RhodySkier
Certified Ski Diva
Yes! $100 is a small price to pay to protect your brain, especially compared to how much one pays for other ski gear. Tvan, glad your husband is okay. Hope all checks out with his doctor.
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Little Lightning's thread makes me wonder how many of you wear a helmet?
- Thread starter Ski Around Sue
- Start date
Yes! $100 is a small price to pay to protect your brain, especially compared to how much one pays for other ski gear. Tvan, glad your husband is okay. Hope all checks out with his doctor.
Empress_ski
Diva in Training
angelkeys
Certified Ski Diva
I love my helmet. And yes, they have cute stuff for kids.
Soooo, I went to Walmart and bought all kinds of bling stuff and put it on my boring brown helmet. Who says we can't have fun with safety gear.
I ski patrol and ski teach (sometimes), so I try to lighten up the mood, especially when patrolling and having to deal with hurt skiers and boarders.
Soooo, I went to Walmart and bought all kinds of bling stuff and put it on my boring brown helmet. Who says we can't have fun with safety gear.
I ski patrol and ski teach (sometimes), so I try to lighten up the mood, especially when patrolling and having to deal with hurt skiers and boarders.
MaineSkiLady
Angel Diva
Also good for large sizes: R.E.D.
3VSki
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I always wear a helmet, as do Mr 3VSki and my girls, but we're latecomers to the ski party and helmets were fairly common at that point. On so many occasions, I have thanked the gods that we invested in those helmets - not so much for serious crashes you hear about on the slopes but the stupid things that you don't anticipate.
Mr 3VSki has been clunked on the back of the head by a lift coming at him really fast and he wasn't crouched low enough to avoid the safety bar part of the chair (he saw stars). Another time, he was dealing with a pole crisis with one of the girls while getting on the chair and, again, got smacked with the bar. I crossed my skis going at mach speeds to keep up with Mr 3VSki and our instructor, bombed, somersaulted so many times and was genuinely amazed that I could still move everything (after that I decided that I would go at a speed I was comfortable with and feel no pressure to keep up with anyone).
I think that helmets are probably a bit like paying out for insurance - you can question the value of it but you would be really stupid not to have yourself covered.
Mr 3VSki has been clunked on the back of the head by a lift coming at him really fast and he wasn't crouched low enough to avoid the safety bar part of the chair (he saw stars). Another time, he was dealing with a pole crisis with one of the girls while getting on the chair and, again, got smacked with the bar. I crossed my skis going at mach speeds to keep up with Mr 3VSki and our instructor, bombed, somersaulted so many times and was genuinely amazed that I could still move everything (after that I decided that I would go at a speed I was comfortable with and feel no pressure to keep up with anyone).
I think that helmets are probably a bit like paying out for insurance - you can question the value of it but you would be really stupid not to have yourself covered.
Well, sounds like everyone should also wear a helmet in the bathtub. Statistically, a lot more people fall in the bathtub than skiing! "Who knows how much of weirdness that concussion caused"?I stand firmly by my dented head comment. And yes, call me a pinko commie. But I'm one of those who popped out a windshield with my forehead before seatbelt laws. Who knows how much of my weirdness that concussion caused.
And as for the "only 40 people die", sure, but how many have mood swings, learning disability, or nerve damage from unreported head injuries that would have been mitigated by a helmet?
Better yet, legislate it and worry about the enforcement later!
But no, people are fixiated about skiing, not taking showers.
volklgirl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Everyone has the right to their own opinion.Well, sounds like everyone should also wear a helmet in the bathtub. Statistically, a lot more people fall in the bathtub than skiing! "Who knows how much of weirdness that concussion caused"?
Better yet, legislate it and worry about the enforcement later!
But no, people are fixiated about skiing, not taking showers.
Some of us have based OURS on personal experience.
B
B.E.G.
Guest
Well, sounds like everyone should also wear a helmet in the bathtub. Statistically, a lot more people fall in the bathtub than skiing! "Who knows how much of weirdness that concussion caused"?
Better yet, legislate it and worry about the enforcement later!
But no, people are fixiated about skiing, not taking showers.
I don't think that's a fair or analogous example, actually. Skiing is fully optional - you assume the risk of gaining injuries by participating in the sport, and you mitigate the risk by wearing protective equipment.
Granted, no one HAS to shower, but it has become a part of social norm in this day and age to shower, and very few houses are going to not have showers installed. It's a part of daily life in a way that skiing is not.
