I don't wear a helmet because I don't look good!

[Allie]

Helmets have not reduced death or major head trauma injuries

I am a statistics person. At the same time I don't trust research or statistics on its on. I must personally check it out where it came from and test like crazy. The media and government often times have an agenda even on issues such as wearing a helmet while skiing.

The statistics I have seen regarding head injuries and helmet wear have indicated that the number of reported injuries has not gone down despite helmet wear having gone up.

In part ski helmets are designed to be most effective when you are going 12mph or less. Most head injuries happen on blue slopes where people are going 25-40mph. Also, having a helmet on and hitting a stationary object like a tree is not going to change the outcome. It is no different than flying off a bike at 40mph, a helmet is not going to do much for you in that situation. Proof is in the statistics: fatalities from skiing have remained steady in the US for the last 10 years averaging about 39 deaths per year despite the increase in helmet use. https://www.nsaa.org/nsaa/press/facts-ski-snbd-safety.asp For 2008/2009 statistics and reasons see: https://www.calskisafety.org/documents/Deaths-On-the-Slopes-2008-2009.pdf (9 of the 34 deaths reported for this season were tree related. While 25 of the 50 deaths reported for the 2007/2008 season were tree related.) Serious injuries also remain around 43 per year: https://www.nsaa.org/nsaa/press/facts-ski-snbd-safety.asp

Why the lack of change in the statistics: It seems wearing a helmet has caused people to go faster than they otherwise would and go down terrain they might not have otherwise tried. Helmets only help when you hit another person, ground, or tree at 12mph or less.

Certainly helmets help on reducing the severity of minor head injuries incurred in bread and butter falls and hits. Instead of a concussion you may only have a bruised dignity from a snowboarder hitting you from behind. I have been told that the number one place for rider collisions is in front of the chair lift. People develop tunnel vision as they head for the chair and don't see other incoming riders.

All of my hits by snowboarders have been low speed collisions. One was out of control. Two were actually using me as a marker on a foggy day and didn't mean to hit me but they did as they were using me as target to aim for down the slope. The other was a newby who clipped my skis from behind. She told me she didn't mean to hit me just follow me as she didn't know where she was and was scared.

Skiing is a relatively safe sport with or without a helmet. It's those damn trees that seem to be the real problem in skiing!

Ski Goddess, it is unlikely you will become a drooling wheel chair momma from choosing to not wear a helmet. Statistics just don't support it. You may, however, save yourself from a goose bump or two. I believe within 2 years helmet use will be so prevalent on ski slopes that not wearing one will seem ridiculous even in Europe.

Why not be trend setter than a follower? Trust me, all my friends know gear and what things cost. A helmet for them is another chance to signal status and coolness. At the same time it has some other great benefits besides head safety. As mentioned by others on this list a helmet: keeps you warmer than most hats and has ventilation; keeps your head from getting wet; provides a brim from damaging and aging sun exposure; allows you to go incognito or express your personality; can place tunes and cell phone to your ears without wearing cords or earphones; and encourages children to protect their softer more injury prone heads.

I met a man on the chair lift who had been skiing for 35 years. He is a season's pass holder at Whistler. No helmet. I asked him why not. He said he hadn't fallen down in over 30 years. He told me he also does not ski trees. He was quite a character. I said what about getting hit by other skiers. He said hadn't happened in a long long time. He thought my helmet was cute and if I was getting hit and falling down alot I should probably continue wearing one! LOL, If I didn't know better I think he was trying to pick me up.

Again, helmets are here to stay and the momentum is such that anyone not wearing a helmet will be in the minority within two years.

 

[RachelV]

I dunno, regardless of how you feel about helmets, I think the basic question of "what helmets are there that are more stylish?" is pretty good. Most helmets look basically the same to me, and maybe if there were more options that weren't geared towards the park or race crowd, more casual skiers would wear them.

 

[MissySki]

I think the overall theme is, yes it is ultimately each person's choice whether or not to wear a helmet at this time, but if you originally thought you should get a helmet and then are deciding not to based soley on how they look on you, it might be a good idea to list out your priority set. If appearance is first, look high and low until you find something that somewhat satisfies you, if it is safety, just get a helmet on your head.

It's like seat belts, I am not sure in the rest of the country, but in Massachusetts you have to wear them by law for everyone regardless of age. Now they won't save you in every accident, that is for sure, but why not have that extra layer of safety that might just do the trick when you need it? Remember on the road and the slopes, you are not just worrying about your own actions, but others that might end up affecting you as well.

