 Poster: A snowHead
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Hiya all - first post and all that....
I'm a deaf skier and wear behind the ear aids. I can hear a fair bit with the aids but am completely, utterly and totally without any hearing without them.
Without blowing my own trumpet too much, I'm an okayish skier as I bloody should be after numerous seasons. Translate that into a fairly fast and nippy shifter on the hill.
Helmets and aids do not mix well - I feel that I should wear a helmet but at present in order to do so I have to turn off my hearing aids or I get horrendous feedback, which, in my considered opinion, makes me more vulnerable on the slopes.
Does anybody out there know of a decent helmet that is either located over but far enough away from the ears to avoid feedback or one that avoids the ear area completely. Even bicycle helmets sits too low on the ear for me and, sorry, as a female, I refuse to look like a plonker! However, safety first and all that malarkey...
When I started skiing you rarely saw helmets on the slopes, now when I post my holiday snaps the first reaction is horror that I'm not wearing one - I have even been stopped on the slopes by people asking me why I don't have one.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Radz, welcome aboard. Shot in the dark, but what about some kind of external receiver connected to an earpiece via bluetooth or cable? Ok, hardly the most esthetically pleasing option for you, but could work in situations where the traditional in-the-ear device is causing too much feedback. TBH, I doubt people would give it a second look, plenty of people go around wired up to tech on the mountain these days.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Radz, we have similar issue but in one ear, though the solution has been to not use an aid when skiing. It sounds like you could do with some kind of aid, have you explored the much smaller in-ear type, the feedback seems to be caused usually by the tube or aid getting knocked, or the ear being moved about, which dislodges the earpiece. The in-ear type might not do this, though it might compromise the quality of amplification etc it might be worth talking to someone like Boots who may be prepared to let you try the combination before committing to purchase.
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Thank you both Mr Sideways and Ms Panda - the bluetooth facility is indeed a thought....
Firstly, hearing aids aren't waterproof and an external aid would collect wind noise - think opening your car window at speed? - which would effectively cancel out any other noise. Hence the design of the aid to sit behind the ear - for security and also for protection against wind, rustling hair etc.
And secondly, but applicable to both posts in a way - I am too deaf to wear the inner ear aids sadly - I have to have behind the ears one.
I do have a blue tooth facility to enable me to use my mobile phone so will ask my audiologist if there is a 'toy' that will enable me to have an external receiver, but.... well, the gadget for my phone wasn't cheap so I suspect that the external facility will go along the same way if not a higher cost. Plus as I now only ski on high days and holidays would it be cost effective and time effective to be measured and fitted for such a thing for relatively little helmet wear time?
I don't know...
My ideal helmet - if there is such a thing - would be a full head one as per normal but with Princess Leia style bulges over the ears with colander style holes to give my aids the room they need to work and the access for sound.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Radz, an interesting problem. I can't believe you're alone in it. I'd not bother with the helmet myself. Even though I've got into the habit of wearing one...
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In the far distant past I did have a pair of aids that were operated by a remote control and I managed to mackle my exisiting helmet by cutting out the foam around the ear area and then turning down the volume on the aids until I reached a working compromise. However with my existing more powerful aids this doesn't give enough area around the aids to allow them to operate at any level and as they aren't remote controlled I can't adjust them when the helmet is on.
Frustrating but hey... there are bigger problems out there!  If I can't find my Star Wars helmet then I will just have to do what I've always done - gamble on life whilst living it.
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@Radz, have you tried a helmet with a dial fit such as a Giro G10? Perhaps you could wear a very thin beanie over the aid to secure it under the helmet and stop the feedback. Loosen off the dial fit system, put the helmet on then dial it in to fit your head again. SOme helmets have built in earphones, which can usually be removed from the earpads, leaving a hollow which would give more room for an aid.
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Another thought - what about helmets which have removable ear-pieces? Many do, and that may remove the need to cover over your current aid...
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I'm thinking that you would still need to modify the helmet padding/foam to get a decent fit. So we would likely be looking for a custom/foam fit (similar to a boot), and the ability to mdify the ear pads.
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Have you got links to these types of helmets? I've never heard of them and they sound intriguing...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Radz, the Salomon Ranger, for example, though many put removable earpads on as some people get too hot, especially in spring conditions. Quite a few offer removable earpads so people can swap the with ones with built-in headphones too.
