Skiing wear a helmet ?

Interesting film on tonight in Chamonix, Summits of my life Kilian Jornet. They talk of risk management, not analysis.
If you havent seen it to give a flavour amongst other things he traversed Mont Blanc from Courmayeur to Chamonix in about 8 hours.

NOT A HELMET IN SITE

Fair point any strike to the head up there will result in death either way as they are not roped etc.
I’d definatley be wearing one up there an be roped 🙂 mostly to protect from falling debris as the sun hits the top of the ridge – the sound of rocks and ice leaving higher slopes is terrifying.

But then again I’m probably just a risk adverse wuss who should know better.

Cool, here he is again

😀

comp? casques obligatoires?

Yup, you require a mountaineering helmet for ski alpinisme races which are generally organised by the FFME in France. I use a Petzl which is a lot like an uncomfortable, badly fitting, cycling helmet with less vents.

The organisers put a rope down anything too dangerous which you clip if you wish (they haven’t bothered in the pic). A good friend toppled off doing a conversion (no rope that day) and broke almost everything apart from his head going over two small cliffs. I doubt the helmet contributed to his broken neck but who knows. I’ve never dared ask him if he’d rather not have survived. In the year after the accident I’m sure he’d have said not, several years on and able to walk reasonably he’s more positive and sings in a choir rather than racing over mountains.

I also think that snowboarders are more vulnerable to upper-body and head injuries and much less to leg torsion injuries than skiers.

Here’s a pic of the Snowboarding Great: Terje Haakonsen [mancrush]

I don’t know anyone that skis seriously that doesn’t wear a helmet, don’t forget in the early days of mountain biking there was a similar helmet debate, surprised kiers still thing otherwise

farty81 – Member
This again: Remember, you’re more likely to get a serious head injury in a car. Car helmets anyone? Didn’t think so.

This really is one of the biggest straw men of all time though… When humankind travels the same distance by ski as we do by car, and take the same length of time, in the same environment, then it becomes relevant.

Nope, it’s exactly the point. You regularly do one thing with a proven track record of death without a helmet. When it comes to cycling, pedestrians are more likely to die per km travelled than cyclists and do you wear a helmet walking? Didn’t think so.

Pros are a particularly unuseful tool to analyse helmet wearing. They get paid by a particular sponsor to wear a particular helmet.

It’s the all pervasive culture of fear. It’s nonsense and I’ll fight it with every bone in my body.

http://video.tedxcopenhagen.dk/video/911034/mikael-colville-andersen

Just to add something of interest that happened on the last days skiing in Avoriaz.
2 Boarders who were descending a piste together crossed paths in front of my missus, they collided with heads hitting one came off worse than the other without helmets it may have been a different outcome.
Me I sometimes will not bother with a helmet skiing or biking as for climbing I never bother. Thats my choice I know the risks and manage them but as there are more and more near misses skiing with skiers who dont know how to behave on the slopes it may be I will from now on always wear one.

3 deaths on whistler this year.

2 with significant head trauma
1 cardiac arrest.

I love reading the bizarre logic and strange facts used by the anti helmet brigade. It’s like they’ve had a bang to the head….