Ski Helmets

I am wondering what it is about ski helmets?
To wear or not to wear - that is the question?

We have some light hearted (ish) banter about choice of country.
A very minor amount of p*** taking about one piece romper suits.
A good laugh about bobbles!

But helmets!? :twisted: :evil: :!:

Sensible discussions about skis, types, brands, lengths ...
Likewise boots.

But helmets ...

I have never really considered helmets as anything but a personal choice, I don't wear one but maybe I should, who knows, but it's my choice (at the moment).

I would love to know why the helmet polarises people like nothing else?
:?:

OldAndy wrote:why the helmet polarises people like nothing else?
:?:

Please step away from the dangerous polarisation... 8) :twisted:

Let's try and keep this thread cool (like our heads!).

For some excellent coverage of the research and stats regarding helmet use, I recommend a read of ski-injury.com.

Here are links to their pages on Helmets and some of the latest findings from statistical analysis presented at the International Society for Skiing Safety, 2011 conference

Pretty much what we all felt, but in summary...

To date research has shown that helmets are effective at protecting against the majority of mild/moderate head injuries but hard evidence has been lacking that helmets can protect against more serious injuries such as skull fractures.

FWIW I hope they don't become compulsory but I ran out of reasons not to wear one about five years ago. Modern helmets are light, ventilated and about a million times more comfortable than wearing a hat... and a good one costs about the same as a days skiing.

It's pretty much accepted that they reduce the chance of minor head injuries - which are just the sort of injury that can become very serious, very quickly when you're getting cold and a long way from a medic.

I think bandit has a lovely picture of a snowhead wearing a rock in their lid... :thumbup:

Sorry Adders - really didn't think I was being provocative. :cry:

Having bought snowboarding son a helmet and all sorts of body armour plating last Christmas, we decided it was probably sensible to get ourselves helmets too - although we have always liked skiing without even a hat if the weather permits.
OH found one that suited him for about £30, whereas son's girlfriend and I both went for K2's for about £80 (but got a discount as we were buying two). Mine feels so comfortable to wear - not too warm but just cosy - that I now can't imagine skiing without it. It also solves that (perhaps only for us girls) problem of which and how many hats to pack.
Within a couple of minutes of being out on the slopes, someone knocked over my son's girlfriend on her board and she landed with an almighty bang on her head. I duly spoke to the knocker-over in my best abusive colloquial French!

My small input:

Those who want to buy and wear helmets, absolutely fine.
Those of us who choose not to, leave us along and stop making out we are criminals or insane.
When did it become dangerous to ski.....can someone put a precise date on it? No recreational helmets on ski slopes for many many years so why all of a sudden is it regarded by some as important?
That is all.

One reason to wear one is to save yourself a lot of grief at the hospital. Emergency room doctors take a dim view of anyone coming in for an suspected concussion who wasn't wearing a helmet.

After my daughter was hit in the head in a collision, I was given curt treatment by the ER doc. Spent half the night in the hospital while my daughter got a scan and was assessed. At the end, the doc said she was OK, but it would have been much better had she been wearing a helmet. The doc was surprised when I said that she had been wearing a helmet, and always does, but I could see this had been the issue all along.

A point that's missed in these debates is that falls often don't involve a big impact to the head, but do involve the head glancing off/sliding on the snow. In the several flying superman falls I've had, I know my face has been saved a lot of damage because the helmet, and not my face slid across the snow. I've seen many bloody faces and heads over the years that weren't protected by a helmet. Packed snow is like very course sandpaper, especially in the spring.

My view is that if you're entirely on your own and not expecting someone else to pick up the pieces, then fine, opt not to wear a helmet. But do think about the terrible stress of seeing a loved one laid out senseless on the snow after a trivial accident - often not their fault - and spending the next 4-6 hours getting off the mountain in a body bag; an ambulance trip; admission to A&E in a foreign country; probably a scan to assess brain damage; and at best a long wait even if the news is positive. After having been both the subject and the observer I now wear a helmet, as do all my family.

I'm puzzled: Firstly, so why are you posting? Secondly, I thought that posts weren't meant to advertise - so why the advert that's longer than the post?