 Poster: A snowHead
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In 1999 I had A BIG ONE - blam!...down onto huge flints at speed on the South Downs. Eight hours of amnesia, moderate brain injury. My expensive, high quality helmet was virtually undamaged. My bike had a 1cm gash in the saddle. Yet I had a serious head injury.
As a researcher, I spent a lot of time reading about why I had been injured despite wearing protection. I discovered a big emerging literature on rotational brain injury - not impact injury but injury resulting from rotation of the brain within the skull - frequently caused by helmets 'grabbing' the ground and pulling the head around hard. MIPS sets out to address this:
http://www.mipsprotection.com/history/
It's not infallible, and some protection designers do not like the slight extra bulk which MIPS lends to some helmets. But at least it provides some response to rotational injury. I have MIPS. My son has MIPS.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Strong call. Always been interested post a rugby concussion and black out in my teens , continued to play but total amnesia for c 2 hours....
bought Mips last year for kids!
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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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| mishmash wrote: |
Strong call. Always been interested post a rugby concussion and black out in my teens , continued to play but total amnesia for c 2 hours....
bought Mips last year for kids! |
But does that explain the ski buying compulsion?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@valais2,
A mountain biking chum died not long ago in similar circumstances to your accident.
Isn't the existing standard for almost all helmets very similar, and amounts to the helmet being able to protect a head dropped straight down on to a solid surface from 6 feet? In many other circumstances, doesn't the head absorb the shock?
Anyway, whatever the rights and wrongs, I bought a half price POC MIPS helmet in the summer from Sportpursuit. Now I just need to start wearing it.
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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 can't think of many other sports so unforgiving of mistakes as mountain biking. Every time you fall there (at least seems to be, I'm not a biker) is a very real risk hitting a rock or tree (or even just hard ground) very hard. Skiing doesn't come close whatever the discipline (inc treeskiing - snow's still softer than the bare ground when biking in a forest).
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| spyderjon wrote: |
| mishmash wrote: |
Strong call. Always been interested post a rugby concussion and black out in my teens , continued to play but total amnesia for c 2 hours....
bought Mips last year for kids! |
But does that explain the ski buying compulsion? |
It might!!! Good point....
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| clarky999 wrote: |
| I can't think of many other sports so unforgiving of mistakes as mountain biking. Every time you fall there (at least seems to be, I'm not a biker) is a very real risk hitting a rock or tree (or even just hard ground) very hard. Skiing doesn't come close whatever the discipline (inc treeskiing - snow's still softer than the bare ground when biking in a forest). |
Yup - my courage at mountainbiking has never been the same since I smashed a shoulder blade into 2 pieces in a direct impact in an accident that could have been so much worse : the surgeon said it was the hardest bone in the body to fracture clean across and that most incidents that did it involved seriously messed up internal injuries & spinal (being bad motorbike offs). The fact I'd tucked up and rolled slightly so my shoulder took the full impact probably saved me.
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| clarky999 wrote: |
| I can't think of many other sports so unforgiving of mistakes as mountain biking. Every time you fall there (at least seems to be, I'm not a biker) is a very real risk hitting a rock or tree (or even just hard ground) very hard. Skiing doesn't come close whatever the discipline (inc treeskiing - snow's still softer than the bare ground when biking in a forest). |
You should try steeplechasing over big walls, 30 mph, stone walls and half a ton of horse to contend with.
Agree about how dangerous mountain biking can be compared with skiing.
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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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If I were buying a new helmet I'd consider/look for MIPS. But it's not enough to make me replace my existing lid. You have to be a little unlucky to have a crash bad enough to really test your helmet, and even more unlucky that the crash involves rotational injury. The thing I worry about most is people crashing into me.
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@Themasterpiece, ...actually just want to add that the background research suggests that accidents involving oblique impact and thus often invoking rotational injury are more common than standard 'impact' injuries - the mips standard includes an entirely new test rig standard which replicates far more oblique impact than straight impact. The video link I posted shows this.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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All my helmets are now MIPS, as they have been replaced as my old ones reached end of life. I believe the benefits of MIPS are more applicable to mountain biking, where the likely hood of multiple 'grippy' impacts are higher as you bounce, or more hopefully roll/slide down the trail.
The biggest issue with helmets is the fit. Your helmet should stay on your head before you crash without the strap being done up. The strap is only there to keep your helmet on your head once the crash is in process. If you can shake your helmet loose, or it falls off if you bend down to touch your toes, you need a better fitting helmet.
Those who wear their helmets as fashion statements,whether over beanies, with dangling straps or with goggles underneath, probably aren't getting the protection they hope for.
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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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@PowderAdict, I was a British Cycling Go Ride coach. As part of each session we did a clothing check which among other things included unclipping your helmet and tipping your head forward.
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@hammerite, Good to hear. The other check is trying to remove your helmet with the strap done up. If its easy, time for a tighter strap or new helmet. It should only be possible to remove your strapped helmet with difficulty/discomfort.
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You know it makes sense.
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My Sweet and POC helmets have MIPS, although more by luck than any good judgement on my part. I think I gave the Sweet helmet a bit of a workout last week when I was hit from behind - only hazy memory for about 20 minutes, and off skis for 10 days with concussion. I guess I should check the helmet for possible damage...
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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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@rob@rar, Use your time resting to choose a snazzy new one 
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Poster: A snowHead
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@rob@rar, You nned to ski faster so people don't run into you 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@PowderAdict, we do the two finger check. If you can get more than two fingers between the strap and your chin then it needs to be tightened and the v where the two bots of strap meet should be right under the ear lobes.
Don't get me started on people wearing helmets which are slid so far back on their head that their foreheads would take all the impact.
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