Helmets or not ?

[LeeW]

Do you wear helmets or not?

I dont. i use 'em whenever im required to for racing.

[Chris Houghton]

Why not wear a helmet - they keep you warm, they are a good place to hook your goggles onto so that they don't get lost, and the added bonus is that they spread the blunt force impact over a larger area of you skull, so after you crash you can keep riding for the rest of the day, instead of taking a stretcher ride.

[Helmut Karvlow]

Took a ski boot to the head 11 years ago :eek: put up with alot of name calling before Sonny v. tree.

[ak_rider]

used to only wera one when i was reguired to when i was racing. then got taken out by an out of control kid on a board and woke up in a hospital. Now i wear one all the time. A new rule this year for CASI courses-helmets are required for all except the level 1. I've also found that helmet are very windproof, i never found a hat that could block the amount of wind my helmet does.

[jdgang]

I like all of my brain functions to function when I am done riding

[willywhit]

helmet fo' shizzle. Great for mikey kennedy style tree buttin'

[C5 Golfer]

I can handle broken arms, legs, fingers, etc but a brain is difficult to repair with cast plaster. I also wear a seat belt when driving and I would not make a very good vegetable so I wear a helmet.

[tufty]

I don't. I probably should.

[edit]

I don't actually know why I don't ride with one, I have nothing against them at all, and it makes sense. When I'm hairing about at mach umpty on the bike, I wear a helmet, after all.

I think I may go shopping.

Simon

[pokkis]

There has been earlier discussions differences between Europe and US(including Canada) riding habits, ie in US long sticks on slopes and short sticks on off-piste compared to central Europe. This helmet thing looks same kind issue, in US most ride with helmet but in Central Europe it is not very common. Here in Finland most carvers, like in US, ride with helmet.
Me personally, since i got my first helmet in mid 90's, i've been riding constantly with it and now when i saw my friend hit by skier last season, i ride also with DaKine Full Wave Jacket. It gives lot's of safety and it does not feel at all while carving but it gives also nice protection for elbows etc :D

[alakata]

of course i wear a helmet, 350's back end of his board removed my lip, glad it wasnt any closer to the brain, helmets are smart :biggthump

[bjvircks]

Never used to ski or ride with a helmet. I thought I was impervious to all harm. Then several years ago up at Lake Louise my son was very very VERY slow coming down to the lift. Then a patrol came hustling down the trail and quickly came right up to me and asked "are you Joe's dad?" I had gotten a bit out in front of Joe and figured he was behind me all the way down. Instead, he was lying at the edge of the trail... unconsious. I went out and bought us both helmets and have been extremely pleased with that choice ever since. (at least 3 bashes since).


Edit: by the way.... that's Joe (bless his heart) in my avatar showing off that monster perch

[BlueB]

I wasn't until recently. I knew it would be better, but for pure laziness I wasn't. Then this Christmas Mrs Claus decided that I should preserve a bit of brain that I still have...
The advantages are enormous - besides the obvious safety, it is drier in the wet conditions, warmer in cold, perfect for goggles in use and out of use.
The only complaint is due to the funny size and shape of my old melon - the L is too small and XL a tad too large for me. Then again, that allows for extra air circulation when hot, and beanie or ear warmer belt when cold...

[Mike T]

My wife and I started wearing them about 6 years ago after both getting our bell rung on the same run. We're both on our 2nd helmet now, just 'cause they do eventually get nasty on the inside after several hundred riding days.

In addition, mine is more comfortable than a wool hat, and great in both cold wather and warm. It does get in the way of using a cell phone (Vital for meeting other carvers on the hill - otherwise I would leave it home) but other than that I really don't notice it on.

[crucible]

I started wearing one nine years ago, after having a bell-ringing crash in a boardercross race.

Bear in mind that most helmets need to be replaced every five years, as per ASTM recommendations. FIY.

[tdinardo]

I started wearing one nine years ago, after having a bell-ringing crash in a boardercross race.

Bear in mind that most helmets need to be replaced every five years, as per ASTM recommendations. FIY.

On a related note, helmets should also be replaced after any impact. Same rule as with motocycle helmets. They are one use devices. You can always send a helmet that suffered an impact back to the manufacturer for inspection if you think it's still good. I used to be sponsored by Shoei helmets and one of their technical guys gave me a detailed run down on what happens to the foam in a helmet during an impact. The gist of the conversation was that many times the helmet will still look cosmetically perfect after an impact. All the damage in these cases is internal between the shell and the foam. Once the foam has absorbed energy, it's toast. There is usually a gap between the shell and the foam in the area where the impact occured. My take on it is that helmets are cheap...head injuries are not. When in doubt, buy a new one.