I mean, overall, I agree with your position that helmet use shouldn't be legislated. However, my reasoning for that is based on cost (I can't even imagine how much it'll cost to enforce that all around the country), efficacy and efficiency (I think we'd still see hard holdouts, not to mention those who would purposely defy the law to be "cool"), and public perception (IMO, legislating helmet use puts helmets solidly in the realm of what The Man wants and stodginess and "let's defy it!").
I still believe public awareness and a PR campaign touting the coolness of helmets is a better plan, and in addition to that, I think this should be resort-mandated, with possibly government and/or tax incentives for resorts who mandate a no-tolerance, helmet-required policy (like tax reductions or lower insurance premiums).
Then the cost of enforcement is put on the resorts, but the resorts themselves have financial incentives to do so, and the resorts will probably be more vigilant about enforcing the use of helmets and pulling passes for those skiers/boarders who do not wear one.
Just my 0.02
Tvan
Angel Diva
Tvan, glad your husband is okay. Hope all checks out with his doctor.
Thanks for the good wishes. He had a follow up today and seams to be recovering as expected. Both our chiropractor and our family doctor reiterated how lucky he was to be wearing a helmet when he fell. A small investment indeed.
Swamp Dog
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
so I finally replaced my helmet 2 years after my horrific crash. I know I should have done it right after, just did not feel like helmet shopping. Plus my SkiDiva sticker is on the old one....... anyhow.....
now how would I wash my hair if I wore this in the shower??
now how would I wash my hair if I wore this in the shower??
Ski Around Sue
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
:ROTF: Cute helmet BTW!now how would I wash my hair if I wore this in the shower??
Mom of Redheads
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Wow! Haven't caught up to what's been going on in this thread in about three pages! Very interesting discussion...
A couple of thoughts going through my mind.
First, I don't like the thought of legislating helmet use... and as long as people ski into trees and die while wearing helmets, using the argument that helmets save lives isn't going to be all that effective.
Second, we do seem to be more or less in agreement that helmets can prevent a certain amount of brain injury/concussions, particularly at lower speeds and in skier-skier collisions. When an 8 year old kid skied into me from behind on a green slope at Tremblant, I swear that what went through my head as I was still falling was, "glad I am wearing a helmet!" And I got minor whiplash from that, so go figure.
Third, we've had several threads lately talking about taking personal responsibility for your actions , both in terms of holding yourself accountable if you hit someone accidentally, and also (recently) in terms of accepting the risks of being on the slopes at all.
So, what happens when the following scenario arises: helmeted skier accidentally skies into non-helmeted skier, perhaps even at slow speed. Non-helmeted skier falls and receives concussion that could largely have been prevented by having worn a helmet. Family of concussed skier (or skier him/herself) then sues helmeted skier for colliding with him in first place.
What do you think? Is helmeted skier entirely at fault? Or should unhelmeted/concussed skier bear at least some responsibility for having unwittingly sustained an injury that they could have avoided through the use of protective gear?
Just thought I'd muddy the waters a bit on this fine morning...
A couple of thoughts going through my mind.
First, I don't like the thought of legislating helmet use... and as long as people ski into trees and die while wearing helmets, using the argument that helmets save lives isn't going to be all that effective.
Second, we do seem to be more or less in agreement that helmets can prevent a certain amount of brain injury/concussions, particularly at lower speeds and in skier-skier collisions. When an 8 year old kid skied into me from behind on a green slope at Tremblant, I swear that what went through my head as I was still falling was, "glad I am wearing a helmet!" And I got minor whiplash from that, so go figure.
Third, we've had several threads lately talking about taking personal responsibility for your actions , both in terms of holding yourself accountable if you hit someone accidentally, and also (recently) in terms of accepting the risks of being on the slopes at all.
So, what happens when the following scenario arises: helmeted skier accidentally skies into non-helmeted skier, perhaps even at slow speed. Non-helmeted skier falls and receives concussion that could largely have been prevented by having worn a helmet. Family of concussed skier (or skier him/herself) then sues helmeted skier for colliding with him in first place.
What do you think? Is helmeted skier entirely at fault? Or should unhelmeted/concussed skier bear at least some responsibility for having unwittingly sustained an injury that they could have avoided through the use of protective gear?
Just thought I'd muddy the waters a bit on this fine morning...
janelle.kilmer
Diva in Training
It actually strikes me as odd anymore when I see people NOT wearing helmets. I find this somewhat humorous, as a mere three years ago I swear the odd ones would have worn them while the rest of us were without I always wear one and, besides the safety benefit (I do so love having a fully-functioning head and brain), they are warm! And I even have an audio helmet, which is super fantastic! While I never listen to music on a run, as I'm too afraid I'll lose awareness of what's happening around me, it's great for long rides up a slow lift!
