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Finally stopping that crazy suffering that is ice, climbing to concentrate on great ski tours!
3508 Posts |
Posted - 01/18/2009 : 8:36 PM
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My daughter took a pretty dramatic fall on her snowboard at the resort on Saturday. End over end faceplant tumble from a high speed. She's got some bruises and bad snow-rash on her face, but she did finish out the day, and I bet in part because she was wearing a good helmet.
I haven't ever worn one skiing. Yes, I make her, and then don't do it myself. I'm not sure why, so I ordered a helmet that I plan to use at the resort.
What about in the backcountry? I rarely see folks wearing lids there. Thinking about trees/rocks etc, I think I'll start using it out there too. I use a helmet while climbing, riding my bike and motorcycle, so why not always while skiing?
Anyway, just a note, not a debate or anything. Food for thought... |
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| point
Intermediate Member
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coquitlam, B.C.
Canada
792 Posts |
Posted - 01/18/2009 : 8:57 PM
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| My son did a faceplant last saturday and his board came up and hit the back of his head. 6 stitches later he was out of hospital. I asked him where his helmet was and he said he didn't like to wear it because it wasn't very comfortable. Hmm |
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Whistler, BC
Canada
631 Posts |
Posted - 01/18/2009 : 10:33 PM
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I always wear my helmet, the only exception is on days when I'm shooting photos in the park (essentially, taking it easy on groomers all day). Oddly enough, I've only ever hit my head while not paying attention on green/blue groomers... I tend to be a lot more cautious and attentive when I'm riding more demanding terrain.
My helmet is super comfortable and just the right amount of warm, my only complaints are that it restricts my hearing a little and its slowly wrecking the padding on my goggles. Best parts about wearing a helmet: saying no to yardsales, and no goggle fogging when I lift them off my face... |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
1321 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2009 : 12:45 AM
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Helmets are a relatively large and heavy item. If you need to climb the mountain yourself rather than ride the lift then this is a larger concern.
Usually what I ski in the backcountry for fun is pretty mellow stuff... however, there are certainly times I would have liked to have a helmet when survival sking down some terrible crust in the dense forest. Still not sure I think it would be worth it to carry it though.
Helmets would be too hot to wear during intense activity, but usually it isn't so dangerous on the way up. That said, this guy had a different experience:
http://www.telemarktalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=52611 |
Edited by - swebster on 01/19/2009 12:46 AM |
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Night owl posting,Subie driving, backpacking Dad who is perpetually trying to catch up to his kids on the trail.
Vancouver, BC
Canada
3055 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2009 : 01:16 AM
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| My helmet (Boeri) weighs 14 oz. and I don't notice the weight. The back country includes trees and rocks which can be hard on the unprotected noggin. I'd go with the protection. |
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Edmonton, Alberta
Canada
797 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2009 : 07:02 AM
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I made it a resolution to start wearing my helmet on EVERY ski trip this year. Last year I would often say 'oh this trip isn't going to be too difficult/dangerous I don't need a helmet'. But then on trips where I did bring my helmet, and I found I was somewhere a helmet might by useful, I wasn't used to wearing my helmet and it would stay in my pack.
I realised leaving safety equipment behind because you were worried about weight was a little lame.
I know I'm a terrible skier (this is my second season), and as such I know it's not unlikely I will hit trees or rocks that I was intending to go round!
I was also at a talk on avalanches by Albi Sole (doing a masters on avalanche risks) and he said he was rethinking his philosophy on helmets after seeing the statistics of trauma (not suffocation) being the killer when caught in an avalanche. I know wearing a helmet won't make a difference MOST of the time in this scenario...but if there is a small chance it would help it's good enough for me! |
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Edmonton, Alberta
Canada
797 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2009 : 07:05 AM
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Oh and my helmet came in handy for the first time at the start of December...I was skiing at Bow Summit on a thin snowpack...and somewhere near the top, i sunk to the bottom of the snow, caught a rock around my ski and faceplanted into the rest of the rocks (the snow was only about 20cm deep over these rocks, they were totally hidden but very shallow). Would have been bad without a helmet
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Calgary, Alberta
Canada
82 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2009 : 08:28 AM
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A lot of people do a lot of sports where the hazards include a significant risk of head injury. This topic always comes up, and you can always predict the comments about comfort and convenience.