[Dan]

bike, skate, snowboard...I wear a helmet for everything. Last night my 18-month old nephew (sister's son) had an "I'm still figuring out this socks on wood floors thing" event, fell over backwards and hit his head. I turned to my sister and proposed getting the little guy a helmet which she could just have him wear all the time. Overkill maybe :)

I've actually heard people say "helmets are too expensive, and you have to replace them after every crash."

Um...yeah. Because the contents of your head aren't worth $50-$100 to you.

[SITO]

Of course, helmet is very important for me,not only for damage on my head if I fall, also for another colision with others snowboarders, skiers, rocks.....

I also ride with wrist-guards, and dainesse jacket and pant protections.

Sito

[BlueB]

I watched a local board and ski hero Mickey Schwanckard (without helmet) compete in BX national champs, defending his last year's title. The first banked turn - the first obstacle after start, was particularly nasty and all 4 riders got whipped out. Someone landed on Mickey's head and carved a nice cut into it. He managed to get up and finish the heat 2nd, leaving blood all over the course, and qualifying for finals. At the bottom, they patched him up a bit a gave him an old cycling helmet to keep the head in one piece for final race. He ended with silver in the final run, being beaten only by a visiting Canadian hardbooter... Proceeded to the closest city for stitching afterwards.

[bjvircks]

speed skaters can wear a neck gaiter for protection. Think about going down in a jumble on short track ice and catching someone's blade on your throat as you hit the sidewall pads. My girlfriend's (longtrack skater) gaiter is somewhat uncomfortable but the kevlar layers are reassuring.

[tdinardo]

I've actually heard people say "helmets are too expensive, and you have to replace them after every crash."

LMAO! Yeah, I'm sure they'd think I'm insane spending $400-500 per helmet for my roadracing helmets (plus paint). One season I went through three helmets. Ouch! My wife is convinced the helmets haven't done me much good. :freak3: I tell her I was always this way...the helmets just stop me from getting worse! :biggthump

The old adage applies....If you have a $10 head, wear a $10 helmet.

[D-Sub]

just bought one. will be here monday.

[Kirk]

Started wearing one several years ago. Worked in Neuro Rehab (PT) for a number of years and worked with A LOT of head trauma/TBI patients. Many injured in ski, and snowboard accidents. VERY involved recovery and rehabilitation process and often very sad. After working with my first TBI patient (involved in a skiing accident) I needed no further convincing.

[Chris Houghton]

Maybe Darwin was right, and we should institute an IQ test before you're allowed to buy a helmet. Not smart enough? No helmet for you.
I see it a lot, kids all wear helmets, all the parents have are those high-impact toques. Skiiers and boarders, same thing, sure seems that the kids are smarter than the parents.

[deeluxflow]

last january, i was out on peak 10 at breck. It was probably my third time out on hardboots, so i wasn't very comfortable yet, i was cruising down to the right of the lift(centenial?), still trying to get used to the feel of the drasticly different angles of the plate bindings, when some idiot tourist comes flying out of the trees 20 ft. downhill of me. i throw on the brakes, then wash out 'cause i'm not used the the setup, and go flying down into a snow making machine, spin around, and smack my head on a pine tree. cracked the shell of my Giro Chute helmet, my i got out with only a light concussion. first thing i did was go get a full face.

[tufty]

Oh, damn. Now I'm gonna have to go buy one. deeluxeflow's story has just given me flashbacks of seeing a friend smash his jaw to a billion pieces due to having a 'wind in your teeth' non-full-face bike helmet.

Simon

[Jack Michaud]

I actually don't feel like wearing a helmet on the mountain is a necessity, like it is on a motorcycle. <i>Not</i> wearing one is an acceptible risk, in my book. I survived about 25 years on the slopes without one, and only had one incident where it would have been nice to have one. However, I was given a Giro 9.9 as a gift, and I find it to be just as comfortable as wearing a knit hat, if not moreso. So I have no excuse not to wear one anymore.

[carvedog]

The speeds and forces seem to demand it. And the skiers that can take you out.

For some reason when I go in the trees I can't stand to have my helmet on. Dont know why. My wife thinks I am nuts - probably right.
I don't wear one when teaching (except carving either). But I am probably the most aware person on the run at any given time too. Constantly doing threat assessment on my student from dingbat, tail skidder, speed wedgers.

My two centavos.

[veector]

I sometimes wear a helmet.

For example if im just going to a small place with no people and easy runs, i tend not to bring it. But if im going out to a bigger place or riding more challenging runs or im in the park i'l bring my helmet. When i bike and longboard i usually wear a helmet. Concussions arent fun, and i have had one too many.

[sic t 2]

sobering story from Whiteface last week .....

One of their patrollers is now in a Burlington, Vermont hospital in a deep coma with massive head injuries. He was actually patrolling there when a boarder (on an intersecting trail) used the corner to grab big air and struck the helmetless patroller. So he's fighting for his life now. Been in the coma for a few weeks now. I got off the Cloudsplitter gondola, after hearing this from another one of their patrollers, tightened my own lid another notch and just thanked my lucky stars I was wearing one when I got cut down at Stratton a few years back. You just never really know when your number will come up.