I always wear one and, besides the safety benefit (I do so love having a fully-functioning head and brain), they are warm! And I even have an audio helmet, which is super fantastic! While I never listen to music on a run, as I'm too afraid I'll lose awareness of what's happening around me, it's great for long rides up a slow lift!I wear a Bern Muse helmet. It's super cute and it keeps me warm in addition to making me feel safer. I don't necessarily worry that I will hit my head on a fall (though it's very possible!), but you never can be too careful when it comes to other skiers and riders.
Last year I met an older man on a gondola who had been hit in the head by a snowboard 2 years prior (the rider was airborn coming out of the woods). He was not wearing a helmet at that time and was in the hospital for 3 months after coming out of a coma. He's lucky to be alive. Needlesstosay, when I met him he was wearing a helmet!
I was a snowboarder before switching to skiing a few years ago. I didn't wear a helmet on my snowboard (more for style at that time, and they were not nearly as prevalent as they are now), but now I recommend that all of my friends wear them. Unfortunately the closest I can get to having my boyfriend wear one is in Ribcap form. They are soft hats that harden on impact. Not sure how reliable it would be if put to the test, but it's better than nothing.
I suppose my overall my stance is...why take the risk?
Last year I met an older man on a gondola who had been hit in the head by a snowboard 2 years prior (the rider was airborn coming out of the woods). He was not wearing a helmet at that time and was in the hospital for 3 months after coming out of a coma. He's lucky to be alive. Needlesstosay, when I met him he was wearing a helmet!
I was a snowboarder before switching to skiing a few years ago. I didn't wear a helmet on my snowboard (more for style at that time, and they were not nearly as prevalent as they are now), but now I recommend that all of my friends wear them. Unfortunately the closest I can get to having my boyfriend wear one is in Ribcap form. They are soft hats that harden on impact. Not sure how reliable it would be if put to the test, but it's better than nothing.
I suppose my overall my stance is...why take the risk?
drjoyous
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'm sorry, but i haven't read through the whole thread re helmets.
Legislate or not? Frankly, I would like to see them make a better helmet (one that can withstand an impact of more than 11 mph or whatever low thing it is) and then yes, legislate it. Whoever here said the resorts can reinforce, yes--i agree.
My helmet is my crowning glory--those of you who came to Diva Week here in Tahoe two years ago (already that long?) signed my helmet! Now people ALWAYS ask me if anyone FAMOUS has signed my helmet, and I reply YES--All of us women skiers!
I love my helmet--every time i go out, you all go with me!
Legislate or not? Frankly, I would like to see them make a better helmet (one that can withstand an impact of more than 11 mph or whatever low thing it is) and then yes, legislate it. Whoever here said the resorts can reinforce, yes--i agree.
My helmet is my crowning glory--those of you who came to Diva Week here in Tahoe two years ago (already that long?) signed my helmet! Now people ALWAYS ask me if anyone FAMOUS has signed my helmet, and I reply YES--All of us women skiers!
I love my helmet--every time i go out, you all go with me!
litterbug
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I've been trying to keep my mouth shut, but I can't help saying that the whole 'cost of enforcement' argument doesn't fly. No one is going to put cops on lifts to catch un-helmeted skiers, and while ski patrol might find another reason to hate you if you dent your head (which is all a helmet prevents) because you're not wearing a helmet, they're not going to pull passes unless their bosses require it, because they are not law enforcement officers and no one is going to go around deputizing them.
I say this as a lawyer who works in (civil) law enforcement. Legislation is often used to send a message and nothing more; if cops enforced every law on the books there'd be three times as many cops in any one town. For instance, texting while driving is now illegal in Utah, but cops don't stop texters; it's just one more violation they can be written up on when they get in a wreck.
Again, I'm ambivalent about legislation, but the cost argument doesn't fly. If you're on the libertarian side of the argument that's your opinion; if you think social cost is higher than personal choice, that's your opinion. But let's be honest and accurate about the basis for our opinions.
I say this as a lawyer who works in (civil) law enforcement. Legislation is often used to send a message and nothing more; if cops enforced every law on the books there'd be three times as many cops in any one town. For instance, texting while driving is now illegal in Utah, but cops don't stop texters; it's just one more violation they can be written up on when they get in a wreck.
Again, I'm ambivalent about legislation, but the cost argument doesn't fly. If you're on the libertarian side of the argument that's your opinion; if you think social cost is higher than personal choice, that's your opinion. But let's be honest and accurate about the basis for our opinions.
