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"The helmet saved your life."

post #1 of 33
2/25/08 at 11:20am
Thread Starter 
That is what my doc told me this morning when I told her about the collission I had on Saturday. Not to repeat the entire ordeal which I describe in an earlier thread "It doesn't pay to ski well," I got my clock cleaned by a woman who later told me that she admired my skiing so much that she wanted to ski my line - and ultimately take me out from behind. I remember my head hitting the ice - and then I don't remember anything until I came to in a heap. Yes, I think I busted up my knee. But I came out of it alive because of the helmet. It took multiple dents meant for my precious skull.
My friends who ride unprotected, take this from a survivor. No matter how good you are, no matter how talented, skillful, lucky or immortal you claim to be, when they come for you from behind it is all over. Get a helmet. Then you won't have to ask God to explain to you what just happened. And if you are a parent who permits your child to go without, that death or devastating brain trauma to your baby (no matter what age) will tear your world apart. Nuff said.
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post #2 of 33
2/25/08 at 11:36am
I have been thinking about this a lot lately and I find myslef to be a hypocrite in that I don't wear a helmet but would never ever let my son ride without one.
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post #3 of 33
2/25/08 at 11:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by danimal's dead View Post
I have been thinking about this a lot lately and I find myslef to be a hypocrite in that I don't wear a helmet but would never ever let my son ride without one.
That's what got me wearing one 10 years ago. I never ride or ski w/out one now.
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post #4 of 33
2/25/08 at 12:02pm
Thread Starter 
Whilst I started this thread, I am no saint. But I am no dope either. About ten years ago I went down on a steep ice covered pitch and found myself hurtling down the hill, on my back, picking up speed. I flew into the woods and came to a stop only after my skis (thankfully still attached) spread the span between a huge white birch and an even bigger boulder. The hand of the Almighty threaded that needle with my poor body. A couple feet to either side and my head would have cracked like an egg. I did not get a helmet at that point. I hung up my boards. My three young children needed a dad. Five years later, we all got back on the slopes. And the first thing everyone got was a helmet. Now I would not go out for a day on the hill without it anymore than I would drive at night without my lights on. I got a freebee. Maybe you will and maybe you won't.
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post #5 of 33
2/25/08 at 12:07pm
Amen to that. I just took one of those spills last weekend. I think I tore or severely stretched my abs and as soon as I took that backwards hit I had an IMMEDIATE headache (even WITH the helmet on). The kids of instant headache that almost makes you hurl. : I cannot imagine what might have happened had I NOT had it on. It would have done more than just hurt though I surmise.

I'm glad that you had the helmet on and that you're "okay" relatively speaking. I'm assuming as with other helmets you now have to get a new one as there has most likely been structural damage to yours. :
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post #6 of 33
2/25/08 at 12:09pm
Just make sure you replace that dented up helmet. It's no good any more.
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post #7 of 33
2/25/08 at 12:16pm
Thread Starter 
Marge, like you, I consider it a blessing just to be here to ask that "what if" question. And like you and Posaune, my doc says to get a new helmet. Perhaps to inpsire the recalcitrant, we could have the EPIC HELMET OF HONOR roster. People could post images of their noggin savers and their stories. Nothing like a bit of reality to shame the image conscious. Your thoughts?
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post #8 of 33
2/25/08 at 12:57pm

always always always!!!!!

Seriously- I've crashed motorcycles, crashed while skiing, on dirtbikes and on mountain bikes as well. I can easily say that if I wasn't wearing a helmet any of the times (save for a few non-serious ski dumps) someone would have been cleaning up my brain with a sponge. You can lose a leg and still be you. One shot to the noggin' however, and you could easily be a shadow of your former self- drooling on your shirt and having someone cut up your peas and carrots and polishing up your (now mandatory) hockey helmet for you. And that's if you're lucky enough to survive! Take it from someone who has a friend that will never be the same or under his own supervision ever again because of head trauma. Nobody goes out expecting or planning to be in an accident. That's why they call them accidents. So plan ahead. Get yourself a nice helmet and wear that jammer like your whole life depends on it cuz it does!!!