Sic

[tdinardo]

I actually don't feel like wearing a helmet on the mountain is a necessity, like it is on a motorcycle. Not wearing one is an acceptible risk, in my book. I survived about 25 years on the slopes without one, and only had one incident where it would have been nice to have one. However, I was given a Giro 9.9 as a gift, and I find it to be just as comfortable as wearing a knit hat, if not moreso. So I have no excuse not to wear one anymore.

I agree with your assessment. For most sports and activities where helmets are now in fashion, I don't consider it necessary. It is all about risk assesment...and assumption of that risk. I generally try to weigh out the risk verus the cost of increasing my protection level. In most cases it's so cheap to reduce the risk with a helmet or other protective gear, and there's no restriction to my movement or comfort, that I just do it.

I, like you had ridden for years without a helmet on snow and never had an issue. All of the incidents i've had over the years in other sports, and the increasing length of time recovery seems to take, have me constantly adding to my preventative arsenal. I regularly wear a helmet now. I generally wear body armor when I plan to ride more challenging terrain now too (I just wear my base layer motocross stuff which is all soft armor and really comfortable). I try and keep the old rule in mind, dress for the crash, not the ride. In general, none of this stuff is uncomfortable or restrictive; it's not expensive for a total cost perspective; and it means that if I have an issue, the probabilities are that the issue will be mush smaller. That means more time on the hill!

Note, I'm saying this while sitting on my couch, in a Percocet induced haze, recovering from hand surgery to fix a hand injury I incured last summer setting up a motocross bike. One second I'm looking at a double jump. The next thing I know, I'm lying on my back looking up at the sky. Gotta love those times when you loose 5-10 seconds of your life and you have no idea where they went. :biggthump

Thankfully we still live in a country where they haven't mandated putting corks on forks to prevent eye injuries yet. :freak3:

[Brian]

Always ride with a helmet. After reading the posts of crashes & mishaps with other riders it makes sense. About 9 yrs ago my son wanted to start riding a board, I told him he'd have to wear a helmet and I'm really happy he agreed.

I'd rather have helmet head, not lobotomy head. :biggthump

[Derf]

I bought one two years ago for a couple of reasons:
-Lots of people seem to be wearing them, there must be a reason
-A friend of my father banged his head quite solidly when snowboarding, so I didn't want it to happen to me
-I've been wearing one for cycling since 1991. When carving, I'm going fast, there's some ice, I can fall, hit my head, so why not. My GF thinks that its overkill, but I prefer to be safe and buy something that I will never use (I mean wear it but not fall on it) than sorry.

[scotts.Scheinman]

i dont do too many crazy things so i dont see the retionality of it. If i think of doing somthing crazy i dont do it.

[big mario]

I lost count of how many I have replaced for mountain biking, so to me it makes sense to wear one when riding. At beaver creek today I watched an exceptional rider ,whom never biffs, wash out his toeside, then catch his heel edge, and get sent over backwards, slamming his head. I was 75 yards away and heard the impact, :eek: It scared the S**T out of me. He was okay, due in a large part to his brain bucket. My feeling is that it is not a question of if, but when.

[BobD]

I actually don't feel like wearing a helmet on the mountain is a necessity, like it is on a motorcycle .

Your choice, as long as you're not in my insurance pool.

BobD

[LeeW]

ahh, my reasons for not wearing helmets is that i wear hearing aids. it just doesnt work with the helmet. i rather to be able to hear the radio or cell phone (mostly work related). I suppose its safe to say that we, the park crew, do play it conservatively. but yes, its the other people that you gotta watch out for as well as random accident. today, at vail while working on the clock, i was carving pencil lines, and i forgot i was in my softboot outfit. i had a toe drag, and i flipped real hard raggedy ann doll style. now my entire right side of my body's sore (upper ankle, knee and elbow). -sigh-

[philfell]

Most of the time I'm on the Mt. I don't wear one. The times I do are usually on powder days. I spend a lot of time in the trees on these days so it make sense to wear one then. I've also lost many pairs of goggles due to high speed rag dolls in powder, a helmet keeps them on my head. I used to hate riding with a helmet, because I had trouble hearing whats going on around me. I also got a lot of input from listening to the sounds my board makes during a turn. I finally found a helmet that didn't have much wind noise and I was able to hear well out of it. Now I spend most of my time on the side of a run with a camera and a radio so I don't have much need for a helmet most days.

