Helmets? A choice or mandate?

[Core Shot]

I had to wrap my skull once the kids were born.
Be a good example. Survive to be a dad. Etc.

Yeah, here’s a stupid thread. But in another thread folks were piling on about unhelmeted ski pics.

A few times a year I go old school. And damn it’s refreshing. It’s like sex without a rubber.
Last weekend was over 50 degree spring skiing. And I took off the bucket on every chairlift. Wanted to chuck it in the woods. Or at least leave it all day at the bottom of a chair.

Similar thing in NH or IL where helmet not required for riding a donorcycle
So many Karen’s are horrified. Otoh. Feeling the wind in your hair as you row through the gears is magic. Same with bareheaded skiing on a spring day.

[Ørion]

Two friends suffered concussions from ski accidents this year. Without helmets, I'm not certain they'd be around to ski next season.

Might be a choice, but there's definitely a right answer.

Shall we discuss the freedom of going seatbelt-free next?

[BeHuWe]

Go hang out on a neuro floor in a hospital for a few hours and then make a decision whether or not a helmet is the right choice. The body can be extremely resilient and it can also be very fickle with matters pertaining to the brain. One decent blow to head can permanently alter perspective/personality/reasoning for life.

Helmets shouldn’t be mandatory because otherwise it would put some of us in the medical field out of business, but there really is only one right answer.


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[MagnificentUnicorn]

I’ve seen two skiers die with helmets on. Both suffered fatal head injuries. It’s anecdotal but ski helmets aren’t a guarantee. They help in some cases for sure, especially mild knocks to the head. I wear one sometimes


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[Cruiser]

Took the dirt bike out for a quick zip around town the other day and one of my kids totally busted me when I got back for not having a helmet on. It's very rare for me not to wear one when I'm riding any of the toys but sure enough the feeling of the warm spring breeze in my hair made me leave it in the closet. I told the kid I was sorry for the mistake as I'm always telling them to fasten the chin strap cuz a helmet won't do any good if it flies off before your head hits ground, trees, big rocks, etc ..

[Core Shot]

Yeah. I get it. Helmets save lives.
So do seatbelts. I always buckle up.

But driving with no belt is meh.

Skiing or motorbike with no helmet is exhilarating

I don’t do either that often.
But I defend your right to do so.

[ill-advised strategy]

Two friends suffered concussions from ski accidents this year. Without helmets, I'm not certain they'd be around to ski next season.

Might be a choice, but there's definitely a right answer.

Shall we discuss the freedom of going seatbelt-free next?

Seatbelt tickets are bullshit. The founding fathers would roll over in their graves.

[Marshal Olson]

Only depends on if there is something to protect

[ill-advised strategy]

Gotta protect Our Creditors!

Can’t have the cattle getting injured.

[ill-advised strategy]

Jeff Bezos might have to put one less golden toilet on his moon mansion if we’re Losing Productivity with all these Injured Slaves.

[nickwm21]

Last weekend was over 50 degree spring skiing. And I took off the bucket on every chairlift. Wanted to chuck it in the woods. Or at least leave it all day at the bottom of a chair.

If it’s above freezing and sunny I’m wearing glasses not goggles.

If it’s warm (above 45) I’m wearing my MTB helmet and glasses.

It’s amazing to me to see everybody wearing goggles and goretex when it’s 50 deg out.


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[skiJ]

There are Very well-ventated helmets that weigh practically nothing -

( please) get one - or on a FiftyF degree day wear a bike helmet - please.

( the kid that collided with a tree with his head in 2010, Because it was 'too nice a day to wear a helmet' never had another chance
( his injury was not-survivable. ) )

snowsports helmets offer pretty minimal protection - especially if one is skiing at speed. but they do offer more than no protection --


respectfully ,
I am troubled by a comment in another thread about young (sliders) without helmets ...
( where do they get the idea that is okay (?) )

Evolution of equipment makes high-speed riding Easy , and
high-speed riding has a much smaller margin of error ;

there are posts in another thread about a woman who was hit at 'ghee earlier this season whose injuries were described by the surgeons who tried to put her back together as injuries consistent with a car crash.

