Cover Your Bean!

[Dirtyleaf]

I'll bet you he danced a little jig before that one.

[Le Piston]

It seems some of our fellow climbers are missing the original idea. Helmets do not prevent all injuries or fatalities, but they protect your brain from a lot of potential trauma. I worked ER for over 20 years and saw a lot more people saved by safety devices than killed by them...a lot more! I heard the "I know someone who would have died wearing a seatbelt" story many times...but saw more injuries of people being ejected from a vehicle or being a projectile in a vehicle than people winding up without a scratch not wearing one. A helmet won't protect your neck but to say it caused the broken neck in the bicycle rider is rather illogical. We all have to make choices about risk taking, but we aren't the only ones who pay for the consequences. I dislike sounding preachy, but get real guys...what we do has inherent risk both objective and subjective. Why ridicule people who want to keep it as safe as possible? We can't control all thes risks, but that's why good judgement and good equipment are important. I'm done beating the horse. I'll await the inevitable spray response. Cheers!

[Bug]

For the record, its no fun spraying you when you expect it.

Fun-sucker.

 

I wear a helmet and always make my girls wear helmets so that the unforseen does not take its toll but also just so the girls will be used to wearing them all the time.

Top roping Barney's Rubble with no one else around was one exception.

 

But I do not want to wear the things all the time. Argue all you want about the unforseen but that can happen anywhere, anytime.

Just like Sobo said, "think".

[Dechristo]

Why ridicule people who want to keep it as safe as possible?

 

The ridicule appears pointed more at those who may choose to climb w/o a helmet.

[Pete_H]

Which is lame. As if looking cool while you climb isn't important.

[shaoleung]

I blame the Ercrin Roc helmet... there is no f'in' way you can look good in that thing. This helmet though... if it passes the UIAA ratings, I'm all over it!

 

[img:left]http://www.ohgizmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/skull_helmet.jpg[/img]

[JosephH]

Worldwide, how many of the people who are going to get dropped by their belayer this week will be wearing a helmet?

[Dechristo]

That circumstance requires the donning of this type helmet:

[moira armen]

I always wear my helmet while leading and insist that my belayer wear one while belaying me.

 

[img:center]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XNueStDVX8c/SgnUihI6InI/AAAAAAAAEVI/UrnANUIxXoU/s1600/DSC_0038.jpg[/img]

 

You do not!

[t_rutl]

How about posting links to your favorite helmet? Mine is in serious need of an update.

 

Petzl Altios

 

comfy, light and durable

 

http://www.petzl.com/us/outdoor/verticality/helmets/mountaineering-and-climbing-helmets/altios

[JosephH]

I have two of each of these: Petzl Ecrin Roc for serious endeavors, Petzl Meteor III for casual ones.

[billcoe]

Worldwide, how many of the people who are going to get dropped by their belayer this week will be wearing a helmet?

 

 

ALL OF THEM!!!!!!!! Seriously, I'd be surprised if it was less than say...hmmm, 100%. Good point, but one which will most likely be lost on the "You're not safe if you don't wear a helmet crowd".

 

Again, for the reading impaired, it's not about LOOKS at all. It's what is inside of your head that is important. I own 5 climbing helmets, I don't denigrate those who wear them or don't wear them, and try to not jump up and down starting threads telling people they MUST wear a helmet to be safe (or NOT wear a helmet). It isn't the helmet that counts, it's your friggan brain. Your brain may chose to wear one, or not, see the JHs examples above for instance, I've climbed with him and we both have worn helmets and done without as well ....not to say I haven't screwed up and should have had one on but didn't as well.

 

It's your brain that chooses to go for it or not

It's your brain that chooses to climb under anohter ...or not.

 

So when I see this stupid threads that go something like this "Oh, dude was climbing under another party and got hit by a rock, but THANK THE GOOD LORD HE HAD HIS HELMET ON!!!!!!!!!because his helmet saved his life" threads...I always think, was dude climbing under them BECAUSE of the false sense of security a helmet brings? Would dude have simply gone to the next route and totally stayed out of the hospital had he NOT had a helmet on to start with. He would have looked up and perhaps thought, "I don't feel safe climbing under these folks without a helmet? "

 

Get real dudes. It's what is inside that counts, whats inside and how you think is of significantly more importance than what is on top of your head. [/rant I'm done]

[Dane]

Boxers or briefs?

