 Poster: A snowHead
|
Details have emerged of a British skier who died last week in the Canadian ski area of Sunshine Village. Grant Alderman, 38, was from Sussex. He reportedly skied off the side of a run, fell 10 feet and impacted with a tree. Local officials believe the cause of death was trauma to the head, resulting from the speed at which he hit the tree. He was not believed to have been wearing a helmet.
This report from The Banff Crag & Canyon Online.
Do you wear a helmet when skiing?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
David Goldsmith, Not good, eh? There was a very bad accident in Whistler last year on a black run called Bear Paw where a skier lost control at speed and went head first into a tree at the side of the run. He was already dead by the time the patrollers got to him.
I've been wearing a helmet now for a few years (since doing my first Dave Murray camp) I don't see why more people don't to be honest. We've all become accustomed to wearing bike helmets so why not a helmet for skiing? It also has the added bonuses of keeping my ears warm and stopping my goggles from fogging up.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
cathy, yes they said after the accident in Whistler that a helmet would probably not have prevented death - he wasn't wearing one either.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
I've worn a helmet for 3 years now, after I saw the dent in my mates helmet after she was taken out by a skier whilst standing in a lift station queue. Broke her collar bone and big dent in the helmet.
I hate wearing a hat, but the helmet, I don't know I've got it on. Better with goggles too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
I have a helmet but just can't wear it in warm weather, even with the ear pads removed  Tooooo hot
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Frosty the Snowman, I've got a Giro 9.9, lot's of vent holes & removable ear pads. Never too hot.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I was nagged into buying a helmet this year when showing off my bruises in Banff. Once the locals saw my black & blue bruises stretching from knee to hip they ordered me to buy a helmet... and I eventually saw their point... had I landed head down rather than back bottom down... 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Spyderman, I could wear a hair net and still be too hot. Just one of those HOT folks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I wear a helmet now when sking and am glad to do so - on my Dave Murray camp last year I didn't quite make the tight turn I wanted and ended up headbutting a tree. NOt high speed, but I'd have been far worse injured had I not been wearing a helmet
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
I bought a helmet, and on the second day of wearing it i fell and snapped off the goggle strap thingy on the back. By God, was i glad to be wearing that helmet then. To be honest, i really cant understand why people dont wear them... Even if it doesnt save you on heavy impacts it will save you on most, and its not even an inconvenience
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Frosty the Snowman, surely better to have a hot head than a bashed in head though? I have a Giro Fuse that has loads of vent holes and a switch that you can flick so they open and shut.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I wear a helmet.
What speeds do you reach on the mountain? It's personal choice, of course, but I wouldn't ride a bike without one, let alone a moped, so, given how comfortable and well-vented they are these days, I figure you may as well.
Of course, if you're a hot person, I can also see it would be pretty irritating.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
Wear The Fox Hat, No, you need a cricket box for that. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
I don't think my helmet would be protected by a thong
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
I've only ever found one helmet that goes on my head and it doesn't really fit that well. I'd actually pay quite a lot of money for one that was light, has good ventilation and properly fits my head. Anyone know of any custom made helmet manufacturers? Maybe SMALLZOOKEEPER should branch out 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Spyderman, me too. I never wore a hat no matter how cold as I run very hot. The Giro I don't notice its there and have even been in the bar some time after having finished sliding still wearing it until somebody points out that I look like a wotsit
I feel unsafe on my bike without a helmet and I go quicker on my board.
I also have kids that are skiing and I cannot justify them wearing a helemt if I don't.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Arno, I know the feeling. For my motorsport helmet, the only one that would fit, was an Arai size XL. Couldn' get most of the others on, let alone fit. Giro are really good, as the diferent models have difernent fit shapes. So if one model doesn't fit try another. I use a '9.9' but Mrs. uses a 'Fuse'
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Arno, When I started dry slope slalom training (as I can't beat the kids I might as well join them) I had to wear a helmet. Got used to it and took it to Lenzerheide; never noticed wearing it (nor felt self concious) and it did keep me warm.
Last week in La Thuile, it was hot but removing it for most of each chair lift sorted that out and helped the tan.
Got it from Bartletts who seemed to have a massive range; they certainly managed to find me one that fitted my (slightly odd shaped) bonce.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spyderman, i think Giro go to XXXL and it doesn't fit me
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Arno, different giro helmets are different shapes sizes. I found the Omen to be way bigger at xxl than the fuse at xxxl. ? worth a try
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I find my helmet (Dainese Freeride) more comfortable than a hat. Goggles stay in place better, less fogging, less itchy too. Can't see any point in not wearing it really.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
I trust the family of the deceased will be suing the owners of the ski resort for letting him put himself at risk by not wearing a helmet - after all, they surely have duty of care for all who use their facilities..