It always amazes me how your body protects your head when you crash. I went Mt. Biking. I got a brand new helmet for the occasion because my current one was probably 5 years old and was falling apart. I haven't gone over the bars in years, but I did on christmas, very violently. When I got my self untangled from my bike and upright again, I checked my helmet, not a scratch on it. I always laugh at myself when I go rock climbing with my helmet also. I'm constantly knocking my head against the rock. The extra inch or so the helmet sticks out is enough to throw everything out of wack. Your body knows where your head is at and does an amazing job to keep it safe.

[Baka Dasai]

I'm unconvinced by helmets. There are two (quite separate) reasons for my skepticism:<ol><li><p><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk_compensation">Risk Compensation</a></b></p><p>This is the phenomenon where people compensate for their perception of extra safety by taking greater risks, and therefore returning to their pre-"safety" level of risk. Basically, people have a level of risk they are comfortable with, and if you make them safer they'll respond by going faster/bigger/higher then they were before.</p><p>There's nothing wrong with that - in fact it's great. But it doesn't make a helmet a safety device - it makes it a "go faster/bigger/higher" device.</p><p>Most people's reaction to the idea of risk compensation is to claim that they are immune from it. But that's unlikely - the numbers show that most people are not immune from it. What's worse is if the perceived safety benefits of the helmet are greater than the actual safety benefit of the helmet, the helmet-wearer is likely to increase their level of risk <i>beyond</i> what it was. I think that's a likely reason for the supposedly "non-intuitive" situation where safety benefits actually cause a reduction in safety. This is what happened when bicycle helmets were made compulsory in Australia and New Zealand.</p><p>Here's some <a href="http://www.geog.ucl.ac.uk/~jadams/publish.htm">more reading on risk compensation</a>. (Interesting stuff in there. Amongst other things he examines the statistics involving car accidents and compulsory seat-belt legislation. Very eye-opening.)</p></li><li><p><b>Skepticism about how effective a helmet is in a crash</b></p><p>This is the weaker of my two points, but I think there may be something in it. Like philfell says about his rock-climbing experiences, when you have an extra inch of stuff around your head you start hitting it more often because you no longer know how "big" you are. Also, the extra size of your head may cause extra rotational force on your head and neck in a fall.</p><p>Basically, people are pretty effective at protecting their head in a fall, and even when they don't, skulls are quite strong. And plenty of people get head injuries when wearing a helmet, and the response is always "it would have been worse without it", which seems a very unscientific assumption to have.</p></li></ol><p>A lot of my skepticism comes from following the endless debates over <a href="http://www.cyclehelmets.org/">bicycle</a> <a href="http://www.cycle-helmets.com/">helmets</a>. It's a highly contested area, but my conclusions from reading the research are that helmets are NOT effective in reducing death or serious head injury in bicycle riders.

Snowboarding is different to bicycle riding, so that conclusion may not be relevant. But it also might be. Who knows? Nobody bothers to research it.

Having said all that you might be surprised to know that I DO wear a helmet when snowboarding. Hell, it's damn convenient - it's warm, keeps my goggles on, and makes a nice basket for carrying gloves, goggles etc. And I think that it would be particularly effective in reducing injury from a sharp ski/snowboard edge to the head.

And I like to go fast (the side-benefit of risk compensation!)

[Gecko]

I can't imagine not wearing a helmet...I wear one bike riding, motorcycle riding, skateboarding (most of the time anyway) and Snowboarding (always). Someone else said that helmets keep goggles in place...this is in my opinion the best thing about helmets. I never had goggle behave on my head until I got my helmet

[FTA2R]

I see many boarders wearing them wrong. Seems to me it's crucial to wear them right, they can't be on you in "relaxed" mode. I think carvers are a bit more in tune.

didn't wear one in college, back then (96-00) not many did anyway (and I didn't carve), been wearing one for at least 3-4 years now, use the same helmet for skating parking garages (yes, it's very hot in summer but I deal with it). Had a few collisions with other boards in college, nothing serious, but it makes you think. Lastly, with my earbud rig, I can still listen to music while riding with helmet (w/out one of those audio helmets)

[joecarve]

I'm thinking about going to a full face model when replacing my current helmet...looks like at least ChrisH wears one - anyone else? The extra face protection is an obvious plus, though I'm a little concerned about catching the front of it and wrenching my neck in a toeside fall. Any thoughts one way or 'nother?

joe...

[Brian]

Full face is good to have, it protects your mouth/jaw. At the end of the day you can eat your dinner instead of drinking it through a straw. Have not had any issues catching my helmet on the snow, been riding with the full face for three yrs. aloha

Brian :cool:

[thomas_m]

...by Univ of Washington Sports Medicine. The verdict, helmeted snowboarders have less injuries and there is no evidence of increased risk-taking due to compensation. It may not be that helmets prevent injuries, it could be that people who wear helmets tend not to be crazy jackasses...