I'd suggest (as for anyone shopping for a helmet) going to a proper store and trying as many as possible for fit, weight, comfort, and so they don't interfere with your aid.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I'm involved with a charity, and we've just had some ski items donated for the charity shop, so they've come to me for looking at. Amongst them is a helmet that I took one look at and said 'that's a weird shape, I'd get cold'. It's very high on the head and has a clear gap between it and my ears when I try it on. It's a Pro-Tec B2 snow.
I've just Googled it and this looks like the one: http://www.ellis-brigham.com/products/pro-tec/b2-snow-helmet/707209 I guess the ear pads are missing from the donated one, which is probably the way you'd need it.
In terms of external devices, my Mum has a very natty piece of kit that works with her hearing aid. It consists of a 'receiver' that she wears round her neck that picks up local sound and can be turned up and down for volume, and links to her hearing aid. There is also a separate device that someone else can wear, that then transmits to the receiver she's wearing and onwards to her hearing aid. It's supposed to be for when you are in different parts of the house, the front and back of a car, but I reckon it would be good if you were skiing with a partner and wanted to be able to hear more. I'll find out exactly what it is and post again later.
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Fantastic! I've tried on the Ellis Brigham one and it doesn't work for me - even with removing the foam around the ears the straps are in the 'wrong' place for the aids and it feedbacks. However the Salomon helmet is a new one to me and will seek it out for a possibility.... Thanks!
Bob - with regards to the custom helmet - I did look into that and it was pretty expensive so I thought that I'd hold fire on that and see what other options were available, if any before I went down that route.
SJ - I know exactly the kit that you are talking about and have considered it but it isn't that feasible due to the fragility of it and that the mic isn't water resistant etc so if I wanted to kick up a bit of powder it would put a rather pricey bit of kit at risk.....
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You know it makes sense.
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@Radz, what do you wear at the moment? do you even wear a beenie?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Nothing - no hat - nada. Anything close over the ears creates feedback. You should've seen some of the faces on the other punters when I hit the top of the mountain in Big White at minus 26 with a wind chill factor of gawds only knows what....!!! Was wrapped up super warmly everywhere - just minus head cover. Thank goodness for thick hair...
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Radz, I have behind the ear aids and the Giro 10 helmet works fine with them. You probably have a different set up (it seems your hearing loss is a lot greater than mine) so it might not work for you
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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wow i bet there was!
humm! other than going to a couple of the big shops and trying on 100's and getting lucky or custom.
I think that if it was me, i would go for the custom route or just keeping having fun with wind running through my hair! 
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Do you Holidaylover? So glad I'm not the only one out here! Thank you - how big are your aids? Do they come right round down behind your ears and stand proud of the ear flap like mine, or do you have the smaller ones that just sort of sit on the top and hide right behind your ear flap?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Either way you lot have given me a lot to think about and research.... thank you all so much!!!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Radz, they are the little ones. You can't really see them with my hair even though it is short
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...and now everyone knows  hey ho...
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(sorry!!  )
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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One other idea to minimise feedback - given that nobody can see them, you can get swimming earplugs that are made of a more rubbery material than standard aids, and seal on a larger area of the ear. If you got one of those and put a hole through it for the tube, that is much less likely to give you feedback when the helmet rubs aid/ear in normal use.
Probably worth a go, and I think available from NHS so you can go swimming if you have ear problems, designed to prevent water ingress. You wouldn't use them normally because they are big old lumps of silicone I think, and more visible than most people want in an aid.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Hmm, was doing a bit of light googling about on this. One suggestion which came out from someone who play American football was getting a nylon stocking and putting that on over your head (Like a beanie, not a bank robber), with it covering the HA. It stops the feedback from happening, apparently, without impeding the pickup too much. Worth a try maybe?
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Mistress Panda - I already have massive moulds in my ears which are moulded specifically to me so I'm afraid that your ingenious solution wouldn't work for me.... sadly. My hearing aids are seriously powerful hence the larger size and therefore they need a tight fitting seal in the ear at all times.
The stocking idea did make me blink a little but hey... anything's worth a go right?!! 
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You know it makes sense.
