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I've bought a helmet

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Wasn't sure if I would this year; but after a friends sister fractured her eye socket last week in the Rockies after what was an inocuous tumble, I thought maybe its time what with responibilities and all that. (Not sure if helmet would have prevented eye socket injury).

The helmet I've got is made by mango, I raced in one of their cycle helmets a few years back with no complaints. It's very light and well vented, I do sweat a lot when under physical strain, the others to choose locally were salomon screamer not enough vents for me, and a silver metallic scott one which was well vented but not so comfy inside.) the other factor was that the Mango looked the most svelt on my 59cm noggin, the others made me fairly mekon like.

Paid £69.99.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
same helmet here for £60

http://www.beansonline.co.uk/acatalog/BeansOnline_Helmets_161.html

always pleases me that.
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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?
I'm skiing in a helmet for the first time this year, I'm off with a group of 19 other non helmet wearers so I'm expecting lots of p?@~ taking, we shall see how many converts there are by the end of the week.
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yep know what you mean, I think a lot more people will be wearing them this year.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Russell, there may be p*ss taking but you'll forget that you're wearing the thing the moment you start skiing. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if you're not the only one wearing a helmet by the end of the week.
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4thefunofit, I've got thick skin and a little P@~? taking will lighten the mood after a hard night
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I upgraded my ViewFrom fleeced cap (with integral ear flaps) to a Cebe helmet last year. Came in handy when I was getting off a chair lift and the foot rest came down. Caught me right across the back of my head. Keeps me nice and toasty warm, too.

My view is that I'm not expecting it to protect me from much if I hit a tree at speed, but if another piste user crashes in to me I'll probably have a bit more protection.
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After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
hyweljenkins wrote:

My view is that I'm not expecting it to protect me from much if I hit a tree at speed, but if another piste user crashes in to me I'll probably have a bit more protection.


Or if they are male and you get yourself into brace position pointing towards them, then they will be speaking in funny high pitched tones sufficiently long enough to regret their crashing into you! Very Happy

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buns, indeedy, whereas if they're female they'll just find out that they're like every other woman - they want me. Twisted Evil
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hyweljenkins, oh aye? wink
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Funny things helmets.Just back from Les deux Alpes and my first experience of wearing one.To be perfectly honest,I only bought one to make sure my 12yr old son would wear one.My 7yr old daughter has always had a helmet;and my wife now has one as well.
My observations,for what they are worth.

Very few wear them.Those that do are mostly young,or boarders.
You will forget you are wearing it within 5mins.
They keep your ears warm.
They prevent nasty bumps from muppets who pass you a T bar,and smack you on the back of the head(3 times in one day!!)
Nobody seems to notice that you're wearing a helmet,which counters the mythical belief that you stand out from the crowd.
Never saw an instructor with one on,why??How about leading from the front.
It might just save you from serious injury.

Try as I might,I cannot come up with a single sensible reason for not wearing a helmet.And anyone rash enough to quote fashion or cool should consider how cool it would be to be wheelchair bound,or dead!!
GET A HELMET snowHead
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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.
Just back from a very sunny week in Courchevel with my Giro 9 helmet.

Only wore it for one morning as even though it has excellent ventillation I was just too hot in it.
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snowskisnow wrote:

Never saw an instructor with one on,why??How about leading from the front.


Why should instructors be responsible for encouraging people to wear helmets? They (or their maters and paters) can make up their own minds. It's not as if the dangers of skiing are hidden.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I'm guessing snowskisnow is liking it to a driving instructor wearing a seatbelt, which seems pretty reasonable to me. (forgetting leagality issues - do people really only wear seatbelts because is illeagal not to?)

There are plenty of good reasons to wear a helmet - I've yet to hear of any good reasons not to wear one.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
richmond-I can see where you're coming from,but cant agree I'm afraid.Most,esp the young,tend to follow good example IMO.The very people who instruct,and therefor have the highest skills,choose not to wear a helmet;why?Not cool,not needed or what?I,m a very recent convert but,having witnessed(last week)some very stupid antics,I can give you an excellent reason for helmets-other skiers/boarders.
Anyone familiar with Les deux Alpes will know that many of the blues have regular steep sections as they drop down the mountain.People tend to congregate at these points as they contemplate the steeper sections.When you have stood there with your family and seen people come barrelling through the crowd at Mach 10 you start to wonder!!And most of them were skiers!!Ever since I started skiing,I have had the same concern.Falling has never worried me;being hit by another has.I went through a period where I turned falling into an art form,yet the only time I banged my head was at Tamworth Snowdome(doh!)and then I was taken out by a boarder Twisted Evil
Also witnessed at LDA,some poor chap go headfirst most of the way down an icy black.He lost his woolly hat & goggles in the first few feet!
No doubt he also lost some hair and skin Crying or Very sad