THIS IS A PICTURE OF MY BUDDY'S HEAD AFTER HE GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT WITH NO HELMET. HE'S FINE NOW BUT HE GOT LUCKY!
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...7/kevshead.jpg
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post #9 of 33
2/25/08 at 12:59pm
If that doesn't shame the image conscious, I don't know what will!
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post #10 of 33
2/25/08 at 3:06pm
When my son now 20 started skiing at age 4 I got him a helmet. The next day I said to myself. If it's good for him then it must be good for me too.

When he was 15 and an instructor his helmet broke one day. He stopped skiing for the day and said we had to buy a new one that night so he could ski tomorrow.
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post #11 of 33
2/25/08 at 3:23pm
One of the guys I work with got airlifted to the hospital on Saturday. He has a punctured/collapsed lung, broken ribs and a subdural hematoma there is a drain in his brain. He always wears a Giro helmet. Without it, I doubt he'd be with us anymore.
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post #12 of 33
2/25/08 at 6:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by deliberate1 View Post
I got my clock cleaned by a woman who later told me that she admired my skiing so much that she wanted to ski my line - and ultimately take me out from behind.
Glad to hear you are OK, but it sounds like you were skiing way too slow.
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post #13 of 33
2/26/08 at 5:22am
I got taken out by a snowboarder at Vail last week, head hit hard, wasn't knocked out but the helmet sure saved me from some injury.

Question, I don't see a dent, can I still trust the helmet?
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post #14 of 33
2/26/08 at 5:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SkiMangoJazz View Post
Question, I don't see a dent, can I still trust the helmet?
I'd guess not.
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post #15 of 33
2/26/08 at 5:23am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by U.P. Racer View Post
Glad to hear you are OK, but it sounds like you were skiing way too slow.
Actually, I was skiing the right side of the trail because those on the left and towards the middle were traveling less than half my speed, or were picking their way down the icy pitch one turn at a time. You are correct that I was skiing slower than the woman who took me out. But then, she was skiing too fast for the conditions or her abilities.
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post #16 of 33
2/26/08 at 5:30am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by SkiMangoJazz View Post
I got taken out by a snowboarder at Vail last week, head hit hard, wasn't knocked out but the helmet sure saved me from some injury.

Question, I don't see a dent, can I still trust the helmet?
My suggestion is what I am going to do. Spend the cash on an new one and put your mind at rest. It is the best money you can spend on ski gear and will set you back the cost of a lift ticket.
Damn, seems to me that there must have been a lot more head injuries in the years before people started wearing head gear. Funny thing is that I have been skiing since I was about eight years old (mid 1960's) and I do not ever recall hearing about them. Perhaps they just went undiagnosed?
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post #17 of 33
2/26/08 at 6:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by deliberate1 View Post
Damn, seems to me that there must have been a lot more head injuries in the years before people started wearing head gear.

Perhaps they just went undiagnosed?
That may be part of it, but it's also true that people ski a lot faster now due to the equipment and to grooming. Nobody groomed anything in the '60s as I remember and it took a while for it to catch on.
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post #18 of 33
2/26/08 at 8:10am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Posaune View Post
That may be part of it, but it's also true that people ski a lot faster now due to the equipment and to grooming. Nobody groomed anything in the '60s as I remember and it took a while for it to catch on.
Posaune, think your're right about that. People were doing the stem christie which is a braking move or wedelin which is just a flourish. Now we carve with equipment that facilitates higher speeds. The only things that haven't changed are the laws of physics and the frailty of the human body.
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post #19 of 33
2/26/08 at 11:09am
I know this topic has been debated ad nausuim but I wonder if the number of head injuries and deaths related to head injuries of skiers has declined since the widespread use of helmets - as a percentage of course due to a likely increase of the number of skiers.