This thread on ClubTread seems more enlightened than most, though. First of all you guys are discussing helmets, you're not arguing.
Second, nobody has brought out the "rights" issue. That's where I tell you that, if I want to clobber myself, it's my right to do so. Or I might say that, if I want to crack my skull, I understand the risk and I accept the responsibility.
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Edited by - dan2see on 01/19/2009 08:29 AM |
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Calgary, Alberta
Canada
82 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2009 : 09:06 AM
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Motion sports are fun. Bikes, skis, motorcycles, flying, any kind of racing...
The ideas are:
- it's a motion sport (both speed and dynamics)
- it requires personal fitness
- it carries a tradition of personal freedom (yeah, "Easy Rider" was on TV Saturday night).
- there is some risk of injury.
I think that most people are not aware of how well the human body protects itself from injury.
When you go flying over a snowdrift, for example, your arms automatically go out to steady your body. It's automatic, the reflexes are built into you spinal cord. When you crash into a rock, you will throw your head up (or down) to protect it, and you'll also throw your arms in front, as a shield. Again it's automatic. I've seen people do this. I've also seen people fail to do this because of impairment from alcohol. The difference is dramatic.
So if you hang out in the ER, especially in winter, you will see lots of victims with broken arm bones, or dislocated elbows and shoulders, and a few broken lower-leg bones. You will see fewer injuries to the body's internal organs (deflated lung, or sore back). And much much less head injuries. The trouble with those head injuries is that the brain is injured. The damage can be random, severe, and permanent.
So here's my message:
The more you play outside, the more likely you'll get injured. The head gets injured much less than the rest of the body, but the consequences are much more severe.
Another message I like to repeat:
You wear your helmet all the time, but you only use it once. |
Edited by - dan2see on 01/19/2009 09:06 AM |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
1321 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2009 : 09:20 AM
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I'll defend my complaint about the helmet weight a bit more:
I understand that it isn't SO heavy, and I also understand the potential usefulness it has in preventing a big head injury.
However, there is a LOT of safety equipment I could be carrying that I don't because of the weight (and to some degree the size, and the helmet it big). If I wanted to carry another pound in my pack, what should it be? Maybe I should start carrying that bivy (probably lots of you do this already). But even if I was going to start carrying more "protective equipment" it isn't clear to me that I wouldn't be better off bringing wrist guards, or kneepads.
Sometimes I wish I was wearing my full hockey gear actually, but there is no way I can lug that around.
I guess the rationale behind the helmet over wrist guards is that while breaking your wrist can really suck, breaking your head can suck more. |
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Edmonton, Alberta
Canada
797 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2009 : 09:55 AM
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| I also wear a helmet because my mum and my girlfriend give me s**t if they see the pictures and I'm not wearing it! |
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Kootenay Bud
2695 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2009 : 10:08 AM
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Scott, I agree with you. I do long ski tours, and by the time I carry a first aid kit, a repair kit, a snow kit, a shovel, probe, saw, down jacket, waterproof etc., my pack is heavy and stuffed. Sure, you would be slightly safer wearing a helmet for every down hill run, but the truth is backcountry skiers are more likely to be killed by avalanches than head injuries, and traumatic deaths from avalanches aren't generally of the kind that a helmet is going to save your life. Plus, when you are skiing far from the road, you need to ski in control. It's like alpine climbing, taking a fall off a solid bolt at the sport crag isn't as big a deal as taking a fall off a manky piece of gear two days walk from the road. Of course, if your idea of a big ski day is a half hour skin up from the road, that helmet isn't such a big deal.
But, I've gotta admit the people I see with helmets in the backcountry have zero other safety gear so should they break a binding, get benighted or get caught in an avalanche, all of which is much more likely, they'll be hooped. |
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North Vancouver, BC
Canada
1047 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2009 : 10:29 AM
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Great topic, I agree with Sandy. I always wear my helmet when in the resorts but when touring I do not....