I think it should be mandatory for people to wear helmets, at the very least children anyway, reckless behavior can hurt more than just you. If not for yourself think of your family. If something ever happned to you, god forbid, would you want to leave them wondering if a helmet would have saved you had you been wearing one? Wouldn't it be better to know every possible precaution is being taken just in case the unthinkable happens? I know many things are out of our hands, but I darn well want to make sure I'm at least covering all of the bases I have control over!

PS: This season I somehow managed to wipe out big time in some man made bumps when my skis decided to go in opposite directions of eachother at one point. Well I fell in the most awkward way and literally kicked myself in the back of the head (helmet) with the back tip of my ski. (Good thing I am flexible!) Well, I heard the *thunk* it made when it hit my helmet and it left a nice mark too. First thing I said to my startled DH after that one was "thank goodness we started wearing helmets last season, because that would have sucked!" lol He agreed

 

[Witchery]

I had to warm to the idea of a helmet as well as I couldn't find one that fitted well without looking like a melon head. After a lot of shopping I finally found one, it's just matte black with some glossy fillagree detail and a nice fluffy lining but it fits and the style works okay.

It's funny that when you're getting dressed for the slopes you might think about how you look but the minute you hit the slopes you don't think about it again.

Certainly have a shop around and find something that suits you best, but don't worry too much about how you look, we all look the same on the mountain, especially when covered in snow!! Save the glamour dressing for Apres and then knock em dead!!

 

[SuZieCoyote]

Helmet Head

I didn't have any problems with where we were skiing; I just didn't think the conditions would be right. Turned out they were. I think people were well-meaning about the helmet thing. All polite, saying things like, "You might want to wear a helmet up here." I realized they were probably right. I have worn a helmet for 10 years for reasons that still convince me.

A rep for Giro, the helmet maker, (and a 30 year professional patroller) did tell me that all a helmet can do is protect from a glancing blow at no more than 12mph. Hit the tree head-on, going fast, with your head, you will still probably have difficulties that may include death. Hit a tree at high speed with your chest and you are likely to explode your heart or crush your lungs (which are common causes of death from a collision with a non-moving object). Hit a leg, arm, etc at high speed and expect either a break or shattering. Fall wrong and you can break your neck and die (which recently happened to a young boarder at Breck). Helmets won't help you in this case either (and some claim it may actually be counter-productive, neck-wise.) But people generally slow down when (and if) they see they're going to crash into a solid object, so the helmet often protects when the collision actually occurs. It increases the odds of an injury-free crash or a reduction of the severity of a head injury should you sustain one.

He also told me (nurses chime in here if I've misunderstood), that a concussion is caused by the sudden stop...the brain bangs around inside the skull, so a helmet can't really help that too much. But without a helmet, a person would likely have a concussion AND a split scalp and/or skull.

 

[2ski2moro]

Ok, let's design a helmet for the Goddess of St. Moritz. If Lindsay Vonn had a contest to design her helmet, the Ski Divas can do it, too.

I'm thinking Swarovski crystals, some SuperGlue and a lot of patience to individually glue on each tiny crystal.

You could make a pattern, like horizontal stripes in tasteful colors. Design your crystals in the logo of St. Moritz? Maybe just a simple understated look (?) of clear crystals to look like you are covered in diamonds.

I'm not sure I want to ski next to you on a sunny day, but your friends will always be able to spot you going down the hill. "Hey, was that a meteor?" "Nope, that's just a SkiGoddess." And if you are lost in the backcountry, you can signal the rescue helicopter with your helmet.

 

[SuZieCoyote]

Diva Helmets

I wear a "helmet hat" over mine, with dreadlocks and doodads like Johnny Depp wore in the pirate movies. I replaced the plastic beads that came with the hat with long beaded strings I made myself made of my hand-torched lampwork beads and Swarovski crystals. The fly out behind me and sparkle as I go down a steep! I even have a crystal snowflake at the end of one. I suppose, I could whack myself in the face with them, but that hasn't happened. If you look at my profile picture you can see it looks like its my hair! People are often quite surprised when I take off the helmet. I go from brownish-red dreads to black and white straight hair! One woman skis at Breck all the time and she has mounted a pink pig (I think it has wings) on top of her helmet. Looks really cool and well, you know...."when pigs fly."