"Further study is necessary to
determine if the skiers/snowboarders
who wear helmets are self-selected
and may be safer people in general, or
if wearing a helmet actually changes
behavior patterns. In either case, these
data do convincing demonstrate that
in this population, wearing a helmet
does not result in increased injury rates
via increases in risk taking behavior
or other mechanisms."

Page 42-44:

http://www.orthop.washington.edu/UserFiles/File/research/2004.pdf

T.

[carve4life]

i wear one for the simple reason of if i didn't i would not be typing right now, twice.

[ARCrider]

never wore one skiing except for racing/training but on my first ever day of snowboarding I was without helmet. I managed to catch a heelside edge and slam the back of my melon hard enough to see stars and feel nauseous. went back to my skis for a few more years before trying boarding again with a helmet. always wear one now along with light armour. hopefully a shorter recovery time for my next biff. I can deal with the pain of recovery. What I don't like is the forced time out from any athletic activities.

its a matter of when not if for your next biff.

[surfinsmiley]

Let`s see now.

1st time......hit a Kangaroo doing about 140km/hr on a bike.....Helmet saves Brain.

2nd time....over the falls on a ten footer at Padang Padang at low tide on the inside bowl section, head wedged into sharp limestone reef.........Helmet saves Brain.

3rd time....Kiteboarding in high wind and big surf, body dragging to my board and the board gets pitched by the wave at the same time as I got lofted towards the board........Helmet saves Brain.

4th time.........high speed, low skill, snowboarding through the trees, didn`t even see the branch that sat me on my arse. From fast to stop in zero seconds.......Helmet saves Brain.

I LOVE my Helmets, I`ve got a quiver of em`.:cool:

[Derf]

Baka:

On risk compensation, I agree with you to some point. It depends on the person. When I ride, I forget that I'm wearing a helmet, I'm just riding and trying to improve, not go faster. And for me, I feel that my head is not my weakest point, it is my shoulder. I've suffered so much shoulder dislocations in the past that I fear more for them than for anything else. I've even stopped rock climbing because of this.

On helmet safety, I disagree with you. IMHO, the rock climbing example does not apply to snowboarding. When climbing, you head is inches from the rock/wall, when snowboarding, you head is a couple of feet from the ground, like in cycling. The problem when falling is not the skull hitting the ground, it is the brain hitting the inside of the skull. A helmet will reduce the strenght of the impact by absorbing the force in the impact, which compresses the foam. The assumption that an accident would have been worse without a helmet is right, where the difference is that with a helmet you get a brain commotion, without one you get a brain contusion or a skull fracture. This applies mostly to cycling (higher from the ground, harder surface), but it can apply in snowboarding (catch an edge while standing up on ice).

[screaming]

guys i wear a helmet every wear i ride if i dont omg i have tooken to many hard falls.

[rc30rob]

A short story to make you think.A bunch of us returned to a pub after a days ride out on the bikes .In the car park(parking lot) we all swapped bikes just trundeling about no speed higher than walking pace ,no silly tricks,no beer .Woody a good mate jumped on a kwack 1100 did a slow turn and dropped the bike ,he hit his head (temple ) no real force just the wrong place, no lid , He lost all motor functions but the docs thought he was fully aware of all that was going on around him ,trapped in a none functioning body,after 6 months they let pnemonia take its natural course.a ten year old could have hit him harder so WEAR A HELMET! Anyway brains make the snow to sticky.Ps it wont be long before insurance companies will say you didnt take adequate precautions to protect yourself so go and blow it out your arse ,no pay out.

[ar(angel]

before I bought one. Had been getting steadily faster on my alpine set-up and decided it was time to get a brain bucket. Low 'n' behold, next trip out got creamed by some guy trying to follow me on his beat-up old board and did a complete flip through the air landing on.....you guessed it, my head. I agree it's a personal preference issue, but I'll never board without one again,

Ride safe,

Paul

[RJ-PS]

Friend carving on the right side of the run caught an edge that threw him into the woods. Impacted a tree mid-section and ruptured his spleen, almost died. If it was his noggin, he'd be dead. One of the best skiers I've ever seen, he's been skiing since 2, mom was an instructor.

Get a helmet.
Wear it.

PS My favorite helmet company OVO just went out of business, I'm trying to find all the Bomber and Titan models I can to sell online. If anyone hears anything give me a yell.

[Aracan]

I started wearing one two seasons ago, and, protection issue aside, I find it a lot more comfortable than a woollen hat:
- Doesn't get wet through and through on rough-weather days.
- Goggles don't fog up when parked on the helmet.
- Always warm, and in spring you just air your head on the chair.

BTW, here in Austria helmets have become A LOT more common on the slopes over the last three years or so. Small kids used to be practically the only people wearing one. Now I would estimate that at least 10% of adults wear one, with their number growing every season.

[kipstar]

I don't bother, mostly because I don't ride in a way that puts me in a position to have big injuries anymore (I did used to ride like that with a concussion and few other injuries but that was before helmuts were popular) and I don't ride near other people that often; if I can hear someone I just pull over and let them through.