[Off_White]

commando

[shaoleung]

Thong

[rocky_joe]

Mom says "helmet on," and then I can take the bus to my job.

[shaoleung]

Inside my helmet I carry one of the keenest, rational and hard core beans known to the northwest, and that there bean simply looks hot in the helmet. Have we hit 5 pages yet?

[rocky_joe]

oh and boxer briefs...when i decide to ditch the nanner hammock

[Dane]

COMMANDO....just like the sound of it.

 

On topic? Grivel Salamader and a Petzl Meteor are my lids but I seldom wear either unless I am in a Squirrel suit.

 

 

Oh and no matter who you are, or the helmet used, wearing a helmet makes you look like a dork. So most of us try to cover it if we are wearing one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

damn thought that would make 5 for sure....

[JosephH]

As Bill said, choices you make have a lot of bearing on the necessity of a helmet. In general, when I see clutches of today's climbers out at the crag, wearing a helmet or not is usually down on the priority list of things that might benefit from a bit of attention, thought, and change.

[kevbone]

dead horse?

[Dane]

You mean like this Kevin?

 

 

Ya, pretty much. Don't think a helmet was the asnwer here.

 

 

[JosephH]

Horsesh#t, it would have been nothing but a mild concussion if he'd been wearing his helmet, but no, he couldn't be bothered and thought it might clash with his mane.

 

[billcoe]

I know climbing is a particularly aggro sport, but do we really have to continue feeling like sissies when we put on a helmet at the crags?

 

Lets face it, it isn't a weight issue or even mobility. It's because the guys out there are hoping the Swedish bikini team is going to walk by the climb they're working on and think, "Oooh... what a tough, fearless stud!"

 

OK, so Sharma's mess of hair would not look quite as bad-ass with a helmet on, but aren't we more impressed with his 5.15s than his hair?

 

I don't feel like a sissy or a dork wearing a helmet, don't think I know others that do. But as long as we are going for 5 pages and already have teh fashionistas involved, shouldn't we include other headwear as well?

 

Exhibit A) LOL!

 

 

Exibit B)

 

Ammon, Ivo and Potter topping out on the Reticent

 

That Swedish bikini team you mention will walk right past these dudes.

 

Exhibit c) These dudes finally gave up on the silly headbands and hats, seen here after the first one day ascent of the nose:

 

Still embarrassed to wear a helmet at 60 years old?

 

 

[Choada_Boy]

It seems some of our fellow climbers are missing the original idea. Helmets do not prevent all injuries or fatalities, but they protect your brain from a lot of potential trauma. I worked ER for over 20 years and saw a lot more people saved by safety devices than killed by them...a lot more! I heard the "I know someone who would have died wearing a seatbelt" story many times...but saw more injuries of people being ejected from a vehicle or being a projectile in a vehicle than people winding up without a scratch not wearing one. A helmet won't protect your neck but to say it caused the broken neck in the bicycle rider is rather illogical. We all have to make choices about risk taking, but we aren't the only ones who pay for the consequences. I dislike sounding preachy, but get real guys...what we do has inherent risk both objective and subjective. Why ridicule people who want to keep it as safe as possible? We can't control all thes risks, but that's why good judgement and good equipment are important. I'm done beating the horse. I'll await the inevitable spray response. Cheers!

 

None of your clear logic makes any sense.

 

What is endlessly entertaining, evidenced here and in the ongoing Aliens safety discussions, is how people who choose a course of action contrary to what a logical safety analysis would indicate as a course of action statistically significant in lowering the risk of an always risky endeavor explain away their personal choices with all manner of skewed "logic". "Helmets can protect you from randomly falling rocks but I avoid randomly falling rocks so I don't wear a helmet." "Helmets prevent or limit injury in almost all climbing accidents involving the head but I don't wear a helmet because of a statistically improbable event in which a helmet would cause injury."

 

Please call a spade a spade: you choose not to use a piece of safety equipment and because of your choice you are increasing the likelihood of serious injury in an accident. But hey, live free or die. Do whatever the fuck you want. But when someone drops a camera on your head from 500' up, don't be too surprised when you end up as a mouthbreather, window licker.