Please, Please, Buy a HELMET! Any Helmet!

[mattchuck2]

Screw you people . . . there are plenty of perfectly smart, sane skiers who don't wear helmets. I hate these helmet threads . . all they are are excuses for people to get on their soapboxes and talk down to people who don't wear helmets. I propose we ban all future talk of the benefits of helmets and how great you feel when you wear one.

I also don't care how comfortable it is, how light it is, or how many people you know that were saved by their helmet. All of these dissertations on helmets are the same, and they're all stupid.

 

[CapeSkier]

I'm a recent convert to pro-helmet. I have been skiing for 40 years, and never figured I needed one. First run of the year this season, a little kid cut across the trail in front of me, and I had nowhere to go but down. That did it. I nearly smacked the back of my head in a dust-on-crust situation. I now wear a Leedom helmet every day I ski. I like the ventilation system, which I can adjust with gloves on. Of course, it is an XXL and my wife and kids think I look like the "Great Gazoo". So be it. I am a convert. My kids wear 'em, My wife wears one, and now so do I.

 

[drjeff]

Added helmet bonus, especially if you're tall. I can't tell you how many times my helmet has been hit by a sudenly dropping safety bar when I get on the lift (either by a person bringing it down when I'm not paying attention, or it just unexpectedly dropping down after loading)

I'm also seriously considering getting one of the new spine protectors that are gaining in popularity amongst the racing/skier cross crews.

 

[SnowRider]

Screw you people . . . there are plenty of perfectly smart, sane skiers who don't wear helmets. I hate these helmet threads . . all they are are excuses for people to get on their soapboxes and talk down to people who don't wear helmets. I propose we ban all future talk of the benefits of helmets and how great you feel when you wear one.

I also don't care how comfortable it is, how light it is, or how many people you know that were saved by their helmet. All of these dissertations on helmets are the same, and they're all stupid.

Bud calm down. In no way are we talking down on people who dont wear helmets. First of all half the people that have posted on this thread didnt wear one for many years so you cant say we "dislike" non helmet wearers. And all I was doing was letting people know my opionon, that buying a helmet is a smart choice.

So really just calm down. If you dont like the thread dont read it.

 

[wintersyndrome]

I hope your head is feeling better, be careful of swelling over the next couple of days. The risk aversion and reduction obtained from wearing a helmet far out weight the "Its heavy, it looks funny" excuses...time to buy a new one i guess.

 

[CapeSkier]

I think helmet wearers are outnumbering non-wearers this year. Look around at your mountain. True?

 

[andyzee]

As far as I'm concerned, these helmet threads never grow old, great advice that should be constantly posted. Helmet saved my nugget a number of times.

 

[Warp Daddy]

Agee i too have been whacked by an out of control fun seeker and being tall have had safety bar issues at times .

I f anyone has issues with helmet threads ---------- then don't participate in them

 

[kingslug]

Just ask my wife. She will tell you all about how hemets can save you're life. Proved it again yesterday. Helmet vs tree. helmet won .

 

[andyzee]

Just ask my wife. She will tell you all about how hemets can save you're life. Proved it again yesterday. Helmet vs tree. helmet won .

Hey, that's one contest you should stop participating in. One day the tree may win

 

[Angus]

MattChuck2 - we may need to change your moniker to "Francis" - easy there. I'm typically someone who advocates the pre-eminence of individual responsibility/decision-making but I'll be honest, skiing with a helmet is just a no-brainer for anyone regardless of ability or experience. if you list out the benefits versus the cost to yourself, to the mountain, to society - the benefits far outweigh the perceived cost/discomforts/hassle, whatever. Another observation, not sure how old you are, but as you get older, you develop a much greater appreciation for your physical and mental abilities and realize a little bit of prevention or insurance to protect those gifts are well worth the cost.

 

[gladerider]

everyone in my family wears them. all pros seem to wear it. i see it everywhere nowadays...

 

[billski]

Liberty versus Risk

Screw you people . . . there are plenty of perfectly smart, sane skiers who don't wear helmets. I hate these helmet threads . . all they are are excuses for people to get on their soapboxes and talk down to people who don't wear helmets. I propose we ban all future talk of the benefits of helmets and how great you feel when you wear one.

I also don't care how comfortable it is, how light it is, or how many people you know that were saved by their helmet. All of these dissertations on helmets are the same, and they're all stupid.