 

[drjoyous]

I LOVE my helmet--it has dozens of SkiDiva signatures on it!
I get stopped all the time on the lift with people asking me whose signatures they are...!
Along with my stickers from resorts, I love that my friends ( or at least their signatures!) are skiing along with me.

That aside, my DH today took a really hard header into a tree--banged up helmet (bloody leg, hand and arm). But the helmet scrape is enough for us to decide that our helmets are as much a part of our equipment as our skis, boots and poles.

 

[abc]

I actually quite like the look of my helmet. It's basically some black flames (flowing to the back) on grey background.

I know it aren't exactly "glamoreous" but it's actually pretty nice abstract kind of thing. I wish it were a brighter color to match my jacket.

I do think now that helmets are "IN", it's time some cool design goes into this ulititarian peice of equipement (not that I want to pay top dollar for the designer though). To be honest, even ski jackets are kind of dull. So we could use a bit more brightening up with the helmets.

Another thought would be, change your look with the helmet. Instead of looking glamarous, how about a shocking look of say... POWER!

Anyway, Allie had it right: be a trend-setting by wearing a helmet NOW! Pretty soon, more and more people on slope will be wearing helmets. You don't want to be the last one without!

 

[pinto]

I'm guessing this is a troll, but I'll bite.

People make trade-offs all the time. All you can do is educate yourself. It's highly unlikely that you'll die if you ski without a helmet. It's highly likely that you'll look less pretty if you ski with a helmet.

Of course, people do things all the time that are mildly risky in order to look pretty. Some people apply makeup while driving. Others take it farther, maybe even have plastic surgery.

Surgery always carries mild risks, right? Botched jobs are most common, but going under anesthesia also can be unpredictable. According to various sources, the mortality rate for anesthesia is somewhere around 4 in a million. According to the link above, the fatality rate for skier visits is 0.68 per million (and some of those were wearing helmets).

I'm not criticizing anything: plastic surgery, helmets, nice hair, whatever. Just pointing out that getting a boob job could be riskier than not wearing a helmet, but how often are people judged (on those terms) by making that choice.

People are willing to carry different levels of risk for different things ... it's their choice, hard to judge. All these guys and gals we love to watch in ski porn, talk about risky! But we don't judge them (until a parent dies doing a trick, then everyone gets all high horse, even though they were supporting them by watching all the previous times .... )

Done rambling, off to make dinner ...

 

[LilaBear]

Helmets are not the most attractive headgear. They are so large and cumbersome compared to our normal head size that they make us look distorted. But, it doesn't take long for us to get used to skiers looking like that, it becomes the norm.

I do think that lighter colours, or more shine make a helmet look less grotesque and more attractive. My first was Matt grey with cheeseholes, I eventually replaced it with a more silvery shiny one and I feel better about it.

There are some fabulous decorations. The best I've seen are handpainted, my favourite being one that had peacock feathers all over it. If you're artistic you can create a real talking point that might show your personality. Otherwise decorative bling, feathers, fringing, or stickers all make a statement.

One statement that a helmet always makes is "I am serious about my sport, and I am serious about my health".

If you move in the world of Uber Chic, then it's your choice to make, and I have no experience on which to make any comments.

 

[abc]

I too, think the OP might be a troll.

But this is the women's forum. So it's ok to talk about the LOOK of helmets.

Only I think helmets are IN. And fashion opinion will slowly but eventually change to consider helmet look being "good" look. Just look at jackets! They went from tight to bulky and shapeless then now it's bulky but shapely! Collors went from plain to fake fur and back to plain.

OK, personally I never thought ski hats look anything but stupid. So it's easier for me to "take to" the look of helmets! Just give me a bit more color and graphic variations.

 

[Allie]

Helmet styles

More fashionable helmet choices for women have started to emerge. Right now helmets are being sold to the ski community as a "safety device" with the idea wearing a helmet should be more important than say "googles" and a "who cares what it looks like" sales pitch (IMHO, the safety pitch is somewhat specious given the actual statisics.)

Googles actually are a perfect example of what I think will happen in the helmet market. At one time googles were unisex. Now there are googles specifically for women - Smith Heiress; Oakley Stokholm to name just two and for Asian faces (my best fit). Bling and colors limited only by where you are shopping. Ditto women's skis...

