Helmet or no helmet?

Post by **stevep** » Wednesday 6 November 2002, 18:38

A carver from Holland wrote:I teached all my students to ALWAYS pay attention on the slope. You are not the only one there and especially when making a back side turn, look over your shoulder.

ok - now i feel safe on the slopes with your students - nobody else. dude, not for nothing, but i ride mostly in Vermont and New York. i got macho skiiers who think they are practicing for the Olympics bombing the hill without looking for the downhill riders, i got dumb snowboarders who don't look before jibbing anything, i got 6 year old kids careening down the hill with parents nowhere in sight, i got narrow runs with ice packed with the cast of the Sopranos...HELL YEAH, I WEAR A HELMET.

i'm very happy some of you get to ride on uncrowded slopes on pristine snow - makes for good video. i don't. after knocking myself goofy 2 season ago after getting crowded off a run by a skiier that wouldn't change his line coming behind me - i invested in a helmet. after almost getting my jaw torn off by a skiier's knee while he was bombing a wide open run on Pico last season and didn't even look left or right as he cleaned my clock - i am investing in a full face helmet.

also try riding with a pack of carvers...some of the worst crashes i have witnessed involved 2 carvers in full layout mode running into each other.

i wear a helmet and damn proud of it.

steve

Post by **ablazespy** » Wednesday 6 November 2002, 21:15

Post by **audacium** » Thursday 7 November 2002, 0:10

Hi all,

surely no one is forced to wear a helmet. But after two bad crashes (one falling down a steep hill over stones due to a little avalanche during very bad weather conditions, one with a skier who rode into me from behind at high speed) I decided to buy one and wear it on piste. I would not agree that you see less with a helmet. The decrease of sight is minimal if at all at least for me (I own a Dainese skiing helmet), and the argument of not hearing might apply to a cap as well, still, you are using caps aren't you?
Also, the risks of hearing and seeing a little bit less seem to me much smaller than the risks of un unwanted hit on your head. Even if you try to be prudent, you look around etc. before carving - once will happen an accident you did not foresee.
So I would try out more helmets, maybe one can find a model that suits one's security needs as well as does not prevent one from well seeing and hearing.
Good luck and carve low!

Eduard.

Post by **A carver from Holland** » Monday 11 November 2002, 7:47

Stevep,

Thanks for your comments! I have thought long and hard about this discussion on wearing a helmet or not and came to the conclusion that the problem also lies with OURSELVES! I will explain what i mean by this:

I have been skiing for 20 years now and have been snowboarding for more than 10. I never been in an accident. The reason is that i ALWAYS pay attention on what's going on on the slopes. I anticipate other people's actions. When doing a front side i look up the mountain. When doing a back side i look over my shoulder. When it's crowded i use a smaller board to decrease my speed. Of course i agree with the fact that those crazy people going down the slopes with 60 M/ph shoot take a hike, but i don't agree that it's always the other person who initiated the accident. As long as you pay attention, you should be ok.

Arjan

Post by **rilliet** » Monday 11 November 2002, 8:05

Hi Arjan,

Patrice and I are doing exactly the same as you do and we never had any problems.
We always pay attention on who is coming. When there is too many people we wait before to go (it can last 10 to 15 minutes until the slope is free!).
You can see that in our movies. We always wait untill there is (nearly) nobody before to go.

In some very crowded resorts (like Verbier) it is impossible to wait because we would stay sitting at the same place all day long... Thats why we don't go in such resorts.

Jacques

Post by **A carver from Holland** » Monday 11 November 2002, 8:09

Hi Rillet,

Thanks for your reply! I guess we pay more attention since we have (or still are) snowboard instructors. Safety of my students is priority #1. Just a few small tips will increase safety, like when stepping in your binding always face upwards the slope so you will see who's coming down. I also always wait until the slope is almost clear before i go down. Or, at least i wait until the beginners are away. Therefore, i see no need to wear a helmet. Ok, when you go offpiste....that's a complete different story.

Arjan

Post by **stevep** » Monday 11 November 2002, 23:34

very rarely can the slopes i ride be described as "empty". i live in new york city and ride within 5 hours of my house. if i go mid-week and hit the first lift - then i can let the big board (185cm prior) run without worrying about taking out other skiiers. i can honestly say that i am more aware of my surroundings on the mountain than at least 80% of the other skiiers/riders there. in this part of the world, people don't look where they are going, they assume that you will move and the downhill skiier is supposed to get the hell out of their way. i always look uphill when turning because i assume some idiot will take me out. i don't ride with headphones and will give up my line for someone else if needed - and i still get taken out at least twice a season.

i wish i had the luxury to wait 15 minutes at the top of a run for it to clear out - at $60/day...i'm looking for the best value for my dollar (i only get 30 days or so on the hill). pls don't get me wrong - i love watching the movies and wish i could ride empty beautiful slopes like that, but my reality is filled with narrow runs, icy conditions, gumba's from nyc and new jersey who ski 4 days of the season and think they are ready for the olympics who don't look where they are going (and don't really care), jib-kiddies with headphones on takin' hits and not worrying about where they land and mostly just sitting out of sight in the middle of a run, families from Long Island standing on the slopes arguing about where to eat...do y'all get the picture? The term "ugly american" applies on our slopes as well.