I don't wear a helmet yet. My kids do. I know I should. I don't wear one on my pedal bike either. But I do wear one on my motorbike.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
I tend to wear my Giro G10 all the time, as I now feel rather naked without it, though initially I bought it for boarding and didn't wear it skiing. In this weather I could do without the ear pieces but then I wouldn't be able to hear my music (not that I'm trying to start that argument again). There are obviously some impacts which will kill you with or without a helmet but my brother, who had a bad motorbike crash many years ago, was knocked off his bike by a motorist who overtook the two cars which had slowed behind him as he clearly signalled a right turn. The car smashed into his right side, threw him across the road. He landed on his head, and fractured his skull, but clearly his helmet took much of the impact and although the leg injury caused a lot of trouble the skull fracture didn't. He would almost certainly have been dead without it. I find the helmet less itchy than a hat, but occasionally I wish I had a knitting needle to give my head a scratch through the vent holes (which I have permanently open even in colder weather). I'm really rather fond of my helmet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
stoatsbrother, Nick W, thanks for the suggestions. i'll keep an eye out for them, but trust me, i have tried on a LOT of helmets and the Red Shaun White Trace is the only one which goes on my head at all and it isn't really the right shape
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
People tend to think about getting a lid when they hear of accidents like this, but it's important that people know if you crash into a tree or lift tower at anything other than a slow speed a lid is not going to save you.
The two situations where lids are really worthwhile is on younger children (less momentum so relatively more protection) and in a park setting where in a low speed impact with hard objects, having one would be the difference between a bad dose of concussion and getting up and trying again.
Esp if you board and your wanting to invest in one bit of safety kit, get proper designed for snowboarding wrist guards.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Winterhighland, two more situations: Skiing around trees (low branches bounce off helmets well), and getting on chair lifts with overly eager occupants who don't advise you that they want to bring the bar down as soon as the seat hits the back of your legs
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Arno,
| Quote: |
i think Giro go to XXXL and it doesn't fit me
|
You're not a Klingon by chance?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
Winterhighland, sorry - I just don't buy that... at all... And the research on reduced injuries is becoming clearer on the protective benefit of lids. If you hit a tree hard enough, anything that reduces the g of the initial decceleration of your head, and of the secondary contre-coup intracranial impact may save brain injury. Yes it doesn't guarantee you live, but may increase the chances. A broken wrist impairs a boarder's solo leisure pursuits, being dead seriously ruins your day...
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
... so keep your helmet on when entering the coffin. When they shut the lid it can give you a nasty bump on the head.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Arno,
Is this you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
For a lid to do you any good in these kind of situations that started this topic you would need either:
A) The budget of a Formula 1 team
-or-
B)A lid of sufficient mass and density that it's weight would break your neck just wearing it!
A lid certainly can save you a dose of concussion, however a lid is unlikely to save your life.
It's a matter of personal choice, the only argument on either side that I have a real problem with is those who seek to mandate wearing a lid.
It's also a matter of personal taste and preference. I for one hate wearing even a hat, only do so when absolutely essential. Also those that mention getting very hot and feel as if their head is frying, high temperature and/or deyhdration has it's own issues, and a deyhdrated skier is FAR more likely to have an accident.
As for wrist guards vs lids, to quote www.ski-injury.com :
"Given the choice, wrist guards are of far more use (and cheaper!) than a helmet "
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
any news on the tree?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Quote: |
chair lifts with overly eager occupants who don't advise you that they want to bring the bar down as soon as the seat hits the back of your legs
|
yes, good point. Why are people so desperate to get the bar down? Now that I wear a helmet regularly I don't worry too much, but I do get clonked quite frequently.
| Quote: |
a lid is unlikely to save your life.
|
I don't buy this. If helmets save lives for cyclists and motor cyclists, as they undoubtedly do, why not for skiers too? It only takes quite a gentle blow to the head (sort of thing you get toppling off a bike onto a pavement) to cause the kind of injury which seems minor but a few hours later can cause bleeding inside the cranium and life-threatening complications. Happened to a friend of mine after a minor argument with a car. She wasn't wearing a helmet, was ready to walk home pushing her bike, but fortunately an insistent passer by called an equally insistent ambulance crew who took her to the local A & E who shipped her off to specialist brain unit where she spent 5 hours in theatre and two days in intensive care, then some weeks in rehab, learning to walk again. She made a complete recovery but would have died without specialist care and a deal of luck. If she had worn a helmet? Extremely unlikely to have had more than a badly grazed elbow. I entirely accept that some people don't want to wear helmets. No problem, the risks of skiing are actually quite low, statistically speaking, and helmets make a pretty safe activity marginally safer. But why do so many anti-helmet people try to argue that they are not worth wearing?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| pam w wrote: |
| [ I entirely accept that some people don't want to wear helmets. No problem, the risks of skiing are actually quite low, statistically speaking, and helmets make a pretty safe activity marginally safer. But why do so many anti-helmet people try to argue that they are not worth wearing? |
word. I still maintain that if I wasn't wearing mine in January I wouldn't be here now, not a bad thing for some I suppose.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
actually, this is me:
from what I understand, what kills you in this sort of head-on collision is not the blow to the head but the rapid decelleration causing the brain to rattle around inside your skull. a helmet can only make so much difference to this.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