You make a good, valid point and I respect your own right to not wear one. I would never support making them mandatory. That said, I don't want to be responsible for your medical bills either. Life is often about taking risks. I was reading Ski Racing magazine last night and was struck by the number of athletes who are now paralyzed due to a skiing injury. We all take risks in life, from sky diving, driving on the freeway and walking down the street. How much insurance you buy is entirely a matter of how risk-adverse you are.

Everyone has a different risk tolerance, though I would also argue our society is going a bit overboard on safety concisousness. I remember wrestling with the dog in the back of the station wagon when I was 8 years old. Seat belts were only in front. How far do we go?

So I'm with you, don't wear a helmet if you don't want to. You're aware of the risks inherent with skiing and you write sensibly. Enjoy your liberties.

 

[Phildozer]

Screw you people . . . there are plenty of perfectly smart, sane skiers who don't wear helmets. All of these dissertations on helmets are the same, and they're all stupid.

I hope this was entirely sarcastic because if it wasn't, the irony would be amazing.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

I was a helmet holdout until last season. A friend of mine was still holding out Sat, when he had a bad fall and hit his head hard. He bought his first helmet Sun. morning and wore it all day.

 

[KingM]

Everyone has a different risk tolerance, though I would also argue our society is going a bit overboard on safety concisousness. I remember wrestling with the dog in the back of the station wagon when I was 8 years old. Seat belts were only in front. How far do we go?

I agree with this except that we live in a society where we enjoy a certain safety net. If you suffer a skiing injury and become a quadraplegic, your insurance will probably run out in a couple of years. The ultimate cost to society for your accident could be millions of dollars and that will be supported by taxes and/or higher insurance premiums for everyone else. I don't think it's too much to ask that people take reasonable precautions to limit the chance of this sort of cost to society. To say nothing of protecting one's own health and taking care of one's own family, etc.

 

[billski]

hfe

Didn't Hillary say that her platform is "Helmets for Everyone!":flag:

 

[djs]

I'm sold. Seriously, I've been thinking abt getting one for a while but I've been put off by the potential heat & goggle problems. I'm a hot person and have to be careful or else my goggles steam up. Won't that be worse with a helmet?

What do I buy? How should I shop? What features are useful/useless? How much should I expect to spend?

If it matters, I ski (don't ride).

 

[Grassi21]

I'm sold. Seriously, I've been thinking abt getting one for a while but I've been put off by the potential heat & goggle problems. I'm a hot person and have to be careful or else my goggles steam up. Won't that be worse with a helmet?

What do I buy? How should I shop? What features are useful/useless? How much should I expect to spend?

If it matters, I ski (don't ride).

Go to a store and try them on. Even if you plan on buying online, try it on at a store. Sizing varies widely depending on manufacturers. Giro's size large doesn't always line up with Boeri large etc etc. Head shape is another issue. Some people say that certain manufacturers helmets fit better than others. Look for one with a lever for opening up the vents. Its annoying to manually remove the vent hole plugs. Prices are all over the place. I spent 90 or so bucks for my Giro 9 at the end of last season. I love it but it doesn't it doesn't have the before mentioned lever to open the vents.

 

[Greg]

I'm sold. Seriously, I've been thinking abt getting one for a while but I've been put off by the potential heat & goggle problems. I'm a hot person and have to be careful or else my goggles steam up. Won't that be worse with a helmet?

What do I buy? How should I shop? What features are useful/useless? How much should I expect to spend?

If it matters, I ski (don't ride).

Go to a store and try them on. Even if you plan on buying online, try it on at a store. Sizing varies widely depending on manufacturers. Giro's size large doesn't always line up with Boeri large etc etc. Head shape is another issue. Some people say that certain manufacturers helmets fit better than others. Look for one with a lever for opening up the vents. Its annoying to manually remove the vent hole plugs. Prices are all over the place. I spent 90 or so bucks for my Giro 9 at the end of last season. I love it but it doesn't it doesn't have the before mentioned lever to open the vents.

What Chris said. I often remove my helmet on the lift to cool off my head. I also normally put my goggles up on the helmet on the lift ride on all but the coldest or most snow blinding of days. I have a G10, an upgrade from my nine last season. It fits better (I found the G10 runs a tad smaller than the nine) and has the slider for the vents which I like. I lost one of the inserts to my nine.