Kim and I talk about this all the time with Kite Surfing as well. Most learn with a helmet and then get rid of it when they get a little better. Most of the time like skiing you may not hit your head but if your board hits you or some other weird senerio happens then it is a smart thing to have on. Even when I was in Baja towards the end I was thinking to get rid of it but then i said why? It does not limit me at all I do not feel its weight and in fact it protects me more from the sun. I think kite surfing is going through what snowboard/skiing and wakeboarding has gone through. Uncool at first but as more elite pro wear them more kids do and the coolness/uncoolness factor goes away or reverses like if you see a guy without a helmet on a bike he looks uncool or unusual.
I am not in favor of laws but rather education and kids these days who are pushing sports further than we have do wear more protection and it is better, lighter and fancier. Great topic and hope it inspires more to think about the topic and do what suits them accordingly for all their prospective sports. |
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Edmonton, Alberta
Canada
797 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2009 : 11:01 AM
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and just for the record I do take lots of other safety gear with me (not just a helmet). And this isn't just for the short tours. Did 18km up Healy Pass with a helmet the other week...and an overnight tour with one too last year.
I don't judge people who don't wear one though (no-one i go with does). I recognise it is just good practice for me personally. |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
1422 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2009 : 1:44 PM
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| I always wear a helmet lift skiing, but never in the backcountry. I would rather put the extra weight / pack space toward an abs pack or an avalung than a helmet. |
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Victoria, B.C.
Canada
110 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2009 : 1:58 PM
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I always wear my helmet front and backcountry. I've had 3 concussions snowboarding and a bad one recently playing hockey. For me, the weight is more than worth it for a decrease in the chance of brain injuries.
The best solution is to never be in a position to hit your head, but I know from my own past experiences how quickly it can happen when you are not paying full attention. I think it really comes down to personal choice. It is tough to draw the line between prepared and carrying too much (I would never leave my first aid kit and avalanche gear behind in lieu of my helmet!). A helmet is worth it for me though. |
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 | LeeL
Advanced Member
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Extreme ski tourin, mountain bikin addict who hikes at least once a year
2506 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2009 : 3:42 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by scottN
I always wear a helmet lift skiing, but never in the backcountry. I would rather put the extra weight / pack space toward an abs pack or an avalung than a helmet.
hey scott - guess I'm not the only one to think that way. Just bought an ABS pack. |
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North Vancouver, BC
Canada
1542 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2009 : 3:54 PM
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Back in the mid 90s, my room mate was in SAR (and an ambulance paramedic). He told me about bits of brain that had to be washed out of the helicopter after the "rescue" of a backcountry skier that made an unsuccessful attempt at skiing a couloir in the Pemberton area (obviously one of the more extreme things one could attempt).
My personal belief is that, if what you are doing results in moving you faster than what your own feet could accomplish, it's a good idea to wear a helmet. |
Edited by - magnetite on 01/19/2009 3:55 PM |
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Finally stopping that crazy suffering that is ice, climbing to concentrate on great ski tours!
3508 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2009 : 5:58 PM
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| I think I'll use my ski helmet for day trips for yo-yo turns, but for longer tours I'd be tempted to leave it behind. Though for ski mountaineering, I do use my climbing helmet. |
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North Vancouver, BC
Canada
1047 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2009 : 6:07 PM
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Hey Lee, you should jump off the 5 or 10 meter tower at the aquatic center and see how far you sink after deploying that abs bag in the air. Thad be awesome! Be very interested in reading your thoughts on it...cheers dave
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The Hills, Colorado
USA
217 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2009 : 6:12 PM
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Ive been skiing Banff and Lake Lousie a fair bit the past few years and I even decided to wear the handicapped looking things on the hill. I felt like riding the handicpaped bus just to get to the mountain with it. Not for concern of myself hitting something and I hold enough injuries but the risk of someone else hitting you and the more you play out there as someone said the more risk of injury and we get a bit more inclined to feeling the adrenaline rush.
If your not ice climbing and your out with people on the hill, wear it protect yourself. You've got one life and a head injury isnt worth it. |
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Topic |
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Wearing a helmet in the backcountry?