I,m not getting on any high horse here wink I really do think that the time has come to give the wearing of helmets serious consideration.Everywhere is getting crowded.A broken leg,arm,shoulder blade will heal.What chance a broken skull Shocked

Would be interested in comments from the instructors on here.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Snowskisnow, IanB, I'm not suggesting that helmets are, on balance, other than a good thing; I, Mrs Richmond and the little Richmonds wear them. It just seems to me that people can make up their own minds about the desirability or otherwise of wearing them; it's not up to ski instructors or anyone else to 'set an example' (if people are so stupid that having recognised a danger they choose to do nothing about it, it's probably best that they die or become seriously injured - natural selection and all that). Ski instructors need do no more than to draw their students' attentions to the possibility of wearing helmets.

Seat belts are different; governments have seen fit to make them compulsory, presumably because not to wear them is too dangerous and antisocial to be allowed, and driving instructors have a duty to encourage, by word and deed, their students to obey motoring law. When ski helmets become compulsory, ski instructors will have a similar duty; until then, everyone, including ski instructors, should exercise their own choice.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
There are risks in everything in life. Deciding whether or not to take these risks depends on the individual person. Some people will decide that a helmet is uncomfortable and unfashionable enough to take the risk of not wearing it. Others will decide the opposite. While it may seem like an uneccessary risk, skiing is also an unecccessary risk; as is driving to the hill on a snowy, icy day.
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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?
I wear a helmet - once I reached a certain level my instructor suggested I should so I immediately went and bought one and I always wear it (he always wears one). About half the instructors out here seem to wear them, for some it depends on the conditions, or what they are hoping to ski during their break times! I'm more likely to notice if someone hasn't got a helmet. BTW, the people I ski with don't wear helmets - I figure that it's their lookout, but I wish they wouldn't tease me about mine, even if it is brown (it fits and is comfortable).

It's like wearing a helmet when you ride a horse - adults can make their own decision. Is a horse any less predictable than the rest of the people on piste? I can't read minds! Very Happy
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I would agree with instructors leading from the front. By nature, instructors will often be teaching beginners who know nothing. By not wearing a helmet, inspite of suggesting their use, their students will automatically assume it isnt really all that important. Actions speak louder than words.

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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I bought a UVEX one this year, not worn one before but I'd been looking for about 2 years for one that fitted properly - everything else seemed to fit too tightly at the front of the head and then very loose round the side.

This is the best but not perfect. I have to take it off for a couple of mins every ishhour, otherwise i'd get a pressure headache. Being 6ft 4, it now means i always get whacked on the back of the head by the chairlift bars though. It also helps when going through the trees as i can hit my head on branches without worrying about it.

It is a pain to carry it around when not using, not sure it has saved me bumping my head yet but that's the point..........what if, and i'm not willing to take that risk.

One piece of advice is to buy one of those very thin headmasks at the same time as a hat shouldn't fit underneath - if it does the helmet is far too loose! On cold days, going up on the lifts, the helmets aren't very warm and with the neck strap it can make it difficult to get your chin into your jacket to warm it up.

just my
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Ian B said
Quote:

There are plenty of good reasons to wear a helmet - I've yet to hear of any good reasons not to wear one.


I've heard a couple of reasons not to wear one.
1. It encourages people to go fast/be reckless because they think they are invulnerable.
2. For a helmet to be effective it would need to be alot burlier and alot more expensive. (Think motorcycle helmet)

My own opinion- That's cr@p, and I'll carry on wearing mine thanks. rolling eyes
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The encouragement to wear a helmet needn't come from the instructors alone - I seem to recall last year when browsing through various ski holiday brochures that some resorts (in Andorra I think?) were offering free ski lift passes for children who were wearing helmets. I think that if countries/resorts can provide such inducements which encourages (but doesn't impose) what is generally considered good practice (even if the majority don't like it!) it may also bring in more skiers with children to those resorts and thereby grow their business.

For my part I started to wear a helmet last year for much the same reasons as snowskisnow quoted above - to make the children feel slightly happier about being forced by their parents to look different to the majority - and I found it really warm and comfortable. I also found that I sufffered less from fogged up goggle lenses, though I'm not sure why - perhaps the air circulation around the goggles when wore with a beanie is less efficient???? As far as concerns as to how the helmets look, have you seen some of the hats people wear!!!!!!
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Quote:

have you seen some of the hats people wear!!!!!!


