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Is it now considered 'cool' to snowboard without head protection?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Maybe its always be the case? On a recent trip to Les Arcs it was noticeable that there were many snow boarders, particularly learners, who wore no head protection\helmet.

It concerned me that, even in the park, there were relative learners not having the basic protective equipment.

I witness several horrendous falls with 'head to piste' impact that, I believe, would have lead to critical injuries on anything less than the soft snow that we had.

I just wondered if this is the latest trend?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Nope.
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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?
Why let it bother you?... will it be to your benefit if everybody else wore a lid?
Helmets only affect the people wearing them so I don't think we need to start another thread with a rather controversial OP... but what the heck... this is snowHead 's!
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Nadenoodlee, There seemed to be a lot of guys doing it. A noticeable proportion.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
BMF_Skier, thats just the french. Being "cool" can be about many things, whether or not you wear a helmet it most certainly isnt. If anything it shows they're a bit crap as they won't be doign anything risky enough to justify a lid.
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A colleague at work was going away for his first time on snow, and when I offered him a helmet to use last week (virtually new, certainly better than the hire options he's going to get out there) he seemed genuinely surprised at the idea of wearing a helmet for skiing or boarding. He had this idea that the snow was soft, and that he wouldn't be going very quickly.

I pointed out that hitting snow could be just as hard as hitting concrete if you did it in the wrong place. And that quick is a relative term - quick in a car is very different to quick on a mountain.

He took the helmet. We'll see if he actually used it, I think the ski school will force him to for the lessons.

There's nothing cool about not using one. But then, if people who choose not to look after themselves or look out for obvious risk die, that is a very elegant piece of Darwinism. Hopefully they will be insured so it doesn't inconvenience anybody too much to cart them off the mountain.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Nadenoodlee, in Les Arcs last week they were more likely to be British, Dutch or Belgian than French.
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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!
No helmets in the ghetto clart.
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Lizzard, when I went that week last year it was mainly french. Always seems to be bucketloads in Les Arcs/ Plagne
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flangesax, why let it bother us? Well, I lost 20 mins out of my skiing day and had a longish sweaty walk back up a piste to rescue a snowboarder who had done a forwards/backwards upend himself and smack down head first on the Piste and knocked himself senseless, but too close to me to stop quickly on the busy piste - no-one else was stopping so I walked back up to help him - he was def. in the boonies!! He was clearly only learning on his board. I think a helmet would have helped him have less of a headache in the fall. I saw a similar accident from a lift on a beginners piste - and the guy again didn't look brilliant - no helmet. As a looker on-erer boarding would seem to have more potential for a fall with the chance for a head to go down first - at least when learning - once you have some skill then maybe less need for a helmet, but there were loads of learner boarders without a helmet in Les Arcs. Having witnessed the accidents I can certainly see some justification for learner boarders at least considering the use of one.

N.B. I should add that I am not an expert on helmets, or on snowboarding. I do however, have sufficient training and experience to know when someone is in the boonies Laughing


Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads on Sun 7-02-10 18:47; edited 1 time in total
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flangesax wrote:
Why let it bother you?... will it be to your benefit if everybody else wore a lid?
Helmets only affect the people wearing them so I don't think we need to start another thread with a rather controversial OP... but what the heck... this is snowHead 's!
Interesting comments!
The two accidents I witnessed were significant. One in particular was seeing stars 30mins later, but still refused further assistance. His first week, no helmet. Sure, it only affects the users, but I was intrigued about the high proportion without. I'm not stating the should or that they must wear helmets, only that I wanted to know if it was becoming the norm to be without. But if i'm not supposed to broach the taboo subject....... Laughing
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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.
On our recent trip to Austria I noticed a significant increase in people wearing helmets. It was at least 80% wearing helmets.
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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
BMF_Skier, kust do some searching - i'm sure all bases are covered!
Megamum, bless you!
Of course I have a lid... and yep you do hit your bonce a lot harder when learning on a board thast when skiing. Especially catching the toe edge and going a over t and landing head first onto the 'soft' white stuff!
Lids are lifesavers... byt only if you make the choice to wear one.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
SCollier1, amongst the skiers I also thought the same in Les Arcs, but there seemed generally less take up amongst the boarders. I don't know if it was my imagination, but the proportion of boarders seems higher in Les aRcs this year than we saw in VT last year.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Surly if there is no protection worn in the head it will not only be cool but cold too?
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Megamum, My brother (a gp) was boarding in the bumps off Tuffes, & saw a helmetless boarder fall & he actually heard his head hit the ice. He trekked over to where the guy was lying senseless, only to have an earbanging for his concern once the guy came to rolling eyes It's their choice, I guess.........
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
All my boarding friends bar one wear a helmet, and nowadays slowly the skiers too - if anything I'd say helmets are getting more cool.... or maybe my friends are just getting older and wiser Wink
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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?
Myself and (I think) rob@rar found an barley conscious boarder last year on the first run of the morning. That turned into a Helicopter job, although I must confess I don't bother with a helmet when Boarding. That said, if I went into the park I certainly would, but a helmet or not would be the least of my problems there !
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saikee wrote:
Surly if there is no protection worn in the head it will not only be cool but cold too?
saikee, I noticed this in LA too, where I've been or a few weeks, however, I've now given up wearing a helmet myself... but.....!!! a bog standard hat does keep ones head perfectly warm, ' c'est pas de problem '
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
BMF_Skier, - Only if you are a d$ck head wink
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There have always been plenty of boarders without helmets (and skiers) but like others posting above I am sure the proportion of helmet wearers is growing quite fast (in a fairly obscure French area, with an overwhelming preponderance of French slope-users). From my casual kind of observation, the more skilled the boarder, the more likely they are to be wearing a helmet. The guys you see leaping around in the most impressive fashion (and the latest gear) practically always seem to wear them, so it's hard to imagine that "cool" is at all relevant to the choice of some people not to bother.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
The other week in Nendaz I noticed a lot more people wearing helmets over Kitzbuhel last year. Like 70-80% of people wearing helmets.

