Calgary ski chick
Certified Ski Diva
I ski mostly blue and black groomed runs but am starting to get into the trees and into more fun parts of the hill :-)
How many Divas out there wear a helmet?
How many Divas out there wear a helmet?
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Helmet or not?
- Thread starter Calgary ski chick
- Start date
Robyn
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
YES, wear a helmet. I can't tell you how many people I know or know of that have either been killed or seriously injured because they were not wearing a helmet. And this isn't about your skiing ability, it's more about the ability and control the skiers/riders around you have.
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And this isn't about your skiing ability, it's more about the ability and control the skiers/riders around you have.Couldn't agree with more. Yes I wear a helmet and have since 2001 when we went to Whistler. I'm on my 3rd one even. Didn't like the way the others fit. Also they are warmer than a toque and fashion wise go with everything.! Calgary ski chick - mines a Salomon Icon, similar to the one in my avitar - that's the Siam from 2 years ago.
IttyBittyBetty
Certified Ski Diva
Helmet for Sure
I wouldn't dream of skiing without a helmet, just like I wouldn't ride my bike without one. As mentioned by Robyn, you cannot control other skiers/riders. Even if you stick to the green runs, someone out of control could bowl you over, perhaps even knocking you into the trees. You could get seriously hurt just minding your own business and skiing conservatively.
Surely, if you are going into the trees yourself, you NEED a helmet. I've come out of the trees many times with sticks in my vent holes! You hit stuff in the trees.
I wouldn't dream of skiing without a helmet, just like I wouldn't ride my bike without one. As mentioned by Robyn, you cannot control other skiers/riders. Even if you stick to the green runs, someone out of control could bowl you over, perhaps even knocking you into the trees. You could get seriously hurt just minding your own business and skiing conservatively.
Surely, if you are going into the trees yourself, you NEED a helmet. I've come out of the trees many times with sticks in my vent holes! You hit stuff in the trees.
volklgirl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Ditto here.
I can't even count the times I've been hit by other skiers and boarders!
But, then, most of them aren't skiing ever again.
num
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I agree with the other divas who've said get a helmet. This season I'm pretty much just skiing on greens and blues at small hills, but there are a lot of injuries that can happen even in those situations. In many situations a helmet will help minimize damage, in some it can prevent it, and it having negative effects is rare, so do get one. Make sure it fits you properly and works well with your head shape. There are lots of options nowadays with fit, degree of warmth, venting, bluetooth or other audio hookups, etc. Personally I like wanted something as unobtrusive as I could get. I don't like having my vision cut off, and I really didn't want to feel something heavy and cumbersome on my head, or something that obstructed my hearing. I got the Salomon Fury and have been happy with it so far.
I agree with everything that's been said so far.
I was one who hated wearing hats, and would only wear one when the temperature was in the teens or single digits. I got away with just wearing a Turtlefur headband. After reading about some of the crashes (and sometimes injuries) here and elsewhere, I decided this season that it was just not worth the risk to not wear a helmet, even though I was initially concerned about hating having my head covered. Turns out, much to my surprise, I actually don't mind it and in fact, I feel naked without it, just like I feel naked on my bike if I don't have my cycling helmet on.
My SO, who is an excellent skier, was a holdout until a few weeks ago, when he had a high-speed crash and went into a chainlink fence head-first. He lucked out--hit the fence in the middle, rather than on one of the metal fenceposts, and sustained some bruising and scrapes, but the first words out of his mouth when he met me at the lodge after that run were, "I'm convinced. I'm not skiing again unless I have a helmet on my head."
I was one who hated wearing hats, and would only wear one when the temperature was in the teens or single digits. I got away with just wearing a Turtlefur headband. After reading about some of the crashes (and sometimes injuries) here and elsewhere, I decided this season that it was just not worth the risk to not wear a helmet, even though I was initially concerned about hating having my head covered. Turns out, much to my surprise, I actually don't mind it and in fact, I feel naked without it, just like I feel naked on my bike if I don't have my cycling helmet on.
My SO, who is an excellent skier, was a holdout until a few weeks ago, when he had a high-speed crash and went into a chainlink fence head-first. He lucked out--hit the fence in the middle, rather than on one of the metal fenceposts, and sustained some bruising and scrapes, but the first words out of his mouth when he met me at the lodge after that run were, "I'm convinced. I'm not skiing again unless I have a helmet on my head."