Good point AdrianV.One of the more pathetic reasons given ,for not wearing a helmet,is it ain't cool Cool And I suppose wearing some garish sprouting thing is Confused I do like some of the exotic headwear;but please save it for Apres.Trust me,and everyone else in seeing distance,on the slopes you look a dick wink

Dave J-with you 100%-all the reasons against that I've heard are,as you rightly say,cr@p!!

Final point.You spend £xxx getting to the snow.You are carrying £xxx of boots,jacket,poss ski's etc etc.You spend £xxx on food and drinks.And you cant spend £50 to £100 on something that might just save you from serious injury rolling eyes And what chance your insurance paying out if you fail to take reasonable precautions against a known risk??I really do hope no one here needs to test that last point but,as with most things in life,someday somewhere it will happen.
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Quote:

I've heard a couple of reasons not to wear one.
1. It encourages people to go fast/be reckless because they think they are invulnerable.
2. For a helmet to be effective it would need to be alot burlier and alot more expensive. (Think motorcycle helmet)


As for point 1, from my personal experience it was the other way around. Switching over to my new Atomic SX11s I found myself suddenly travelling at much higher speeds Toofy Grin than when on my old K2 Extemes (207) due to the increased stability and edge hold. It was at this point that I started to think that if I came a cropper then it was going to hurt. Shocked So a helmet was purchased.

Point 2 is slightly misleading as it is generally used by people arguing about what would be necessary to prevent the deaths that have occured from skiing related head injuries. As I explained in a previous thread on this topic, my fiancee is an intensive care nurse in a Neuro unit and has had to deal with a number of skiers that have suffered head injuries and survived. And this is the point, it is surviving that is the problem Shocked as most of these people suffered from injuries that could have been greatly mitigated had they been wearing helmets and would most likely have come out the end with no lasting damage. However, by not wearing a helmet they injuries were just that bit more severe which then leads to more permanent effects such as partial paralysis and loss of limb mobility effectively putting not only their skiing career to and end, but also in many cases their livelihoods. I hope I do not need to explain how this then impacts on their families.

So to sum up, the issue really isn't trying to protect your head when skiing into trees, but to try and make the difference between banging your head and suffering a bleed, requiring surgery and possibly resulting in some form of brain damage, and just having a bit of a headache.

Remember, the brain is one of the few organs in the bady that cannot regenerate. Once bits of it have been damaged they remain damaged forever.

Now you see why I was thinking the way I was in point 1 Very Happy
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snowskisnow, Interesting point about the insurance side of things. As has/is being discussed elsewhere in the forums, insurance companies are imposing all sorts of conditions on what they will insure for theft of skis etc, effectively requireing people to do everything possible to minimise the risks. How long do you think it will be before they start requiring people to do everything possible to minimise the risks of personal injury Puzzled
I bet people will start wearing helmets if their insurance policies require it wink
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Big G wrote:

Point 2 is slightly misleading as it is generally used by people arguing about what would be necessary to prevent the deaths that have occured from skiing related head injuries. As I explained in a previous thread on this topic, my fiancee is an intensive care nurse in a Neuro unit and has had to deal with a number of skiers that have suffered head injuries and survived. And this is the point, it is surviving that is the problem Shocked as most of these people suffered from injuries that could have been greatly mitigated had they been wearing helmets and would most likely have come out the end with no lasting damage. However, by not wearing a helmet they injuries were just that bit more severe which then leads to more permanent effects such as partial paralysis and loss of limb mobility effectively putting not only their skiing career to and end, but also in many cases their livelihoods. I hope I do not need to explain how this then impacts on their families.

So to sum up, the issue really isn't trying to protect your head when skiing into trees, but to try and make the difference between banging your head and suffering a bleed, requiring surgery and possibly resulting in some form of brain damage, and just having a bit of a headache.

Remember, the brain is one of the few organs in the bady that cannot regenerate. Once bits of it have been damaged they remain damaged forever.

Now you see why I was thinking the way I was in point 1 Very Happy


Best arguement I have yet seen...... life can continue with injury to almost any part of your body, but when it is your head, damage it permanently and you are shafted

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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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buns;exactly!!As I said,I'm a very recent convert to helmets.Now,having used one for a week,and having taken more notice of some peoples actions on slope,I wouldn't ski without one(and neither will my family)

A friend of mine has a colleague who suffered a head injury whilst skiing 2yrs ago.He was found unconscious on the piste,and then spent almost 12mths in a coma!!He now endures partial facial paralysis,poor concentration levels and depressive mood swings.No one knows what happened(apparently no witnesses)and he cant remember.Somehow the authorities deduced that he struck a frozen bank of snow following a fall?He was on his honeymoon.His daughter was born whilst he was still in a coma.I'm told he was a competent skier with several years experience.He will never ski again.He did not use a helmet.