I'd guess riding like this reduces the odds of injury far more than wearing a helmet and then riding hard in the park.

My biggest concern these days though is, as per the comments of other people, riding and getting clonked by someone else. I have been through that before, being fully taken out around the bend to the right to the old chair 18 on Mammoth with a concussion as a result. Neither of us were in a helmet; now I wonder if it would have been worse getting clonked by a helmet wearer; it isn't like there is any padding on the outside of the helmet is there?

For rugby, no one wears helmets and there are a few concussions. For your game, American football everyone wears helmets and pads. At some point if enough people are wearing helmets, then maybe the remainder need to do so simply to avoid getting hit by all the ones in helmets; I would not want to play American football with no helmet i think!

That said, I've had far more brain damage from Thai boxing for 5 years with numerous kicks, knees and elbows (plus the odd fist) to the head, so i think the helmet isn't going to save me now :-) Maybe I should use the helmet for boxing....hmm.....

For kids though, it seems like a good idea.

[bumpyride]

Tried and even bought helmets. Couldn't stand them. Too heavy, too limiting, too geeky, impaired peripheral vision. Went without, no problems. Stopped in a store saw a Giro 9, just for the heck of it tried it on. Nice, very nice, bought it, wore it.

Jump ahead 2 years later. On the catrack, the rock hard iced catrack, maybe 6 miles per hour, walking speed. Looked back to check on the woman and caught heel side edge. Full extension, maximum leverage, rear cranial strike. People stopped, woman 75 feet back heard the head hit. On the ground for 20 or 30 seconds, a little woozy but fine. Helmet nicely dented, skull and contents nicely in tact.

Whistler, my oldest doing a long sweeping turn, gets clocked by a big skier in a tuck. Hit him in the upper torso, and sent him 2 full summersaults, in the air, before he landed on his shoulder. Full dislocation (first time). Skier takes off. Son has to have it popped back in. Think if he had been a little lower or the skier a little higher.

[deeluxflow]

joecarve, full face is nice, saved my face, but they do get hot in warmer weather, with more coverage on the side of your face, and earphones don't fit as well in mine, but that might just be me. i like them, but i also have a half face that i wear on those balmy days.

[slopetool]

It was always mandatory on the yellow short bus so I've always wore one since. Whatever my special ed. teacher says, I do it. :nono:

[Crashtopher]

I went out last week and at the end of the day I doing nice slow mellow carves on my last run since my legs were toast. I was almost alone on the slope, I could see no one below me when all of a sudden something hits me full force from behind while in a heelside carve. I went ass over teakettle and when I stopped tumbling I checked out my assailant. It was another snowboarder, I'd say late teens to early 20's. He looked at me and said something along the lines of "Sorry man, are you okay?" My response was "You are joking around with me, right? I'm the only person on the trail, and you plow into me?" He realized that I was REALLY pissed so he got up and skidded his way down the mountain.

Moral of the story: I wear a helmet because even when I have the trail to myself and I am riding in control, some jackass may be barelling down the slope and may hit me, the only other person on the trail.

[chadx]

I were a helmet for skiing/boarding, and motorcycles (street bikes and dirtbikes). Always have. Always will. I feel naked without one on. It's not just safety. It's comfort. Everytime a big old grasshopper, or rock kicked up from a vehicle, hits me in the faceshield, when cruising 60 mph down the road, I look at the bikers with me with no helmet on and snicker because I know they took one to the forhead, cheek, lips, etc.

On the slopes, it's not even your own ability you have to worry about. It's everyone around you. The excuse that you know your capabilities or are just going to go for a slow cruise and not hot rod down the slope make no difference when, like many of the examples above, some hot jockey, in a full tuck, plows into you or comes flying out the trees in a direction where you could never see them coming no matter how 'aware of your surroundings' you are. Like on motorcycles, it's usually not your own ability and awareness that get you. It's "the other guy" that does.

It doesn't matter if you go 20 years without an accident. Condider yourself lucky...so far. It could happen tomorrow. Besides, a helmet is cheaper than a hospital bill. I was at a motocross equipment sale and a mom had her 3 young sons with. She said, "What, the motocross boots are $200 each?! I have three boys and they'll just outgrow them in a year anyway. Too expensive." The rep pointed out to her that X-rays cost more than that (much less the rest of the medical bills for setting bones, etc.). She bought three pair.

Bottom line, I believe it's everybodies choice. I feel the same on motorcycle helmets. But I will say that I will never be caught without mine.

[bjvircks]

From crashtopher : "You are joking around with me, right? I'm the only person on the trail, and you plow into me?"

When training new hang glider pilots we had to specificly tell students that when on landing glide DO NOT look at anything NOT where they wanted to go because they would fixate on what they see, lock onto it and fly right into it. Same kind of thing for mountain biking. You must look at the hole between the trees, not the trees.

