To Helmet or not to helmet (that's an easy question).

[Ron]

Fat tire kind of way?? FT is "tourist-ale" cassara,

[jim-ratliff]

IN SUMMARY:

1. It is definitely a personal decision, just as wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle is a personal decision in some states.

2. Everyone that is over 40 and responded has made the personal decision to wear a helmet.

3. Everyone that I know that has ski age kids has made the decision that their kids will wear a helmet.

4. Some people are still too young to appreciate the potential pain to their loved ones if they should be the 00.01% to suffer a significant head injury.

5. All (both) of the medical professionals that responded have made the personal decision to wear helmets.

[midwif]

Summary continued......

And Fat Tire may be a tourist ale, but it's damn good.

 

[Ron]

it's "good" but there are many up there that are much better. 

[Gary]

Oh ROn..you are such a purist....

We ski ....we drink....period!......and Lynn's right..."damn good"!

Perry, Svend can get a little testy about his gold hairs but hey....it's taken him 61 years to grow them....we understand.

and thank you Jim for the post traumatic summary....well done my friend. 

G

[jim-ratliff]

Update: Reason 35 why I'm glad I have a helmet.

Skiing at Powder Mountain on the first run of the day from the lodge down to the lift.  Cruising along, beginning a gentle turn to the left when my peripheral vision sees this riderless snowboard right beside me.  WHOMP!!  Hit my head very hard.  I think the upturned tips of my skis actually skied onto the board, just due to the random circumstances of time and place.

I actually felt pretty groggy when I first lifted my head up, but later had no headache or residual effects.  I believe that without a helmet this would have ended my day (if not worse) on the patrol sled after 75 seconds of skiing.

14 year old girl was going down to the lift to "put her tether on" when she lost the board and it took off.

[Svend]

Can you imagine if that had been ice you'd whacked your bean on? With no helmet, it's the Boo-Boo truck for you, lad.

BTW, a 22 year old hockey player died here recently when his helmet came off and he hit his bare head on the ice.  In a coma for a week, and they couldn't bring him back.  Big, strong guy, totally fit, lifelong hockey player and coach.  If a guy like that can succumb to a head injury from hitting the ice, imagine what our middle-aged noggins would look like inside if that happened to us.  Gives a new meaning to the saying "mush for brains"....

[speed163]

Thought I might "jump in" on the thread, as I've been told "if it doesn't require a helmet, you won't do it!!".  Brain buckets have to be fitted properly with/without a beanie.  I happen to have two beanies: a thin Nike for warm spring days and very common on the hockey rink. A warmer RED snowboarding cap for colder slope days. My helmet needs minor tweaking according to which "cap" is nesting on my coiff.  Helmet hair is a right to a pint at the end of the day

 Secondly, trauma injuries are not necessarily consequential but if wearing a helmet offers even the remotest safety net, isn't that better than what potentially could be the outcome? My "lid" saved me from a major concussion this season but did not prevent a root canal (impact of a fall on ice killed a tooth root when my head snapped back). Road or slope' pizza' is NOT a personal option. Secondly, role modeling is equally important: if we expect our kids/grandchildren to wear a 'lid', shouldn't we??

On a lighter note, treat it as an 'accessory'. Modify it, like your ride, to suit your style.  ie. Does a jacket with orange accents require a helmet with orange flames???

As mentioned, there are plenty of options out there but the ultimate choice remains with the person at the helm.

Terryl

[jim-ratliff]

Brain buckets have to be fitted properly with/without a beanie.? I happen to have two beanies: a thin Nike for warm spring days and very common on the hockey rink. A warmer RED snowboarding cap for colder slope days. My helmet needs minor tweaking according to which "cap" is nesting on my coiff.? Helmet hair is a right to a pint at the end of the day

Terryl: One of the things I like about the Giro 10 (that my Giro Fuse didn't have) is a thumbwheel adjustment at the back of the helmet for exactly that adjustment, much like a bike helmet.? I have a light SmartWool beanie that I normally wear, a Balaclava that I might need someday, and sometimes wear neither.? Each requires about one click of adjustment to get a nice, snug fit.