Helmets will come along too as the market size expands. Salomon and K2 now have women fit helmets that are not children or scaled down men's models. I have a Salomon Divine Custom Air that has a great shape and design on a white background. https://www.salomon.com/caus/#/ski/helmets/helmets/divine-origins-custom-air Giro is moving along in better design for women as well. I really liked the red and black design by Eleanor of Push me Pull me Design for Giro. It is on my want to buy list (do I need a fifth helmet?) Giro has a cool profile on Eleanor here which shows the helmet I am talking about: https://www.giro.com/en-us/media/#/asset:60/category:default/type:default I couldn't find any cool looking women's helmets on their product list page though. If you have the time you should also check out Giro's video called one step with a little blue character on a white background. They have a kids helmet that lights up! Very fun.

I should mention that there is talk that adding stickers, paint etc. to your helmet diminishes its safety features. Apparently certain glues and paints can break-down the plastic. Having said that, I got rhinestones from a Michael's craft store. They are peel and stick. I put them on during the Olympics and many ski days later they are still there and I love how its made me feel about that helmet. (Hey if women are vajazzling with rhinestones it is good enough for my ski helmet. My skin is more sensitive than any plastic!)

I agree that we should design or brainstorm as to what we want in a ski helmet. After all part of the fun of skiing is buying cool gear and clothes.

(For some reason I cannot get load images to work.)

 

[drjoyous]

FWIW there is a woman in Tahoe recently reported in the local newspaper who makes ridiculously cool looking helmets complete with rhinestones, etc. They're expensive ($300+), but sound like an enormous amount of fun. I actually saw a woman wearing one on the slopes this winter--turned lots of heads!

No, I don't remember her name, but I suspect googling around for awhile will turn her up.

BTW, several of you have mentioned the OP being a troll. I've heard this bandied around before, esp on epicski and TGR. ahem--what is a troll, please?

 

[SnowHot]

If you want something really "bling".....check these out!

Ice Coture
https://www.luxist.com/2010/02/27/ice-coutures-crystal-encrusted-ski-helmets/

FWIW there is a woman in Tahoe recently reported in the local newspaper who makes ridiculously cool looking helmets complete with rhinestones, etc. They're expensive ($300+), but sound like an enormous amount of fun. I actually saw a woman wearing one on the slopes this winter--turned lots of heads!

No, I don't remember her name, but I suspect googling around for awhile will turn her up.

BTW, several of you have mentioned the OP being a troll. I've heard this bandied around before, esp on epicski and TGR. ahem--what is a troll, please?

This is the person you're talking about, If I'm correct...

As for a troll, that is someone who posts something with the intent of stirring the pot instead of sincerely looking for good information.
FWIW I believe the OP is not a troll but is sincerely looking for an attractive option. From what I understand Helmets have been more prominent in the US than Europe which would make this user quite legit in the quest.

 

[ski diva]

^I believe this company is located in Sacramento, so it could be one and the same.

And I don't believe the OP is a troll, either.

 

[drjoyous]

If you want something really "bling".....check these out!

Ice Coture
https://www.luxist.com/2010/02/27/ice-coutures-crystal-encrusted-ski-helmets/

THAT's IT! Thanks for the 'troll' explanation.

 

[wahineskisk2]

OK SkiGoddess, I think you've been schooled enough here. So, here's somethings you can do to look good in your helmet and when you take it off.

1. We Women of a "Certain Age" have a little extra skin that bunches up around the strap. Easy fix: unbuckle the strap while on the lift, around the resort (not on the slopes) or anywhere not on the slopes. (Just remember to buckle up on the slopes!!) When on the slopes, wear a neck gator up around the lower jaw line. It will hide lots...

2. When taking off your helmet have a pair of sunglasses or a hat ready, slightly turn away from your admirers and either put the sunglasses up on your head pushing your hair back or slip the hat on effectively hiding your "helmet hair".

I'm a single woman, with crazy curly hair and go on lots of "Ski Dates", believe me when I tell you I'm way embarrassed about the "Helmet Look". These 2 things have eased the worried ego a lot.

One last thing, shop for a helmet that fits your face not just your head. Too much exposed forehead never looks appealing...

 

[Witchery]

This is a nice helmet )

https://www.rei.com/product/791706

 

[Witchery]

and this one comes with a ponytail port..!?!

https://www.skinet.com/ski/gear/2009/08/boeri-siren-plush-helmet

and so does this one, but it is suppose to be smaller and lighter and designed to get more women wearing ski helmets...if only it was a different colour??

https://www.norway.org/News_and_eve...ure--Design/Winter-Sports--Industrial-Design/