ivan Posted November 8, 2004 Posted November 8, 2004 I don't want this to be a faqhing helmet vs no-helmet thread. after getting nailed in the noggin this past weekend, i thought it would simply be a good idea to have a post where, every time someone was saved by wearing a helmt, they wrote it up to say thanks to the little plastic thing w/ a big heart. my example for the weekend. leading pitch 2 of moscow at smiff. about 20 feet above the belay, 1 piece in, i get smashed in the dead center of my skull (right where the target's painted on my helmet). a second later i hear "rock." i'm woozy and my brain aches terribly, but i hold on and finish the route. no doubt i would have been a gibbering idiot (well, worse than now anyway) if i hadn't had my helmet on. the rock that hit me was baseball sized. Quote
iain Posted November 8, 2004 Posted November 8, 2004 It never fails to amaze me how folks still knock rocks off that route. It's like there's a 24/7 rock hackysack game going on up there. Quote
specialed Posted November 8, 2004 Posted November 8, 2004 It might have saved your brain, but you probably didn't look very COOL wearing a helmet at Smith. Quote
iain Posted November 8, 2004 Posted November 8, 2004 but you probably didn't look very COOL wearing a helmet at Smith. That guy going helmetless for the sake of coolness is like arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Quote
Dru Posted November 8, 2004 Posted November 8, 2004 I just bought a new helmet, the old one has taken enough beating. Quote
glacier Posted November 8, 2004 Posted November 8, 2004 It might have saved your brain, but you probably didn't look very COOL wearing a helmet at Smith. Yeah, here's a buddy of mine going for the only recorded helmeted on-sight of Latest Rage... Quote
billcoe Posted November 8, 2004 Posted November 8, 2004 Well, I just bought a helmet this year for rock climbing. Finally. Never been hit, never wore it on rock (had a MSR I always used in the mountains). 2 days ago finally took one, climbing right under Texplorer and Joseph, dead center in the helmet. If I didn't have a helmet on, I would not have been under them. Figure that. Quote
RichardKorry Posted November 8, 2004 Posted November 8, 2004 Ivan, hope you don't have too many lingering problems from the rock. Just curious, what type of helmet was it? Quote
ivan Posted November 8, 2004 Author Posted November 8, 2004 no problems...my head ached for a few hours. there would have been a big bloody hole if i had forgotten my helmet like the week before when climbing ice w/ pat. my helmet's a bd half dome. there's a big crack in the back from sitting on it last year, but it appears to work well when hit by falling shit. probably woulnd't help much if i fell headfirst to the ground or swung hard into something. Quote
Dru Posted November 8, 2004 Posted November 8, 2004 BD halfdomes are too small for my full dome Quote
billcoe Posted November 8, 2004 Posted November 8, 2004 BD halfdomes are too small for my full dome Crack it in 1/2 so it fits like Ivan did, it worked for him. Quote
jefffski Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 head on fist sized rock, dead centre on the helmet as i was rapping off mt waddington. thank you helmet Quote
Alex Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 I has hit in the head while leading on N Face Athabasca by a pretty small rock but going really fast. if my helmet hadnt been on and me looking down, i would prob be dead. those face shields seem alot less stupid these days, I think that will be my next purchase. with one you at least have a chance if you happen to be looking up. especially seems to make sense for ice and alpine where rockfall, icefall, or ice tools in the face are common Quote
chelle Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 Glad you had a helmet on ivan. Softball sized rock to the top of the head while downclimbing the snow gully on Shuksan. Thank you one-time-use foam Petzl helmet. I now own a BD Halfdome. Quote
sobo Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 My noggin has been saved so many times over the years by my two "old skewl" Joe Browns. They may be heavy and dorky by today's standards, but I still love 'em both. One is foam-insulated for winter climbing; the other not, for summer climbing. And I like how they resemble the old Wehrmacht helmet of WWII (that's coming from being a student of WWII). Quote
skyclimb Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 Huge icefall and rockfall on Sandy Headwall last winter. Broke a few fingers on my right hand....Took a large chunk of rock to the head, and many smaller chunks of ice....I have been hit in the head many times by ice in the cascades in winter....Not to much rockfall...Helmets ROCK! The real question is Has anyone been hit in the junk by ice or rockfall Quote
EWolfe Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 That's why I never leavehome without one of these: Quote
Dru Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 They don't even HAVE lemmings at Smiff do they? Quote
Dru Posted November 9, 2004 Posted November 9, 2004 Huge icefall and rockfall on Sandy Headwall last winter. Broke a few fingers on my right hand....Took a large chunk of rock to the head, and many smaller chunks of ice....I have been hit in the head many times by ice in the cascades in winter....Not to much rockfall...Helmets ROCK! The real question is Has anyone been hit in the junk by ice or rockfall I was hit by rockfall on Plinth Peak and it broke my camera when I pulled the pack up to cover my neck. Thus making "junk" out of a nice Pentax. Quote
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