Helmet Geeks? Post your picture?

[Dane]

These days smart climbers use the lightest, high tech helmets on anything from El Cap to 5.14 or while on both. Wasn't long ago that wearing a helmet rock climbing signaled you out as a GEEK No more thankfully with everyone from the Huber Brothers to Ueli Steck trust up and pulling hard on rock or ice.

 

We've all had the discussion before about the two basic styles of helmets, hard shell plastic and the lighter (and more impact protection) foam cored shelled helemts.

 

There are places for both imo. I like the hard shell plastic helmets in the mountains and on routes I don't baby my gear. But they offer less over all impact protection.

 

The foam cord helmets offer a big jump in impact protection....once... so we have disposable helmets. One big hit and you need a new one.

 

The bike industry offers the same foam cored technology, expects their cutomers to break helmets on a regular basis (generally preventing serious tramatic injuries and saving a life) because of that, so all the better bike helmet companies offers a helmet trade in discount to replace a broken helmet. (Giro and Bell) They have recognized a healthy customer will buy even more helmets

 

My generation generally only used helmets in the alpine and on water ice. But it wasn't a quick adoption. Even with a helmet head, eye and facial injuries are not uncommon now.

 

 

This chuckle head's life was spared yesterday by a foam cored Giro snow board helmet. Helmet a total loss of course. But without one he'd be DEAD.

 

Water ice can be partically vicious. I've been knocked out on lead and had several facial cuts that were serious enough it took stiches to put me back together. After catching a piece of ice in my right eye on a pillar last winter I am now using a visor on water ice. Not being able to see for longer than I wanted and wondering just how bad the injury really was is something I'd like to avoid in the future.

 

Common stuff but you get the idea. Let's see your helmet or injury? Might remind a few of us to be careful out there!

 

Jack and his geeky visor that I really wanted after a piece of ice popped me directly in the eye on this trip. I finally bought a visor yesterday!

 

 

 

Same trip and a typical ice climbing "scratch". That can just as easily be really serious. With a visor I would have easily have avoided this.

 

 

ZuZu wants to know if you are wearing a helmet?

 

[Julian]

 

Me rocking an Edelrid Shield foam core helmet after a dirty pitch at Moolack. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that despite all my gear wankery, the one place I cheap out is on a helmet. I've had this one for 5 years and repaired it twice with super glue (but not anything crazy like super-gluing the foam back together in an impact zone - all things related to the tightening mechanism). It's not that I'm too cheap to replace this helmet, it's that I love it and the way it fits and don't want to give it up.

[rocketparrotlet]

I love my helmet...it's one of those heavy thick old light green Edelrid ones, and I'm very glad I wear a hard plastic helmet instead of a foam core one...I have bad luck with things hitting me, and I don't want to risk it because often times, when things have a likelihood of hitting me in the head, that means there is loose rock/ice and it is liable to do it again. (ex. Mt. Baring if you're off route)

 

I've got one of those nose scratches too! They hurt. A week ago on the last pitch of Rat Ketchup, I was bouldering around at the bottom and a chunk of ice fell off that weighed at least 5 pounds, hit me in the chest and knocked me off. Luckily I was only a foot above the ground (I don't like to go much higher ice-bouldering).

 

My helmet under violet laser light: http://s565.photobucket.com/albums/ss91/rocketparrotlet/

 

As soon as I get some clear acrylic paint I will paint my helmet with glow-in-the-dark of all different colors (I have green, blue, and red GITD powder- this will be fun!)

 

-Mark

[Frikadeller]

I have two helmets.

 

One is just a regular Petzl Elios ( I think) model. It fits really well, and is a plastic shell.

 

 

But I recently picked up a different helmet because it is rated as both a climbing helmet and a ski helmet (the CAMP Pulse) because I tend to do more ski mountaineering than rock climbing. This helmet is also one of those foam covered with a thin plastic shell types. So far that one is working out as well. Especially it's pretty much the only ski helmet out there that has headlamp clips!

 

 

 

[Julian]

The Camp Pulse is a great idea to accommodate the needs of an ever-growing niche in the market. If I did more skiing I would buy one for sure.

[RokIzGud]

I just added a little sunshine to my helmet.

[Dan_Miller]

Be certain to put the Mammut Tripod into the mix, you could PM Steph Abegg perhaps for an in depth opinion.

 

I'm strongly considering replacing my older Petxl Elios with one.

[JoeR]

Hand me down Safety Orange BD Half Dome for me, with Safety Orange reflective striping I found on a highway crew truck for extra safety. I also grow a Safety Orange beard.

 

 

SAFETY!

Edited January 21, 2010 by JoeR

[DaveH]

I have a helmet story from several years ago that has affected my views on head protection.