I don't wear a helmet because I might fall -
I wear a helmet Because I have been hit from behind ( three times ).

And to set the right example.


finally, because not everyone reading these pages understands , and I will apologize. only apologize. :

comparing skiing without a helmet to un-safe ( unprotected ) sex is an all-time Bad comparison.


count me among
wear the right helmet for the day - it's 2022.

End of rant -
thanks for listening... skiJ

[Angle Parking]

Given that helmet wearing is the law in B.C. when riding a bike, ATV, sled, dirt bike etc, it's always struck me as a bit weird that they are not mandated on the slopes.

Anyone know of any jurisdictions where helmets are mandated on the slopes?

Another interesting angle on the issue is helmets touring versus hill skiing? Anyone do one but not the other?

[ill-advised strategy]

[skiJ]

I believe 'helmets on minors' was the law in ( minnesota (?) ) .

[ill-advised strategy]

Well, for mining sure, rocks flying around…cave-ins..

[2FUNKY]

Mandate, no. Most of the time I wear one. Lots of trees here and my helmet has several scars from branches being hit at speed. Rather just lower my head to rip through a tight spot knowing a big slash opening is on the other side then stop or go super slow through a tree’d area.
Last year while hauling ass, gps said 65, the light went flat and I hit a frozen chunk of snow I couldn’t see under about 2” of pow while mid turn. It ripped my skis off and I don’t recall some of the crash, remember sliding feet down really fast and finally stopping. Part in between I don’t recall. Thankfully I had a helmet that day. More than likely that injury would have been way worse as the snow under the 2” of new was rock solid.
Now warm days with soft conditions I’ll rock the hat or soft days with no precipt.
As far as glasses or goggles go, at speed my eyes water a ton with glasses so I mainly wear goggles.

[dcpnz]

Pull the ear pads off, open the vents, wear glasses not goggles. I get plenty of ventilation on a hot spring day.

Had enough minor incidents with inadvertent falls, clipping a tree branch etc that are non-events with a helmet that could have been significant without .

And yes I now always wear a helmet touring too - at least on the down, it’s usually on/in my pack up. I didn’t always until I encountered an unexpected cliff band a few springs ago.

And I always wear a helmet on the bike too - my family might be the only ones around here that wear them on townies - I just don’t see the difference between getting hit by a car on road bike vs townie

[snowaddict91]

Another interesting angle on the issue is helmets touring versus hill skiing? Anyone do one but not the other?

I always wear a helmet inbounds. Between other people, the types of terrain I like to ski, and the amount of skiing I do, I figure its a numbers game and it would be stupid not to wear one.

I used to frequently leave it at home for touring if I was planning something mellow, but I've had a few situations in the last few years where I've taken a stupid fall or changed my plan and skied something that I would normally want a helmet for that I almost always bring it now. But I'm not gonna lie, I don't really care to deal with it and wear it for touring, but I acknowledge that's a silly justification.

[adrenalated]

I supermanned into a tree one time headfirst in mellow, low angle backcountry terrain in soft spring conditions. I was unconscious and in convulsions for 5 minutes and can't remember the next 25 after I woke up. Grade 3 concussion. Without the helmet I think I'd likely be dead or a vegetable.

I'm not for a mandate but I personally wear one always.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

If you really want to protect your head while skiing you would wear a DOT/Snell certified full face motorcycle helmet. Anything else is a significant compromise.


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[CirqueScaler]

Have you guys tried just not crashing? dumb poll.

[Truckee Joe]

It's fun to let the fro fly free. Sunglasses and a headband on spring days is the best.


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[MagnificentUnicorn]

Life is dangerous and scary


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[2FUNKY]

Have you guys tried just not crashing? dumb poll.

That’s a thing? Huh.