Skiing helmet...yes or no?

[Hard-Drive]

So come on then, is it a good idea and/or socially acceptable to wear a lid whilst skiing? Boarders seem to wear them a lot, hardcore off pisters might do too, what about blue/red run people away for their 2nd year who might just be trying "quite hard" on some runs?

I'll always wear one when cycling, 100% no brainer ('scuse the pun) but I will not wear one when dinghy sailing...no way, even though it's becoming more popular.

Thoughts? Obviously it would have to be a "cool" brand and all that...

[Stu R]

I wear them when I'm likely to be doing silly stuff like jumps, rails etc (snowboard), but on the piste I never bother. Probably should though, can't put a price on your noggin.

[grumbledoak]

Kid, beginner, off-piste, or Olympic downhill slalom, yes. You might need to wear one to get your kids to do so.

But, otherwise, I'd say no. Skiers just plain don't fall over that often.

[Zod]

I started wearing one when I had my first child two years ago. I'd never banged my head, so it seemed a bit OTT, but I knew that when they got old enough, I'd need to wear one to encourage the kids to do the same. Anyway, this year, on one trip, on a hard empty piste at high speed, I found a hole in the snow into which I inserted a ski tip. I flew 20m and landed on the side of my head. I was very glad of the helmet.

[JD]

I've been wearing one since my third trip, I much prefer it to a hat, especially on goggle days as the clips ensure the never come loose. And as far as safety goes they can only help I have whacked my head twice both times I think I would of been hurt if I wasn't wearing a lid. That's in black/off-piste though

[RedLeicester]

I second the above - skiied last Christmas with a boarding pal and we spent much of the trip discussing it. On the last day he lost his balance standing still (bloody boarders) and cracked his head hard. Spent most of the evening throwing up and had an unpleasant journey home.

We then went with another gang a month or so later, and we both bought helmets on the first day having decided that we may look silly, but the safety aspect we would be silly not too. I had a massive on-piste wipeout after being cut up by a doddering loon who cut across the piste without looking uphill (a blue crossing a black which I was coming down) and I went down hard. Very hard. I have a couple of scratches on the edge of the helmet, nothing more. Promptly took wife down the mountain and insisted she picked one too.

I quite often lead groups for weeks, and refuse to lead anyone unless they wear a helmet.

[paolow]

depends on where you intend to go. I have fallen on ice and lovely piste snow. the first stunned me and still hurt hours later even though it was very low speed. in good snow i didnt even notice.

[RedLeicester]

grumbledoak said:

Skiers just plain don't fall over that often.

For many years I would have agreed with this, but as pistes have got busier I would counter argue it's rather like driving and the roads being ever busier - it's not what you do, its the idiot you're sharing the piste with you should be worried about.

In twenty years of skiing, I have torn six ligaments, wrenched both shoulders, broken three ribs and twice had whiplash. The three ribs were my fault, I was being a knob and relaxing too much on the last day of a holiday. All the rest were as the result of being skiied into / over / through by fools.

[LeftBack]

It took a nasty fall to get me to wear a helmet. What I thought was a large natural jump turned out to be a large dump of snow. After hitting my head a few times after the "jump" and pulling muscles in my neck I figured it wasn't worth the risk and invested in a decent helmet.

Your skill level will determine the severity of your falls, if you are pushing it you will, without doubt, be falling.

Worth it IMO, if not necessary, at least it will give you peace of mind making it easier to go faster, higher and further.

[Stigmundfreud]

if you want to look like a right dipstick, wear a bash hat

[s,one]

I wear one while boarding. Helps keep your goggles clear as well less moisture than from a wooly hat.

[Beefmeister]

Stigmundfreud said:

if you want to look like a right dipstick, wear a bash hat

Good luck with your concussion.

It'll happen soon enough.

[130R]

I don't wear one but a few of my friends do, one of them since he smashed his head on a rock off piste.

As for helmets looking stupid - I don't think the best off piste skiers in the world look stupid, and they don't huck off a cliff without one.

[Busamav]

Having been skiing for many years and never worn one , I went with my son (24 ) and a few of his mates this year .

It was getting quicker and competitive , till I took them down the black
" Olympic " in Meribel , where we then spent the next 30 minutes as one of the lads cracked his head and was knocked unconscious .

I will wear one from now on .

[shouldbworking]

This year will be the first time i've worn one in 7-8 years of skiing. It wouldnt have helped in any previous skiing falls i've had, but considering how cheap they are it would seem foolish not to.

["Torquemada"]

I wouldn't be without mine.

[cptsideways]

Yes yes & yes !!!!!!

I've had one for a good 5 or 6 years now, couple of years back a mate & I went to Austria he unlidded, day one, crashed with a boarder, helicoptered off the piste, head injuries, broken ribs & broken finger too. I had been suggesting he buy one the night before in the ski shop

I've also been knocked out cold wearing a lid, dare to think of what the consequences without one would have been.

[mechsympathy]

RedLeicester said:

All the rest were as the result of being skiied into / over / through by fools.

I wonder how many of those might have been avoidable, in your black/blue run interface above I'd have said you as the (presumably) better skier shouldn't have been crossing a blue at the sort of pace that made a collision unavoidable. Hope you don't take offence but like road accidents, it's rare for someone genuinely to "appear out of nowhere".

Back on thread, I've worn one once (in the US where it was more common) and should probably always use one. I've clattered my head a few times, the worst being a fairly slow speed fall on a road while snowboarding where I thought my eyesight had gone. It turned out I'd smacked the back of my head so hard one of the lenses had popped out of my glasses

[Alexandra]

Hard-Drive said:

So come on then, is it a good idea and/or socially acceptable to wear a lid whilst skiing? Boarders seem to wear them a lot, hardcore off pisters might do too, what about blue/red run people away for their 2nd year who might just be trying "quite hard" on some runs?

I'll always wear one when cycling, 100% no brainer ('scuse the pun) but I will not wear one when dinghy sailing...no way, even though it's becoming more popular.

Thoughts? Obviously it would have to be a "cool" brand and all that...

Yes! You just need to see a big accident to realise how important they are. I board and use one and see more and more skiers wearing them now. Don't fall into the trap of thinking you're too good not to fall, it's easy to get caught in a pile up or turn into a fast moving boarder (since skiers don't seem to look where they're going ) or just end up getting hit by someone else.

[Dimski]

Stigmundfreud said:

if you want to look like a right dipstick, wear a bash hat

Please, please, totally ignore this.

As you can see from that pic, "Torquemada" is clearly an accomplished skier, and he shows no shame. In my experience, the very best skiers now all wear one all the time.

So I would even go the other direction from Stig... If you venture into the more risky parts of the slopes (or off the slopes) you will look like a plank without one.

It does depend somewhat on what you are doing, after all you do not normally wear a helmet when driving on the motorway...

If you plan on visiting the park, or regularly skiing more extreme areas (or racing) a helmet is a must.

I would probably agree that snowboarders are at greater risk than skiers. Catching a heel edge is more likely to result in smacking you head than a skiing fall.