And a baseball cap in the boot bag takes care of the thinning helmet hair issue.   

[Gary]

Ok....gang...I've been a helmet believer and owner for 5 years and love the accessorize added value incentive to wearing one...However....I could never be a "beanie baby" cause my head would become a fountain of flowing moisture.

Still big believer in the helmets and found that with the more terrain I explore at mountains the more I'm thankful for wearing a helmet.

This last trip to skiing Steamboat in some beautiful evergreens, I came around a huge evergreen heading out of the glades following Ron and we both cut the turn tight close to the tree. Well, my ski buddy negelected to hold the evergreen branch he went through, well cause it's virtually impossible, and that branch become the forearm of a 350lb linebacker. It greeted the side of my helmet with such a "thwack" that I saw the first ever 2 episodes of Star Trek in 5 seconds. The impact actually left a mark on the side of my helmet. I laughed about it at the time but was thankful I had a couple inches of foam and plastic between my skull and that branch.

Yes, it's still a choice but geez gang......it's a very wise one to say the least!

Best,
G

[Svend]

Well, this is very unfortunate, but timely given our discussion:? http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1398682
The article regards Natasha Richardson, the actor, who fell while skiing at Tremblant, and was not wearing a helmet.? Looks like a serious head injury, but the newspapers aren't too clear on the exact details.? There may be mitigating factors here, which aren't known publicly yet, as the fall seems not to have been a hard one -- green slope, slow speed, slushy snow.? Doesn't look good, though, for her.? We'll see what comes out in the news in the next few days.....   Hope it turns out for the best.

[Gary]

Hey Svend...this morning on the Today show they said she was in a lesson, took a very easy fall and hit her head. Got up, shook it off and walked away. An hour later, she was complaining of headaches and the rest we know.

She was on holiday at Tremblant with one of her sons...I wonder if HE was wearing a helmet.

Very much a tragedy for sure. I believe a helmet could have prevented this outcome.

G

[Svend]

OK folks, this just got so sad, as Natasha Richardson died yesterday from her injury.  I feel very sorry for the family, as both her young sons were skiing with her at the time.

So, what could have happened here? Slow speed, easy fall, soft snow, no apparent impact on anything hard. But.......no helmet! I'm not a medical man, but I'm curious to know if any pre-existing medical condition or medication could have exacerbated this.  For example, I know that anti-coagulants and sports don't mix -- ie. any internal bleeding just doesn't stop.  Or is it possible that a seemingly innocuous head impact is enough for certain people to suffer serious brain injury?

Perry....are you tuning in to this thread? Any thoughts or insight?

Other that "Let's all wear helmets", is there anything we can learn from this?

[jim-ratliff]

is there anything we can learn from this?

There are three things I believe!? Life is more fragile than we want to accept and we should cherish the days and experiences we are given, tomorrow isn't guaranteed, and there is a God.

Edited out a section about an experience I had in VietNam

[Philpug]

I agree on the personal preference to some degree on snow. Cycling is a different story. I am on the bike 5-6 days a week and still race a little bit. I am always shocked when I see people cycling witout a helmet. That is just insanity. Concrete and asphalt are hard and in most falls on a bike the head hits the pavement.

Getting back to helmets for snowsports, I think the statistics are pretty clear that you are always better off with a helmet. Still I see many great skiers that will just never wear one (unless racing). Harald Harb is one. Now Harald actually falls about once every 2-3 years so I can undrstand why he sees no need to wear a helmet. Most mortals are better off with one on.

Lastly, now that I have a bluetooth helmet (deeply discounted on sale) and this year I will be able to answer my phone by pressing a button on my ear piece, there is absolutely nothing lsot wearing a helmet!!

Harald is more apt to being hit on the slopes than falling (and I don't mean attacked )> He stands still, a lot, on trails that people ski at higher speeds, white teaching and explaining in doing so, he is not paying attention to wayward skiers coming down the slopes at hight rates of speed. He is a sitting duck.

Harald is a perfect example of a figure head of the sport, and should an example of proper safety too,, as all instructors and patrollers.