Splash the cash and get a good one!!
if you buy the right helmet,,,,,,,,,all problems solved!
What do you get for a more expensive ski/board helmet? I know a lot about cycling gear, and the general wisdom is that all cycling helmets provide a similar level of protection; the more expensive ones are just a bit lighter, are a lot better ventilated, and look a little more stylish. Fit also varies between models/brands, but is often not related to price.
So, when skiing/boarding, what does a higher-quality helmet get me? Weight is not an issue (I'm going down the hill, not up, and I'm already wearing a tonne of other heavy clothing), ventilation is barely important (my only decision is whether to wear an EXTRA hat underneath the helmet or not), and style is also not an issue since none of my other skiing / boarding gear is at all stylish.
So, I currently have one of the cheapest helmets available when I got it 5 or 6 years ago, and I use it just a few days per year. It's performed satisfactorily for me, but what would I gain if I were to buy a more expensive one? As far as I can tell, the differences would all be unimportant to me. Anyone care to enlighten me?
I both ski and snowboard and have never worn a helmet. I have no problem with those who do but I simply prefer not to. Though I do encourage beginners and children to wear them.
Bob.
Meh, I am advanced, and I have started wearing a helmet.
It is not how good you are, it is the people around you that youhave to worry about.
I would not be surprised if they were to become compulsory in the next few years.
yep not wearing a helmet is pretty silly, especially at one of the more popular resorts, last season I was hit by a dumb ass boarder (I'm a boarder too) who shouldn't have been on the slopes in the first place as they couldn't turn or stop, as there board hit my helmet I dread to think what damage I'd have got without it.
The irony being that children usually go slower, have less mass and are more likely to heal faster than an adult...
That of course only applies to "self-inflicted" accidents, and doesn't take into account an adult piling into you. Still as others have said, it's your call.
What you would expect to get by buying a new one would certainly be the additional benefits of the 5 or 6 years steady improvement and development in Material Science since you last bought.
Is the 200chf one significantly better than the 150chf one? I don't know.
Is the 150chf one significantly better than the 100chf one? I don't know.
Is the 100chf one significantly better than the 75chf one? I don't know.
Is the 75chf one significantly better than not wearing one? Yes.
Research indicates that wearing a(ny) helmet can reduce the risk of head-injury by >30% , with no increased risk of neck injury.
As gets mentioned virtually every year round this time, hurting yourself skiing is typically down at number three in the snowsport injuries league; injuries by two skiing/boarding into each other are typically at number two; but the winner of the league most years is being injured by someone skiing/boarding into/over you whilst you're still on the ground after a (non-injuring) fall.
Thus, "I'm a good skier, I don't need a helmet" misses the point entirely.
The question is really "Are all these other hundreds of people skiing here such good skiers that I don't need to worry about them?"
I can't speak for anyone else, but never in my life have I been able to answer "Yes" to that one - in fact, some of the "better" (i.e technically competent) skiers I've seen have been the ones I'd rate as "most likely to cause a bad accident" (i.e. behaving like complete d***heads), regardless of whether or not they were wearing a helmet.
I wear a helmet because I am more worried about myself then other people.
If someone can pass me then they are good enough to judge my line and overtake me on the left when I go right. I don't ride like an a$$ either, but I do like to fly at mach 10 and I NEVER jump without a spotter to give me an all clear. (unless I'm in the park and can see if someone has cleared the landing)
One glorious powder day many years ago in Colorado I was riding in the glades when I hit a stump which sent me flying backwards head first. A loud thump to the noggin is all I heard. I got up and did a few more runs before I found myself checking into the Vail Valley Medical Center cause I couldn't remember where I worked but knew I had to be there soon. I ended up having a level 5 concussion (the worst) and had to spend the night there. Everybody from the nurses (who are very hot at that hospital) to the doctors agreed I would be dead if it were not for my helmet. I never ride without it.
And yes, when I ride alone there is a rock concert in my helmet. Like I said I'm not worried at all about the people behind me. Only the people in front of me who are skiing in a pattern similar to a wounded duck. Those are the most dangerous people on the mountain.
No idea about ski helmets but when it comes to climbing helmets it is just like you argue above.
All entry-level helmets (aka cheap helmets) that I have seen being sold in Switzerland come from established manufacturers and are certified by UIAA and/or a European counterpart. So if you define "quality" based primarily on its ability to protect the wearer's head, I would say a 50 CHF helmet is just as safe as a 250 chf helmet.
But when you bring in factors such as improved air flow (frankly insignificant for climbing) and looks (looks are very important, let's admit it I once bought a gorgeous colored helmet because I realized my white helmet looked too bland against snow background) it becomes more interesting.
The more expensive helmets weigh about 300g (the cheap ones weigh 500g), so we are speaking of a weight reduction of 200 g or 40%, which looks kinda cool on the ad literature. However it is not even 1% saving when you consider that the total mass (including pack, body weight) is over 80 kg on average.
The weight saving matters for people doing speed ascents of North faces, but for most other people, there are many inexpensive ways of saving 200g (e.g. emptying your bladder a bit more frequently can save 500g, carrying one banana less saves 300g; maybe a long haired person can save 200g simply by getting a short haircut).
And ultra-light helmets (very expensive) can sometimes not be UIAA certified; they are simply too delicate for normal use. So if you buy based on price and looks alone, probably you are making a poor decision as a consumer.
That said, most climbing helmet manufacturers recommend replacing a helmet after about 5 year (if it did not take a hit before, that is); I would pay heed to it.