Oh, don't let Native Vail Gal in on this thread.
She is the poster Gal for Helmet use!
There are some who don't wear helmets and are advocates for personal choice in that matter. People whom I hold in high regard, like Bob Peters, and Thatsagirl.
As for me, I always always always wear a helmet.
I dressed for retro day last spring and only wore a pink turtlefur head band, and felt "out of sorts" all day.
I love my helmet. Warm and comfy.
She is the poster Gal for Helmet use!
There are some who don't wear helmets and are advocates for personal choice in that matter. People whom I hold in high regard, like Bob Peters, and Thatsagirl.
As for me, I always always always wear a helmet.
I dressed for retro day last spring and only wore a pink turtlefur head band, and felt "out of sorts" all day.
I love my helmet. Warm and comfy.
ride_ski
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Everyone's made great points so far. I wear a helmet. We just started wearing them last year. My husband had one that he wore when he was boarding, but not skiing. I think I'd feel "naked" without it now. It is much warmer than just a hat. The only issue I have had is that not all goggles fit with every helmet. (This has been discussed in other threads). It took a few tries to find the best fit.
alta_gal83
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Wear the helmet no matter what part of the run you're on. $100 is nothing in investment terms when you are considering the alternative -- MRIs and CTs.
... or worse. Can't put a dollar figure on a permanent injury.
Regardless of how good, or how careful a skier you are, everyone falls, and all it takes is a fall the wrong way, or catching an edge, losing control, and crashing into something. And as has already been mentioned, there are the other people. Ski areas are more crowded nowadays, and there are always people skiing or riding out of control. Other people fall, too, regardless of how good or careful a skier/rider they are.
MaineSkiLady
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
won't ski w/o it
Absolutely, emphatically yes. In fact, I've got 3. (And 3 heads, too?
- No, just 3 different colors!) (HELMETS, not 3 different color heads!!) DH forgot his on 1/1, which he realized after 10 miles of travel. We turned around to go get it.
Absolutely, emphatically yes. In fact, I've got 3. (And 3 heads, too?
- No, just 3 different colors!) (HELMETS, not 3 different color heads!!) DH forgot his on 1/1, which he realized after 10 miles of travel. We turned around to go get it.+1
I don't have any horror crash story to tell, helmeted or not. I wear one mostly because it's COLD out here. And when it's actually snowing, the snow gets into my neck otherwise.
Since I only got mine a few weeks ago, I don't know if I'd like it as much when it's warm out there. But trees... I'd wear one for THAT for sure.
MaineSkiLady
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Glad you got one. Newer ones all vent well. After awhile, you'll feel odd if you take it off and try to ski. Biggest risk in the east is skier collisions. Would love to show people what one of my (now out of use) helmets looks like after someone nailed me hard - imagine those ski edge gouges on your skull instead of the helmet. I think my left ear would have been cut off! Reason enough...
Dude on the lift new year's morning said he'd been a hold out, but made his kids wear them. Realized he was setting a bad example, and when he got out on the hill the first time with his new helmet, he wondered where he'd been all this time -- he loved his new helmet for warmth and everything!
I started wearing one when I decided that the one sitting in the closet was going to waste there. (my daughter's, and she wasn't skiing) Might as well make use if it, you know? DH got one, and next day was glad he had!
Riding up the lift this past Sunday morning, we passed over a crash -- dude was in LOUD pain. Looking at the location of the fall, and remembering the boarder who'd sommersaulted down it the last ride up (good thing HE had a helmet), I'm guessing this guy would have been either in very QUITET pain, or no longer capable of ever expressing any pain again. As it is, he's done for the season, I'm sure, but I'm also guessing he'll be back next year, even if it's a whole lot less "exciting" slopes for a while!
Kano
I started wearing one when I decided that the one sitting in the closet was going to waste there. (my daughter's, and she wasn't skiing) Might as well make use if it, you know? DH got one, and next day was glad he had!
Riding up the lift this past Sunday morning, we passed over a crash -- dude was in LOUD pain. Looking at the location of the fall, and remembering the boarder who'd sommersaulted down it the last ride up (good thing HE had a helmet), I'm guessing this guy would have been either in very QUITET pain, or no longer capable of ever expressing any pain again. As it is, he's done for the season, I'm sure, but I'm also guessing he'll be back next year, even if it's a whole lot less "exciting" slopes for a while!
Kano
