risk analysis" for even the top skiers/boarders. Just the same for MTBing if I was riding along the canal towpaths around where I live maybe not bother with a lid, single track through forest such as Stainburn I wouldnt ride without one.
Yesterday venture through the trees there was a lot of short crags and trees very close steep ground and stuff coming down from mate skiing above and right, didnt need the helmet but who knows might of done.

Two days ago skiing with first skier to ski down the North face of the Midi skiing off piste with no helmet, guess he thought it well within his abilities bit like me on a towpath.

No appropriate protective gear?

1) Does not understand the risk.
or
2) Does not want to accept the risk.
or
3) Has accepted the risk and taken appropriate precautions

FTFY.

I'll say it again, as the helmets on here seem to have covered people's ears and they can't hear. Or they're stupid, perhaps too many hits to the head.

I know there's a risk. There is a risk driving a car (a bigger one in fact), but I don't wear a helmet. I put trainers on to walk to the station this morning on the icy pavement, I had planned to ride, but decided it wasn't worth the risk of crashing.

These are all risk assessments I have made. When I ski I make a similar one. The result is that I don't deem a helmet necessary for what I'm doing. If my skiing changed then I would wear one. You are entitled to wear one. You are in no position to judge me for my decision.

I've only ever broken one helmet riding, caught up in a crash at the start of a race, didn't even realise I'd hit my head, but I still wear one because I perceive the risk to be far higher than when I ski.

Wearing a helmet increases the risk of a neck injury
So its not just a case of why not

I suppose you need to analyse your riding/how you fall and figure out is it going to be a help or a hinderance.
When I looked at the impact absorption information I figured it it wasn't worth it, I wanted to take an informed decision so I took the time to find out some facts

Neck braces are becoming increasingly adopted in Mountain Biking to mitigate the risk
So if you're opinion is why not wear a helmet, then go with the neck brace too?

Or maybe just stay in the bar and have a drink...

Or maybe just stay in the bar and have a drink...

Number of people injured drinking vs skiing? Shouldn't leave the house.

Actually, more people die in house accidents. Stay in bed.

Actually, people die falling out of bed. Where does it end!?

I've no issue with anyone choosing not to wear a helmet to ski.
And I haven't slagged anyone off for not wearing one, or praised anyone for wearing one.

Its personal choice, and if people are aware of the relative risk involved of what they do then thats great.

But if someone says they don't need one because they are a good skier, or they don't need one because they only ski on piste, and it seems like they may have misjudged the risk, then I will say something.

Does that make me an "evangelical tosser" or "stupid from too many hits to the head" ?

Or am I just being helpful by letting people know of risks they may not have considered, so they can maybe do a more accurate risk assessment for themselves ?

njee20

I don't think you understood this part of my post.

"No [u]appropriate[/u] protective gear?"

Which is a variable. As you say its up to an individual to work out what's appropriate but. Thats all I meant.

I've no issue with anyone choosing not to wear a helmet to ski.
And I haven't slagged anyone off for not wearing one, or praised anyone for wearing one.

Its personal choice, and if people are aware of the relative risk involved of what they do then thats great.

But if someone says they don't need one because they are a good skier, or they don't need one because they only ski on piste, and it seems like they may have misjudged the risk, then I will say something.

Does that make me an "evangelical tosser" or "stupid from too many hits to the head" ?

Nope, and my comments weren't aimed at you. I just don't get what qualifies people to tell others they're wrong.

Wearing a helmet increases the risk of a neck injury

Do you have links to any information on that (specific to skiing)

I'd be interested if you do.

Nope, and my comments weren't aimed at you. I just don't get what qualifies people to tell others they're wrong.

Fair enough, if they are telling you that not wearing a helmet is wrong.

But if they are telling you things that may make your assessment of the risk involved wrong, then I personally think that's ok. It's all information that can be used to make a decision.

njee20

I don't think you understood this part of my post.

"No appropriate protective gear?"

Perhaps not, the key point being everyone's definition of 'appropriate' varies.

Fact most skiing injuries are in the car park.
This was certainly true yesterday, daughter trapped her fingers in my bike rack which doubles up a a ski rack.
BTW she had a helmet on 🙂