The above came to light in a conversation with my friend this morning.I have been trying to persuade him to come skiing with me.His only skiing experience is a school trip of years ago.I now know the reason for his reluctance.His opinion,FWIW as a non skier;"anyone who throws themselves down a mountain without a helmet,already has brain damage"!!
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
An interesting point about wearing helmets makes you go faster/be more reckless: arguably so do all the modern developments in skiing which enable ordinary people ski beyond their capability had they been on traditional planks, such as carving skis, blades etc. I think most on this thread are violently agreeing that a helmet is a good thing - interesting to see that the Italians are pushing for everyone to wear them.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I think it's a very simple argument for.

Would you allow your child to cycle without a helmet? NO!
Would you get on a motorbike without a helmet? NO, a) it's illegal, b) who's that stupid & c) if you do kiss your insurance goodbye!
Would you allow your child to ski without a helmet? NO, many hire shops will not hire you kids skies unless your child has a helmet or hires one.
Would you go rock climbing without a helmet? NO falling rocks kill (even little ones don't half hurt)!
Would you White Water Kayak/Canoe/Raft without a helmet? NO even though the speeds involved and potential force of impact are lower than skiing!!!!!!!

So would you ski without a helmet? Well most of us do! But we shouldn't. I gave this much thought over the summer and realised that for all the years I spent white water kayaking I never once even considered getting on a river without a helmet, I even bought a full faced one for the nastier rivers (A cheap motorbike helmet, very comfortable and cheaper than most decent ski helmets). The first bit of ski kit I bought my daughter was a helmet. So why didn't I wear one (probably because most of my friends didn't), so I bought one and will wear it this season.

As someone said earlier in this thread, how long before a helmet is manditory under the terms of your insurance? Can't be that far off.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I should think that the arguments for ski helmets are similar to those for cycle helmets.

The helmet will help in fairly low speed collisions ( whacked by a chair safety bar, or a branch in the trees) but at higher speeds they will be less useful (e.g. head first into a tree at full pelt). The trade off is one of safety vs 'wearability" i.e. lightness and bulk.

There is the thought that a helmet increases the mass of your head so in an accident where the head is thrown around there is an increased risk of neck/whiplash style injury's, though I am not sure I have seen any data that supports this.

My latest holiday had a friend helicoptered off the slope after a nasty fall, she sustained no broken bones, but was in hospital for 3 nights with a bashed around brain (though no bleeding in the brain). she was not wearing a helmet, and I think that if she had been the outcome would have been much the same, as her injury's were not predominantly from impacting the snow, simply being thrown around like a rag doll.

I always wear my helmet on the bike, and I was just now looking at skiing helmets, so I am not quite sure what my thoughts on the matter are!
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Never ceases to amaze me how people look for perfect safety solutions. I well remember the nay-sayers when car seatbelts became compulsory - "What if the car falls into a river?" etc etc. The fact is that seatbelts help in 99% of accidents. So will a ski helmet.

*Note to self* .... must get one Confused
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Helmets are VERY useful in one situation: smashing your head into hard-pack or ice. This is espeically common in snowboarding, since a hard fall on your heelside almost always involves smoking your head into the ground. In skiing I see them as less necessary, since bashing your head seems less commmon, since you generally fall onto your side, and never really fall backwards. In powder is see helmets as virtually useless. With that being said, I am now boarding fairly regularly and still do not wear a helmet. I'll probably pick one up soon.
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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?
I have bought my first helmet for this season, should stop my bald head from burning too!
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In US, Canada & Australia now helmets are quite usual and nothing out of the ordinary at all. No-one here (Aus) would now get laughed at or have the p1ss taken for wearing a helmet.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
ponder wrote:
.... In powder is see helmets as virtually useless...

Chap I was skiing with found them useful against tree branches.
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Nick Zotov wrote:
ponder wrote:
.... In powder is see helmets as virtually useless...

Chap I was skiing with found them useful against tree branches.


And submerged rocks and tree stumps if you come off.
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Okay, so we're all agreed that helmets are a good thing; at the moment helmets are pretty much of a muchness on the design front, but nothing is sacred in the world of skiing and boarding when it comes to turning functional equipment into fashion items.....so where do snowheads think the fashion gurus will take ski helmets? Here's my starter for 10, probably to become a special favourite for boarders....

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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
^^^ please follow a good distance behind me next week mate Shocked
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telford_mike, Don't you mean the week after next???? I was just going to dissown him.
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telford_mike What, so you're going to come with top group this year? Madeye-Smiley
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