Skiing wear a helmet ?

I’ve got an old 60s pair of Rossignol Médaille de Bronze. Wooden skis with screwed on edges and polythene base. The bindings are first generation Look so they work fine with my rando boots. I’ve used them on the piste, off-piste and down an easy but icy couloir. My verdict is that they are indeed fast in a straight line but not dangeerous, I just adapt my skiing to the lack of grip and revert to old-school scrubbing off speed rather than carving.

I’ve never bothered apart from when I was younger in GS (mandatory when racing), however, now using my Garmin edge 800 while skiing has opened up a whole new world of latched maximum speed data! My wife told me last year when it went over 100kph to get a helmet, probably will just not take the Garmin this year 🙂

I really do not understand why people feel they are at such risk of 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.

Nobody has talked about being hit while not moving. (other than the guy who was hit with a ski pole while in a lift queue.)

My two incidents of being hit from behind, and wrecking helmets in the process, were both while moving.

[Quote]Also new skis do not make it easier for people to go quicker. They make it easier for people to turn and control their speed. Old skis were much more dangerous. They can go much quicker in a straight line, than modern carving skis, and they were harder to turn.[/quote]

I didn’t say they made it easier for people to go faster.

I said they make it easier for people to “progress” off the nursery slopes, without any tuition or awareness of safety, and get themselves into places that they probably shouldn’t be in and cause problems by being out of control.

Most mountain guides never use them…says alot really!

And they ain’t desk jockeys like most on here.

“Most mountain guides never use them…says alot really!

And they ain’t desk jockeys like most on here.”

I’ve done the Vallee Blanche 6 times, and every time the guide was wearing a helmet, along with almost everybody else who was roping up for the walk down the arrete to the start point, other mountain guides included.

Although I do think that the risks of head injuries skiing off piste in such a location are less than in most “resort” based skiing.

Thats personal experience rather than “evidence” obviously.

(I’m not a “desk jockey” either 🙂 , at the time I was an Instructor and Guide, who wore a helmet)

I for one don’t give two shits about the evidence, I don’t want to. You could tell me that no one has ever died whilst wearing a skiing helmet, I still wouldn’t use one.

And that should be your choice. But from my point of view, I could be persuaded that wearing one is a good idea IF there’s evidence that they offer a safety benefit. It’s not clear for cycling helmets, I wonder if skiing is the same?

Must say I’ve never got involved in a helmet debate, but now I see how irritating it is that the evangelical tossers have to tell everyone they’re wrong if they don’t conform to their blinkered view of the world.

Jeez Louise – chill out.

I for one don’t give two shits about the evidence, I don’t want to. You could tell me that no one has ever died whilst wearing a skiing helmet, I still wouldn’t use one.

So if it was proven to prevent death you still wouldn’t? Yep, you don’t need one 😉
If it became law, would you stop skiing? Just to show’em?

Actually most guides and instructors do wear them. I’m on a ski holiday right now and have been taking note through today and at this resort every instructor is wearing a helmet. Personally I wear one and don’t give a toss if other people decide not to wear them, but to deny the risks your facing is just plain stupid and arrogant. Like with most safety equipment, hopefully you’ll never need them, but accidents do happen. That’s why they’re called accidents.

The risks are nothing to do with your own personal skill level. In fact out of the group I ski with regularly the ones who have had injuries have been due to being wiped out by someone else, and we all decided to get helmets when one of us got a severe concussion after being wiped out from behind. He was very lucky. I’ve been skiing for 12 years now and one thing is certain, the pistes are a lot busier now with the chances of getting taken out far greater.

Personally I wear one and don’t give a toss if other people decide not to wear them, but to deny the risks your facing is just plain stupid and arrogant.

How big are these risks and are they mitigated by wearing a helmet?

Its certainly worth protecting your head. My friends mother died a few years back after a relatively tame fall, however she smashed her head on a hidden rock.

That should have been enough to convince me but I still didn’t bother wearing one as I was more concerned about what type of hat I should wear. Then a couple of years ago I ended up being helicoptered off the mountain after a bit of a smash. I narrowly missed also smashing my head in, but the parts i did hit received enough damage to convince me to think about wearing one. Now I never go without one.

I would particularly recommend it for anyone who does a typical ski holiday type approach where you don’t ski for most of the year and then ski like crazy for a week. Athough great fun, people get tired and thats when accidents happen, also skiing when conditions are not so goo increases the risk. Ice can also be pretty hard and I have seen lots of people smash their heads in on ice and ruin their holidays. not fun at all.

Its all down to choice, but I would certainly recommend it.

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.

and not sure I buy into the “you can’t see them coming” school of thought.

Probably harder to see/hear them if you are wearing a helmet and goggles

“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 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.

“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 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.

“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!”

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.

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…

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 😛