Helmut crash replacement question?

[RISkier]

Last time out skiing, I managed to take the hardest fall I've ever taken. Got distracted, caught an edge, and blam. Landed on my back and had a bit of a headache -- no other aches or pains, but a mild headache. Was glad I had the helmut. Tonight, my wife asked if I needed to replace the helmut? It doesn't appear to have any structural damage. How would you tell if it needs to be replaced?

 

[Paul]

Careful with that headache, could be a sign of a mild concussion. I'd be more concerned with that right now.


RE: Helmet replacement. When in doubt......

I've always heard that if a helmet takes a really good whack, even if there's no visible damage, it should be retired.

 

[thetrailboss]

I don't know about helmuts, but helmets are replaced and some have warranties for such issues. Boeri, for example, did once require that you send the helmet to them for replacement.

Moving to gear...

 

[kbroderick]

I've always heard that the helmet's interior structure is like the crumple zone of a car--it will deform once to absorb impact, and then it's no longer effective (or at least no longer as effective). So you should probably replace the helmet, or at least make sure you land on a different part of your head in the next crash.

(I've been reasonably successful with the latter option, but I don't recommend it as a long-term solution.)

And re: concussions, yeah, if you feel a headache, you've probably got a concussion. Did anyone see you crash? It's not at all uncommon to have what you thought was a minor fall and then realize that you don't know how your friends got from 50 yards away to immediately around you in the three seconds after impact, until someone points out that you were unconscious for thirty seconds or a minute. If no one saw you, you may have actually been out for a brief period of time, which would be a definite sign of significant impact to the brain.

If you have any other signs of concussion, you probably should consider consulting a doctor. I can recall at least one teammate who was forced to sit out of training and racing for a matter of weeks due to a minor concussion; the concern from the medical staff was that he was at extremely increased risk in the event of another impact. And the concussion occurred when he caught an edge during an inspection run, while wearing a helmet.

 

[NYDrew]

if the impact was hard enough to make you ask the question, then you need a new helmit. Definately check with the manufacture for warrenty possibilities.

My Ovo helmit can be replaced as I please for like another year (3 year total).

 

[RISkier]

Don't know where the helmut stuff came from, great spelling. The event was a couple of weeks ago. Wasn't a severe headache and didn't last long, but I landed hard enough that I was glad I was wearing a helmet. Think I should look into a new one. Not really something one should be a cheap skate with. Thanks.

 

[Paul]

Don't know where the helmut stuff came from, great spelling.

I hope it wasn't from a concussion! :wink:

 

[billski]

When my wife had a skiing-related concussion, the ER doc said to avoid any risk of recurrent head trauma for at least a month. A similar or lesser concussion shortly after the first will cause substantially more brain injury than the first.

"After any big crash, or heavy impact, it's important to replace your helmet. Most helmets use a crushable liner made of expanded polystyrene (EPS), which can only handle one hard thump. Generally, the damage will be visible on the helmet.

Some helmets use expanded polypropylene (EPP), which slowly rebounds after crushing, allowing it to take more than one small to medium-sized hit. Its effectiveness does diminish with each impact, however, even if it appears undamaged, so the helmet should be replaced after several smaller crashes or one severe blow. Some companies offer to replace the helmet at a discounted price if you've been involved in a serious crash."
source:
http://www.snowhead.co.uk/safety_information_ski_helmets.htm

These diagrams are interesting:
http://www.skimag.com/skimag/fitness/article/0,12795,327183,00.html