There seems to be an increasing percentage of boneheads that do not have the slightest idea about safety!


Kind of related to this rant is the fact that most folks on the slopes have difficulty processing or "understanding and forecasting" the way carvers move about the slope. When they cannot instantly understand what they see they tend to disregard the data and assume you will do what they expect rather than what they have seen you do. Then it is "our fault" because they hit us from behind (HEAVY SARCASM).

[OffpisteHardboots]

I wear a helmet all the time. Comes in handing when blasting through the trees. Works good for carving spinouts too.

I have hit plenty of branches, and some of those would have left nice scratches or bumps in my head. Did take one fall and slid slowly into a tree face first, but I took the hit on the side of my head/helmet. Slid off a park box and the helmet came in handy. (yes all of that was on a craving board)

Like the other guys say, keeps your head warm, holds the goggles, is there when you'll need it most, and its a nice place to put stickers!

[Jutta]

After skiing for 20 years without ever wearing a helmet (and thankfully never getting injured) I managed to get a concussion and two cracked/broken ribs on my first day ever on a board.

Lessons learned:
- do not put camera in chest pocket: the camera might survive a hard fall unscathed (mine still works), my ribs don't
- always wear helmet when on hill.

Three years ago my then 6 year-old turned right in front of while exiting a chair lift at no more than walking speed. Result: a slow fall and a 3" crack in my helmet. I'd rather not think about what my bare head wold have looked like. As it was, I only had a mild headache for a few hours.

On the more-risk-because-of-more-protection theory, I don't think that can be applied to all or even the majority of people. I certainly don't take any more risks now (If anything, the older I get, the more risk averse do I become); wearing a helmet is simply a precaution I take when engaged in potentially dangerous activities.

And then of course, for us parents out there there's an additional encouragement: if we expect our kids to wear a helmet, what good reason can we cite not to?

[Dave Pushee]

I started wearing a helmet a couple of years before the high profile tree hits (Sonny and Michael). I immediately noticed that I stayed warmer and my goggles no longer fogged when they were pushed up on my head.

My first helmet had very little ventilation and got hot on warmer days. Newer models have much better ventilation and removeable earflaps for those spring conditions.

I have observed that increasing numbers of snow sport participants have taken to using helmets. That said, the almost 94% using helmets as shown in the current poll is amazing.

- Dave

[FatBoy]

I have worn one for about four years. I find it more comfortable.

I took my nephew up for his christmas gift and got him a lesson. Second day out he is linking turns and doing great and the he disappears for a few. Then I see him coming down the hill. "What happened, catch an edge?" I say. He looks at me and says "How did we get here this morning???"

After a couple of hours at the medic center and a good concussion, we went home.

Sure glad I bought him a helmet. He'll NEVER go without it. He was wearing is at the time. Can't imagine him if he wasn't.

[mattj]

I never wore a helmet until I went to a snowboard race camp at Mt Hood in 2000. I survived day 1 of the camp and bought one that night at a sale in town. Have never boarded without it since.

Matt

[roman]

..if you aren't wearing one cause you are saying 'i can watch myself', wear one because the other on the slopes who don't watch the others...!

i never go out on the slopes without it.

roman

[ealely]

First year with an helmet and even if I was reluctant to wear one, after a few days using it, now I just love it! Feel safer, it keeps you warm. In Europe it's getting more common to wear an helmet but it's quite new though, as for me it's just about getting old, thinking too much or being wiser....

[Dave ESPI]

I started out not wearing a helmet. I've taken a few spills in my day. as I got more and more agressive as a rider, I started to wear one back when no one was wearing them and got "laughed at"..... ( Untill I went big off jumps and chit and then the people shut up) I was racing one day in some time trials up at Mt. Snow for the 2000 X games to get in as a local boarder in some of the preliminary rounds and hope to make it to the finals with the national boys.
I took a massive dump when I caught an edge and flew nearly 20 feet in the air then slammed down hard, and slid about 30 more feet. I knocked myself out cold for 40 seconds to the point that I pissed myself and shat in my pants.

When I came to, I had a mild concussion, and looked at my helmet that I had taken off at that point. The helmet had the nastiest crack and rock gouge I had ever seen ! THe helmet had a crack that ran down the entire side of it.

That could have been my head. Luckily the onlything that was spilled that day was urine and crap.... not blood and grey matter.

When I ride now, I ride with a helmet and strongly suggest others do also. In Lessons, It is REQUIRED for riders under the age of 14 have a helmet, and I try to get "clumsy" adults (read as OMG HUMAN MISSLE/ Wiped-out Obsticle in the snow to avoid) to go get one also if at the end of the lesson they want to continue trying to ride.