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Radz, Do you need to wear the hearing aids to ski ?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Yes. I am TOTALLY deaf without them and that presents more of a risk - I can't hear anything so if a piste basher or blood wagon or siren went off behind or to the side of me, or even hearing the swish of an approaching skier I would be completely unaware.... so yes, I do have to wear aids,
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Poster: A snowHead
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Radz, I asked because I have had a profoundly deaf trainee who could ski fine.
People skiing with headphones won't be able to hear stuff around them.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I'm afraid that I disapprove heartedly of skiing with headphones.... I know that lots do and my attitude is that if that's how you want to do it fine but I equate it to a cyclist on a busy road - how can they be aware of the traffic around them with headphones on? Just my personal opinion.
And for my comfort zone as I tend to ski on my own a fair bit I like to be aware of my environs as much as humanly and personally possible... does your trainee ski with 'extra ears' as I call them? When I ski as part of a group I'm always shocked at how much I miss that they highlight for me - scary really. I know that I visually notice much more than they do but they notice stuff happening around and behind me that I don't. Many the time that I'm in leader position and one of the group had to sprint up to me to alert me to an approaching piste basher or some such thing.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I'm also deaf; on the severe / profound borderline. I wear a helmet and don't get feedback, although I did have to try a few to find one that worked. I would say that if you are getting feedback with absolutely every type of helmet you can try then your moulds aren't good enough, or have too many vents. Do you have any vents in the moulds at present? If so, then I'd suggest a set of moulds with no vents just for skiing (everything will sound more "hollow", but at least you can hear  ).
My helmet has removable bits over the ears anyway; so although I don't need to remove them the option is there. It's this one.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71QmEb8uVgL._SL1500_.jpg?tag=amz07b-21
Also it may be that your audiologist can set one programme on your aids to be lower amplification and/or less sensitive to the aids being covered. In the old days (before everything was programmed!) I'd have just turned down the volume to achieve the same aim. Not as good hearing as usual, but still better than no hearing which, like you, is what I'd have without aids.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Swoafs - yep - you sound very similar to me.
I have no vents in the mould and wear the Phonak Naída S IX SP and it is programmed to optimal useage. I already have it set on a few different programmes - one of which is reduced which may work with a different helmet - just sadly not the one that I have at present with the foam removed from around the ear area. And I know EXACTLY what you mean by 'hollow'!!! 
That helmet looks very similar to the Giro G10 that was mentioned earlier - its on my hotlist to try - thanks! As I live in the boondocks where there are next to no ski kit shops I will have to wait til I get to a resort or a large town before I can try a selection on.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I tried the Naida's but didn't get on with them, as it happens. I have Oticon Spirit P's. I should arguably have the more powerful (biggest) version, but we've established that more power doesn't increase my "useful" hearing, so I go with the next one down. Perhaps that also helps with my feedback issue, who knows.
As for trying helmets, I got mine in Chamonix which is the perfect place to try lots on - all the makes and models fit differently.
If all else fails, do you have an old set of aids which might give less feedback? I hoard my old sets because you never know what might break at an inopportune moment 
Good luck! Let us know how you get on!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Radz wrote: |
| I'm afraid that I disapprove heartedly of skiing with headphones.... I know that lots do and my attitude is that if that's how you want to do it fine but I equate it to a cyclist on a busy road - how can they be aware of the traffic around them with headphones on? Just my personal opinion. |
? The same way deaf snowboarders stay safe: you need to look behind you.
But it's worse than that. If a cyclist was stupid enough to not look behind, they'd never know that another cyclist was about to overtake them. Cyclists are silent.
And it's even worse than that... if a driver was to rely on her ears in the way you suggest, they'd never pass their driving test which at least requires them to remain aware of what is behind them.
Opinions can be dangerous.
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@swoafs, Thanks - and yes I do keep one aid previous as it were - the rest go to charity. And will keep you in the loop
@philwig,
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| Just my personal opinion. |
is what I said. Everybody's different and I posted that in response to a direct question - I'm not looking to start an argument with a keyboard warrior.
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I wear a Sweet and cant see how that would affect the hearing aids if you remove the ear pads unless the straps cant be suitably adjusted to stay clear
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Thanks @Pete_Berks, will add to the amazingly ever growing list.... All good stuff. Feeling a lot more positive about it all now thanks to everybody here.
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Can you contact a para Olympic organisation ? Surely they may be able to help
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FAQ