I was descending a peak in New Zealand's Southern Alps (my home stomping ground) with a group - 5 in my lot and 4 in a separate team. It was late in the day and we had to drop down a steepish snow-filled couloir that was a rockfall funnel. One from each team were climbing down together when they both got hit. Strangely, they were both wearing the same type of helmet - the old bucket style Edelrid plastic. My friend was hit bullseye on the top centre of his lid. The rock punched an almost perfectly circular hole about an inch and a half in diameter - when he took the helmet off later a blue plastic circle fell out of the helmet cradle. Apart from a bit of a headache and a sore neck, he was fine.

 

The dude from the other team was not so lucky. He curled himself up which exposed the back of his neck. A rock caught the back of his helmet, took a nice triangular chunk out of the bottom edge and left him with an inch long gash in his neck just missing his vertebrae. He was also knocked out for a few minutes. Fortunately, he was being belayed from above so didn't go for the big slide. Both groups combined to get him to safety and a cold damp night was spent sheltering under an overhanging ice wall. Next morning, with his gear distributed among the rest of the team and fixed lines set up, he was able to get down to the glacier and walk out 4 hours to his vehicle with just a stiff neck.

 

Ever since then, I instinctively do the turtle thing if rocks or ice are coming in my direction, ie. I try and pull my head straight down into my shoulders rather than bending my head forward which seems to be a more natural position. Most modern helmets don't appear to have much neck protection. They are usually shaped high at the back so you can look up without stabbing yourself in the back of the neck every time - I guess statistics indicate that neck hits are a rare occurrence.

 

 

[Dane]

Most modern helmets don't appear to have much neck protection. They are usually shaped high at the back so you can look up without stabbing yourself in the back of the neck every time

 

Good observation. I would assume that the newest helmet designs are more concerned with head impacts while falling than they are about impact protection from falling objects. I too have realised the lack of protection on the back of the head and exposed neck area.

 

FWIW between my Grivel Salamander hard shell and my Petzl Meteor II foamed shell the coverage is virually the same. And little coverage for the neck if you bend your head forward and down. Better to keep your head up I guess and see it coming

[DaveH]

Anyone seen or tried on the new Metolius Safetech helmet? It is meant to be designed to give greater protection in a fall. From the catalogue photos, it looks as if it still has the back-of the-neck protection deficiency that I mentioned above.

[hemp22]

I just got the Metolius Safetech helmet for christmas. (It was a long-overdue replacement of the Edelrid ultralight that I've had for 15+ years). It does have a good design that I think makes it good for a wider range of issues (top impacts, back & side impacts, etc), compared to others.

But, I haven't actually climbed in it yet.

I'm looking forward to trying it out soon.

Impressions so far are that it's certainly not as light as the foam-only options out there, but it feels nice and burly, and the fit adjustment is a lot better than my old edelrid bucket.

It's also definitely not a low-profile type helmet - it's big, so I won't have to give up any of the awkward-ness that I've grown so used to.

 

http://www.metoliusclimbing.com/helmet.html

 

 

 

[billcoe]

My only serious head injury not related to being in the army, I didn't have a helmet or a camera......so here's some after I wised up.

Son with my Edelrid on

 

Ujahn, with a cry for help and a new one.

 

$14 Camp -blue

 

So cheap I got 2! The red one.

[rbw1966]

BDEL gave me a discount on a replacement helmet when the bike-style foam helmet (from them--I forget the model) I was wearing in an ice fall was destroyed, thus saving my bacon.

 

 

[Hugh Conway]

too lazy to take a picture, but the best (safest) ski helmets around:

http://www.pocski.com/index.asp

[Peakpimp]

I still love my Ecrin Roc. Dated but still awesome.

[G-spotter]

There was a funny piece about Johhny Dawes in a Uk climbing mag once:

 

Johnny: "My latest climb is really runout, loose and difficult. Maybe I should wear a helmet. Where can I find a helmet?"

Visiting Scottish climber: "I've got a big purple one mate!"

Johnny (clueless): "Can I borrow it?"

[ryanb]

 

 

 

Helmet? yeah...

Geek? well...

 

I'm a fan of the foam all the way around the head bike helmet/special needs child style. I feel like little I do on the rock compares to winter bike commuting in terms of danger...

[matt_warfield]

The bending over thing with falling rock or ice exposing the neck is similar to somebody above yelling "rock" and instinctively looking up, exposing the face.

 

And not to dis helmets in any way but climbing still has its dangers. A number of years ago at Vantage a climber with a helmet was killed or seriously hurt by a rock that hit just under the helmet at the temple.

[mike1]

still kicking it in an old skool HB.

[111]

 

[Jon H]

Who wants to go rock climbing?!!!??!!11one

 

 

 

[Le Piston]

Glad to see another HB El Cap user out there.

[Le Piston]

I am a total helmet geek...I have a quiver of them that I use and lend when climbing with gear deficient friends.

[marc_leclerc]

I admitteldy on wear mine ice climbing, most of the time in the alpine, and occasionally on serious+hard gear routes. I have been smoked in the head by ice....