The biggest argument for a lighter helmet is to reduce the forces working around the head and neck in the event of an accident.
If Niranjan says the difference in weight between an expensive helmet and a cheap helmet is in the region of 200g its true it has no bearing on the entire weight of the climber/skier/snowboarder in terms of performance but it represents about 4% weight saving on the weight of the head alone and since momentum is mass x velocity the faster you go the effect of the weight in an accident at speed increases.
While the effects might be small, they may make a difference to the amounts of soft tissue damage around the neck or have an effect on whiplash type injuries. Also if the helmet is aimed at preventing head injuries a heavier helmet will have slight more impulse when hitting the ground then a lighter one which means that the heavier helmet will have to deform more to do its job.
Again small effects which you hope you will never have to use but enough to convince me to splash the cash a little bit and get one that is relatively light.
In a lot of cases safety equipment is just scarily expensive, helmets are running at hundreds of francs for some models, and any of the back country gear costs an absolute fortune. I really wish the ABS backpacks came down in price... it will be next piece of safety equipment (after a new helmet) if I can ever afford it.
As for longevity of helmets, I think most manufacturers say about 5-6 years is the life span of a helmet, less if it has been used. If the foam is in anyway compressed or cracked then it should be replaced. Unfortunately this means I've got to replace mine this year.
Helmets for skiing perform a different function from those for mountaineering.
Those for mountaineering are primarily designed to protect the head from rock or ice falling from above.
Most have little or no shock absorbing ability. They don't need it.
So, I would say that Niranjan's comments about weight are valid but only in the context of mountaineering and with mountaineering helmets.
Eire's comments are valid for skiing helmets where weight does play a part and a lighter helmet is better.
Perhaps Eire's comments are more valid as they are on topic as we're discussing ski helmets rather than climbing helmets
OK, maybe I got distracted by your earlier reference to your helmet-less free-climbing stories
Ok, back to topic
Yein. While I take your point about random skiers/boarders snowploughing in front of you, I can usually easily avoid them (I also shout ahead warning them of which side I am coming from, and of course slow down). That said, the last major impact I had was some tosser who came from high left behind me and off-piste and too fast. All I heard was ....w...w..w.wwwoooOAAAAHHHHHHHH *wipe out*.
What I found particularly infuriating was the following:
1) I was below him
2) I was on piste he was joining from off piste
3) I was carving, so my trajectory would be clear to anyone with half a brain
Luckily no injuries, but I lost both skies and did a couple of somersaults.
Tw*t.
The issue is that you have no control over what happens behind you. At least you can react to what's ahead...
Think of it as an opportunity...
the above collision stories serve to remind my why i loathe pistes. skiing prepared (easy) groomed slopes with 100s of people of questionable ability does not sound very interesting to me. i ski offpiste 99% of the time and i wear a helmet nearly 100% of the time. you never know what might be lurking a few cms underneath that fresh pow...
giro fuse is a great helmet. it's light, has closeable vents, and tune-ups compatible. i've also got a full face giro remedy for going big or skiing trees.
Nice, I had that same helmet after I crashed my Boeri helmet. Which are bombproof brain buckets by the way. The giro was much lighter and better vented which is a MUST HAVE come spring, head phones rocked too. But it didn't last very long and neither has yours. (please don't wear that thing again, its finished) You should always replace a helmet after a good hard impact regardless if you see any damage or not, (and yours has very visible damage) especially with the softer shells like the giro fuse. I will now only wear hard plastic shells as I feel safer plus you can use them to clear out the low hanging branches when going through the trees. I agree with having a lighter helmet but its much harder for a rock to slice through the hard plastic. I'll take soft tissue damage over having a huge gash in your head anyday. Again its a trade off.
duuude, that was like 5 years ago. never expect a helmet to survive more than one major impact. that's what you pay for. the shattered wrist that came with that accident cost 20Kchfs, i didn't bat an eye at replacing a 150chf helmet.
re boeris, hate the lack of ventilation compared to the giro. i gotta have the most vented helmet coz i run hot all the time. the giro fully stopped a rock at speed so i don't think there is any added benefit to looking like a euro pisten carver.
Just saying, I've seen people with helmets in worse shape then yours. lol
I have a Salomon Patrol thats pretty nice. No sound system like the giro but its a hard shell, ventilated and the baseball helmet style. I believe that the Salomon is the only baseball style helmet with ventilation. But I haven't seen any of the 2011 gear yet. As of now its still works for me. I only replace when things break. This will be my 9th season on a Never Summer Premier (well over 600 days)* It finally feels broken in. NS boards are INDESTRUCTIBLE. Every year I say I'm going to get a new board, then the season comes and I ride my NS and think "damn, its still perfect" Maybe one day.........
* (edit) Thats over 600 documented days of cliff dropping, road gaping, tree smashing, log sliding, rail jibbing, parking lot scraping, back yard bonfire quarter pipe hitting madness........and then I got married, moved to Zurich and had to join the "real world" Anyways its a damn good board.
Been skiing for over 20 years, never wore a helmet. Went to Morgin last year mis read a turn went down the cliff woke up down the bottom blood everywhere......dislocated shoulder, jarred jaw, and busted nose, and teeth went through bottom lip. Lol.....Guess what......Bought a helmut
Got a helmet once I move here and skiing regularly...Would probably feel naked on the slopes without one...Trying to find one for the wife...very difficult....Suggestions...??