Was grateful for mine, mucking about down the toboggan run on the last day, went just off the run into the pow, next thing I knew I'd spun round and cracked the back of my head on the hard packed snow. Even with the helmet on it hurt like hell and I had a headache for hours. I have no doubt that if I hadn't been wearing the lid I would've knocked myself out. It hurt so much I didn't noticed that I had twisted my shoulder, I noticed this the next day when I could barely lift my bag with my right arm Confused Laughing Laughing
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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!
what's cool is being free to learn from your mistakes (or not Skullie ) without other folks getting all "nanny state" on you.

yes I own a helmet, no I dont always wear it boarding or skiing.

how may of the people with "I hit my head and was glad I had a helmet on" stories have gone straight home, destroyed it with a hacksaw, and splashed out on a new lid (as recommended after any significan blow)? I thought so.


Last edited by After all it is free Go on u know u want to! on Fri 12-02-10 8:43; edited 1 time in total
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I wasted some time last week stopping in knee deep chopped up powder to help a toddler (local) skier get up (no poles and his little arms were just not up to it) on a red piste whose father was 20 meters further down trying to side step up to get to him, but I was not about to be judgemental and tell his father to keep his kid off reds in such conditions just becasue it costed me some time

I also stop quite often when on the mountains to resue skis for skiers that have fallen and slipped down the mountain leaving a ski behind, wasting many minutes of my day also, but I am not about to suggest skiers should board instead so they do not lose skis Little Angel

If a boarder/skier wants to bang their heads - fine, if you want to help them - fine Very Happy

Be nice, live your own life, not others ! Very Happy

PS Boarder with no lid Little Angel
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
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rayscoops wrote:
...I also stop quite often when on the mountains to resue skis for skiers that have fallen and slipped down the mountain leaving a ski behind, wasting many minutes of my day also, but I am not about to suggest skiers should board instead so they do not lose skis Little Angel ...

Was it you?
A couple of weeks ago, I had a tumble on La Balme in Alpe d'Huez leaving a pole about 10m up the piste. Just as I looked up, a 'boarder arced in and (with a deft flick of his board) knocked it down to land inches from my hand. To say I was impressed would be an understatement.

As an aside... I've worn my helmet for two full week's skiing this year and it's proved completely useless so far.
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Higs, nope but it sounds like a good move though Very Happy , maybe the boarder was trying to stab you and missed wink
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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.
You may find that a small percentage of boarders are possibly wearing a Ribcap (beanie with protection) so it looks as if they may be unprotected. I use one to ski as I could not find a helmet to fit comfortably. The group I ski with did not think that it was anything other than a beanie. It contains a soft foam compound that goes rigid on impact. It's basically a half-way house to a helmet - not as effective, but better than nothing should you smack your head on ice or get a ski in the head. Personally, I find it useful as I can stick it in my pocket should I want to (whereupon it will protect my pocket and not my head wink )
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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
I wear a helmet to protect myself on chairlifts... At 6'4" I've had far more impacts from the safety bar and from a low crossbeam on the entry gates than I ever have on the piste.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
congrats to all who stop and help people in trouble on the slope, but remember it's what you're supposed to do, ffs, like stopping at red lights when in the car. In fact in France you can prosecuted for NOT stopping to help someone, called the Samaritan law or summik like that. I am always shocked when I see people sail past people who have fallen without so much as a casual inquiry as to their well being. It's called Karma, ladies and gentlemen, and the more people who stop and help others the happier the slopes will be.

Higs, If your helmet had helped you many times in two weeks I would question your right to be on the slopes. Helmets are there to save your injury on the rare occasions you slam the snow/rock/tree/someone else hard enough for a helmet to be effective. it's the classic low probability/serious consequence scenario. I started wearing one after slamming my head after a big stack and getting myself a 3 day headache. I can't say in the past 3 years I've had as big a stack as that, but I don't notice it when it's on, it keeps my bonce warm, gives me somewhere to hold my goggles without them steaming up and, in my humble opinion and most importantly of all, looks 10 times cooler that some daft beenie hat.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
2 massive accidents on a bike - both times doing things I wouldnt have thought about doing without my lid on....

We have a saying in motorsport that safety gear doesn't make you any safer, it simply allows you to go faster before you are more unsafe
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Helmet thread in disguise!

You couldn't help it, could you!
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
anotherproblem wrote:
... a lot more people wearing helmets over Kitzbuhel last year.


Wow! Big helmets Shocked
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