In Praise of Helmets

I'm a strong supporter of helmet use for downhill skiing or anytime I'm in avalanche or rock terrain. One of my ski buddies found a snow-covered rock with his helmeted head this last year. He was uninjured and has a nice 1/4 inch divot in his helmet as proof. It's pretty clear that head injuries are frequently involved in backcountry deaths or severe injuries and I think helmets are essential safety equipment even outside the ski area. If your own life/welfare isn't important enough then consider the potential that you might ruin your ski partner's day just because you didn't want to mess with a helmet.

Besides, showing off the big dent in your helmet from when you whacked that big rock at the bottom of that gnarly couloir is a good way to impress girls/your kids/ski partners (or whoever you hope to impress). Showing off the big dent in your head while you drool all over yourself and work your wheel chair will impress no one.

Scott

I think sharp rock collision or rock fall from direct point impact is the primary issue concerning bike helmets versus climbing style helmets. I'm not sure what rate of speed a rock falls at compared to how fast one skiis . . . and an impact on pavement when riding a bike for instance is more of a distributed impact as opposed to localized, but I suspect that is where the technicalities come in and quite possible something is better than nothing (?)
It is cumbersome to wear at times--and storage is awkward--my new pack (following Robie's gear purchase recovery tips) has a helmet "net" to cradle the noggin protector when it is not cradling my noggin--but of the few times I have not worn a helmet, I've gotten dinged. Not a rock in sight but I managed to cut my head on my own ski actually. Helmet stays on now.

I use a ski helmet in winter and a climbing helmet in Summer. The climbing helmet is lighter and has a stronger shell, which could potentially take multiple impacts. So can my winter helmet. There is no foam in the climbing helmet and it can pack way more efficiently than the foam skiing helmet.

The climbing helmet does not accommodate a hat well enough to compare to a winter ski helmet.

I am not sure whether using the climbing helmet is the proper thing to do, but I default to the "its better than nothing" camp.

I believe that a bike helmet, most of which are foam with just a thin plastic veneer shell are primarily designed for a single impact or fall occurrence. They need to be discarded after such and event. I think that the thicker shells on ski helmets can generally sustain multiple impacts either during the one fall or multiple falls. Remember that in skiing falls there is a much higher probability that upon falling and impacting that the fall, under gravity's influence, can continue. This is unlikely in a bike fall where any head impact that occurs that has the potential to injure seriously will likely have reduced the kinetic energy of the fall such that subsequent hits will be less serious.

Alan

I never wore a helmet for over 40 years of skiing in all conditions and terrain.  Then one early season day, I pinged out on a frozen rock poking out of the groomed center of lower Bull Run at Crystal, or so they tell me.  Apparently I landed on my head on the ice and left a long red smear as I ground off the skin on my face.  All I remember is leaving the lift at the top and then waking up in the sled on the the way down.  I also had broken ribs, a strained shoulder, and a torn meniscus in my knee.  Needless to say since then I always wear a helmet when skiing at an area, or on backcountry tours when I know that the snow will be firm enough to be an issue.  I still hold out on powder touring trips due to the weight and ventilation issue.  After some research, I have found two cool possibilities, one from Camp and one from Dynafit . Has anybody used one of these?

Lots of good info guys. Besides the obvious safety issues I've found great benefit from the little things like goggles not fogging up and staying on in most biffs. I wouldn't dream of running gates with out headgear, let alone contending with bodies in motion on 1 and 2 planks in bounds. I am puzzled by the proliferation of iPods in conjunction with helmets. I cannot fathom isolating ones self from the sounds of sliding, let alone the sounds of warning. Oh well, there is a lot I don't understand yet. I am sold on the Smith Holt. It is very light, vents well, has a removable liner for frequent washes and removable ear pads for summer use. I don't like the lid bouncing around on the hikes in or up but have been able to double lash it down with good luck. That is all.

Praise helmets for sure.

If conditions would make a regular ski helmet too hot, then a good combination is a rock climbing helmet (such as a Petzl, with vents) and a balaclava that you can easily put on or remove underneath to match current conditions including your level of effort.

It is possible that this combination provides less protection than a ski helmet due to having no foam, but I am going to guess that it would make a big difference in 95% of head impact cases, putting it firmly in the way better than nothing category.