As a survivor of a crash with a tree solely because of my helmet I'm can only think the number of injuries and deaths have declined over the past 10-15 years.
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post #20 of 33
2/26/08 at 1:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by epic View Post
I'd guess not.
Seen the Team Wendy ones anywhere?
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post #21 of 33
2/26/08 at 2:16pm
deliberate1, guess this was not a case of "copying is a form of flattery"!
Really glad you sustained less with the helmet... speedy recovery!

Describes one of the reasons, inbounds, I now wear a helmet.. but in such conditions, I now also find myself "watching my back" a lot more: that is, with a helmet I am looking back up the hill more frequently, especially because the helmet dampens my hearing(no, no earbuds nor headphones, just the "protective padding" of the helmet).

rgds,
Dave
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post #22 of 33
2/26/08 at 3:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by comprex View Post
Seen the Team Wendy ones anywhere?
Not in years and years. There must be others taht are made for morethan one hit, but the consumers have voted withthier wallets, they want the ligghter bike style helmets. I still wear clunky Briko Forerunner and it's hard to find one like it.
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post #23 of 33
2/26/08 at 4:21pm
Mine is a carrerra and i examined it really carefully and can't see any reason to think it's damaged. No dent, no distortion of the shape.
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post #24 of 33
2/26/08 at 9:45pm
In a previous post..I said I was not going to wear my helmet on a day it would be me, and my little girl...Groomers..Slow...etc...We were coming off the lift, and she got her skis tangled with mine..I fell on her, but my head snapped backwards, and smacked the hardpack..Instant headache..Started to get nauseous. Had the headache for 7 days..No doubt in my mind, that there would have been a lot more trauma..This from just getting off a lift..Helmet will be thrown away, and I will always wear it...Garrett was there, if he wants to chime in..Just go to show you never know, and sometimes it happens so fast, as not to be able to even think about it..BTW She had her helmet on too.

Lee
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post #25 of 33
2/26/08 at 9:45pm
Skier took me down a couple of weeks ago will on my board And I hit my head pretty hard. He didn't stop or appologize so I tracked him down and all his friends started giving me a hard time about asking for an appology.

While skiing a few years ago a boarder took me down so hard my goggles came out of helmet and it split the foam on the inside down the middle. This was a Leedom helmet which are pretty stout.

Both of these happened at the same CO resort. I don't really like going there because at the end of the day the only way back is among all the beginners on the front.

The best use of the helmet is for when people just grab the bar and pull it down. At 6'5' my helmet gets hit alot by these people.

BW
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post #26 of 33
2/26/08 at 10:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SkiMangoJazz View Post
Question, I don't see a dent, can I still trust the helmet?
Depends on the helmet. You might want to check with the maker.
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post #27 of 33
2/26/08 at 10:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by epic View Post
Not in years and years. There must be others taht are made for morethan one hit, but the consumers have voted withthier wallets, they want the ligghter bike style helmets. I still wear clunky Briko Forerunner and it's hard to find one like it.
I know the Marker M3 is multi-impact. So there are others...
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post #28 of 33
2/26/08 at 10:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sno_day View Post
Both of these happened at the same CO resort. I don't really like going there because at the end of the day the only way back is among all the beginners on the front.
Keystone, eh? It helps to either put off the return to the base until the mountain is mostly empty or to find the nooks and crannies. On busy days, you can even just ride back down. Better safe...
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post #29 of 33
2/27/08 at 7:24am
Thread Starter 
QUOTE guess this was not a case of "copying is a form of flattery"!
Really glad you sustained less with the helmet... speedy recovery!

Dave, was more a case of "copying is a form of flattening." Thanks for your well wishes.
David
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post #30 of 33
2/27/08 at 10:47am
wear a helmet...I just got done sawing through a cadaver head yesterday and was surprised to see that your noogin ain't that hard to get through...and the inside contents are pretty fragile as everyone knows. Seriously it was really eye opening actually feeling the fragility of it. A helmet may be a non issue if your impact is fast enough but in other instances it may mean the difference between a headache or concussion and being in a vegetative state for the rest of your life.....
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