i agree that wearing a helmet is a personal thing - if i had hero snow with empty runs and all that cool stuff - seeing as buying a lift ticket as a drooling vegatable is kinda tough, i would prob. still wear a helmet.

do you make your students wear helmets?

steve

Post by **A carver from Holland** » Tuesday 12 November 2002, 7:26

Hi Steve,

Geeezzzz...what crappy conditions you have to snowboard in. I understand where you are coming from! To answer your question; no, i don't have my students wear helmets. If you take their own and want to wear it, that's fine by me, but i do not provide them with any. When i teach i will always use the outerside of the slopes and put my snowboard of some cushions up the hill, so that a crazy skiier (or snowboarder) will first break his neck before he hit my students.

I have been in some situations where i actually threw my snowboard in front of a skier and told him to take it easy or get off the slopes (i have the authoritiy to take people of the slopes if they are not safe).

You must understand that i thaught on a indoor slope (huge fridge

) since there are no mountains in Holland. The people who come down the slopes......Let me put it in other words: if you can't swim, you don't dive in the deep end of the pool! People think.....aaaaahhhhhh that looks pretty easy...let's get some skies or snowboard and go all the way up and see if i can go down and take at least 25 people with me. I have only one word for these kind of people...ASSHOLES! (excuse my French)...

Arjan

Post by **stevep** » Tuesday 12 November 2002, 16:12

that sounds interesting. ok, i have to say that it's not horrible all the time here - first lift on a sunday for Breakfast Club at Killington. 10+ carvers hitting Snowden lift (a slow quad) before all the tourists show up (killington is a drinking town with a skiing problem) on well groomed snow is pretty damn wonderful and going to Whistler every year is great. A good chunk of my snowboard season is spent in crowded icy conditions, so i would rather be safe than sorry regarding a helmet.

to each his own i guess, you got to do what is best for you - i prefer to wear a helmet.

cheers!
steve

Post by **bonz** » Wednesday 5 February 2003, 3:40

I have hit my head skiing and riding both before and probably had minor concussions but in 20+ years on the snow never gave it any thought but 3 weeks ago, I knocked myself out..cold..with a helmet. This is my first year wearing one and my frontal lobe thanks me. It just makes sense and if you're willing to carry 30-40 mph speed on a board, do yourself and others the favor--put on the bucket. Besides, they are sooo toasty and make you more aerodynamic!

Post by **carversau** » Tuesday 4 March 2003, 8:40

When riding, I will feel the wind and the snow on my head !! I will hear my turns (you know, the "schschhhhhhhhtt") ..

With a helmet, I do not hear and feel that much ... I know, this is a bit dangerous .. I never had a problem the last 15 years with boarding ...

For me its right to say: No risk - No fun ...

Post by **o.decraene** » Tuesday 4 March 2003, 12:11

hi guys,

sometimes, depends also on the weather, i wear a helmet ...let's say
50% I DO .....

safety and cold ....well that's a good reason ....

bye

Olivier

PS who's in LES ARC NEXT WEEK( let's meet!) between 8 march and 15 th , any good carving slopes there?

Post by **Felix** » Friday 14 November 2003, 21:52

Since two years I always wear a helmet though I don't close it under my chin, never! Just with the lock at the back and it never fell off.

While christmass or while freeriding I wear a back protector too.

Before I had two times big headaches because I lost my back edge on high speed(freeride board on piste). That was enough!

I've also landed on someone one time after jumping down a 7 to 8 meter cliff. (I told that goddam idot to watch out for me jumping the cliff but he didnt believe me) He did no wear a helmet and i only managed luckily to get my board away from his boady.

I think it is much safer and as I ride often while holidays or on mountains near Vienna its always crowded. If you have ever been to planai Zielhang Schladming you see enough accidents involving the head. Enough for them keeping medicals on stand by in the afternoon at the end of it.

Post by **Skylar** » Sunday 7 December 2003, 5:52

When riding, I will feel the wind and the snow on my head !! I will hear my turns (you know, the "schschhhhhhhhtt")

Yea I defantly agree

Post by **harald** » Monday 8 December 2003, 9:16

To me wearing a helmet is a sort of insurance. You never know when accidents happen and you need it. I have been skijumping (80 metres or so) without helmet in the days when nobody wore one. I have also had some serious concussions from nasty falls. Now everybody does. In ski racing, GS and SL almost every top racer wears one. Not so many years ago nobody did. In procycling an increasing number started to wear a helmet before it was was compulsory. Five years ago I did not wear a helmet either in skiing or snowboarding. Now, I do. I have been hit from behind by skiers on almost empty slopes and experienced falls when edges have hooked up in ridges in the snow. Luckily, the helmet has provided serious head injuries. Modern helmets are very light, comfortable and you still hear the sound from wind and edges on the snow, SCHHH. So now, I do not see any reason not to wear one.

ExtremeCarving FORUM

Helmet or no helmet?

When you ride/carve, do you wear a helmet? (you can vote once and have to register first)

the price to pay

indoors?

Helmet ---absolutely

I will feel free !!!!

Helmet or not