THIS IS MY HELMET: A lot of people will remember it for years to come I hope. I have a few others, but I think the airbrush job on this one is some of my best "rush job" work.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

I knocked myself out cold for 40 seconds to the point that I pissed myself and shat in my pants.

THIS IS MY HELMET: A lot of people will remember it for years to come I hope. I have a few others, but I think the airbrush job on this one is some of my best "rush job" work.

Dave,
and people tell ME I go into TOO much detail!!

Nice art work! Did you sell it on Ebay?

Is that the tongue or a part of the helmet? Looks like a chrome piece?

Note to self: Don't buy any snowboard pants from Dave :nono:

[rwcow]

its usually not yourself that you have to worry about, but its the other retards on the mountain. Occasionally when I fall i'll smack my head, but the reason why most people end up being thankful for wearing a helmet is when someone not paying attention clips them or causes them to fall to avoid a collision.

its the unexpected times/situations...always a good call in my book

[freecarver]

I didn't wear a helmet since I had an accident in my vacations in Italy when a skier bump straight in to me.

After this I bought a helmet straight on and I'm wearing it always when I'm riding. I even give it to my little daughter to wear it as my avatar saws cause she's a little bugger.

[Pow]

I always wear my helmet... well, unless the mountain's deserted in the spring and im only pretending to ride so i can sit in the sun and get a tan:cool:

[skatha]

Two stories....
1. We fly to Tahoe Jan 2005. I can tell you every thing I did Sunday, but I don't remember flying there or Saturday....
Hmmmmm........I remember little bits, like photos-sitting on the side of a run, laying on a bed with my hands on my face, covering my eyes
seeing somebody flying through the air just to my left.....
2. March 2006-nice looping carves on a greenie.I'd looked upstream twice and "owned" the run according to rule #8 until I hear two panicked shouts from kids skiing "Don't turn"
I flop back on my heels immediately, catch an edge and land so hard on my head, my neck pops....
Grumbling, I get up and start carving again...thinking my apres wine has now gone from optional to therapeutic
difference-a helmet

As for "research" showing both questionable benefit from seat belts or helmets.....
check who the researchers are before you buy that kind of crap...
Do they have a financial interest in their "research?"
Both the American College of Emergency Physicians and the American Association of Neurologic Surgeons advocate helmets and they have no financial stake in their pronouncements.

Oh, and both my kids and husband have helmets-in fact, my son has a camo Army style "soupbucket" helmet that Burton makes

[mopoet178]

I'm still young (16) and taking great risks when hardbooting (mostly last run of the day after denying total exhaustion). I crash so often that smacking the skid lid has become mundane. Thank God my parents got me started on helmets when I learned to ski 13 years ago. I use it every day I'm on the slopes. My parents would be bankrupt or off snowsports forever without the money saving device called a helmet. Like everyone else said, it's warm, it's windproof, it agrees with googles. I have never skied or boarded without a helmet.


ps-don't say you board with a helmet and have an avatar of yourself carving without a helmet

[Mike T]

I'm still young (16) and taking great risks when hardbooting (mostly last run of the day after denying total exhaustion).

LOL - I am 36 and I still do that way too often!

[Juicy Juice]

i got a grade 3 concussion 2 years ago the day before the grand prix, it sucked.

[UK2TX2CA]

Just an FYI, lots of helmet companies, like Giro, discount the replacement helmet, ....read the info shipped with the helmet!

[carverchick]

To answer the question I wouldn't ride without my helmet. Although women like to be fashionistas while riding but I wouldn't chance it.

So one day we were out riding, I hit a little dip on the slope and was launched forward at 35 mph. I cracked my helmet right down the middle, shattered my goggles, blackened both eyes and suffered a week long concussion.

I went to work that Monday (althought the doctor said no) so I am stepping out of the elevator at work when this woman walks up to me and asks me if I was ok. I said yeah just too much excitement over the weekend, so she proceeds to tell me if I needed to talk she was there for me. So I'm like WTF why is she treating me like I'm a battered woman, so I told her that I did this to myself snowboarding over the weekend. To which she replies - The first thing you need to do is accept there is a problem and that you should never take abuse from your spouse. Which made me laugh but seriously if I hadn't been wearing my helmet that day it could have been a lot worse. I'm glad that all I walked with just a concussion and two black eyes.

[rocketman]

It was the last run of the last day out and I caught something in the snow - a rock or something on my toe side in a hard turn and it sent me over to my heel side - caught the edge and whipped me on my ass - and head on typical Ontario ice. I wasn't "out" but I got up slowly

On the way down I noticed that my googles didn't fit right so I took off my helmut and found my helmut was split from the bottom to the top with only about 2" of outer shell left still together. This was a high end helmut with a thick hard shell. It completely took the impact and dissapated the enregy exactly as it was designed.

Without it I I would have been..................?

Its not a question if you will hit your melon on the ice but how hard.