Helmets for adults. Advisory or compulsory?

[clam]

Goes without saying that the DCs are togged out with them.
But what about us adults? What do you do? DH point blank refuses to comply with my current panic about fatal head injuries. But was just chatting in Snow & Rock with another customer who said that the current thinking in his circle of mates who are serious skiers is that you'd be insane not to wear one.

What do you reckon?

I got one this year. It just suddenly felt a bit wrong not to have one. Plus DS is probably going to be learning this year and he will deffo be wearing one so it seems a bit wrong to make him wear one and not wear one myself (don't get me started on helmet-less parents out cycling with helmeted children - grrr!).

So I had my first trip to Glenshee last week and I was pleasantly surprised how comfy it was - I thought it would be either too hot or too cold but it was just right and I kind of forgot I was wearing it. Only problem was I didn't really attach my new goggles to it properly so they pinged off sometime during the day. oops.

When I bought it, the guy in the shop said they had been selling shedloads of them this year - mainly because people were more aware of possible dangers following Natasha Richardson's death.

DH wen ski-ing last year and my only proviso for him having his lovely man-week was that he wore a helmet. He has responsibilities now as a Dad - he needs to take care of himself when undetaking hazardous activities .

He wears a cycle helmet and wouldn't dream of cycling without one. He goes A Lot Faster on skis. Therefore why NOT a ski-helmet?
I am more afraid of him being knocked over han him doing anything rash - he is pretty sensible - but it can get a bit mental when its busy. My bad ski-ing accident was caused by someone else.
But what clinched it for him was that his best mate, who is a fantatical ski-er and always kitted out in the latest, top-notch gear, turned up at the airport clutching one. I think its becoming more the norm.

A friend of ours was skied into by an out of control skier/snowboarder. Her head hit a rock with enough force to break her helmet - but it saved her. As it was she was off work for weeks.

Who was the lady who died last year after hitting her head...it was on here, there was a thread...terribly sad

Oh Natasha Richardson. That was it.

Poor lady.

we all wear them they are very comfy and keep my head toasty
I had a nasty fall last year and the helmet stopped my head banging against the piste for 5 mins as I hurtled down the slope

piffpaffpoff and andiem - would you mind saying what make/model your helmets are. I am thinking of buying one.

Grenadine, this is the one I got for no other reason that it was the only one left in the shop that fitted my big massive heid! It really is comfy though.

mine is a silver cebe one and I got it from TK maxx for £30

Thank you both very much for the useful info. About to look them up!

Hard to judge if busier - much more efficient lifts etc... which minimises the obvious evidence of queuing.

But I've heard that the increase in snowboarders is part of the problem too, who have a reputation as being a bit more reckless.

I don't ski but dh and dd do. Our first year in Switzerland we sent dd to ski lessons. We had hired her skis, boots and poles and the person in the hire shop said she should really have a helmet or the school wouldn't take her. We were going to hire one, but I got a bit concerned about head lice so we bought her one. DH rediscovers skiing and hired himself some kit. He got knocked over by a boarder and ended up being airlifted off the mountain and spending the night in hospital. He doesn't ski without a helmet now.

we all wear helmets after my sister knocked herself out on a nursery slope. i figure i can survive a broken wrist/leg/shoulder and maybe even cope with a broken back, but they can't fix head injuries very well, and then i wouldn't be able to cope. i think all instructors should wear a helmet.

get one with removable ear flaps - warm in cold weather and better hearing in hot weather! and you can always put cool stickers on and pretend you are actually sponsored....

As an adult, the law in all skiing countries makes the decision to wear a helmet for recreational skiers up to you. You are an adult, you decide.

The are however regulations if you are taking part in organised ski races (and I mean races where FIS/similar rules apply, not the typical ski-school end-of-week race), which do require the use of helmets.

Remember, a ski helmet only offers a limited degree of protection: it will not protect you if (for instance) you ski straight into a tree trunk/cliff/building/pylon at 30mph. To protect against that sort of injury, you are better off taking a few lessons to reduce the chance of it happening in the first place.

On our club ski trip a few weeks ago, or the ~50 adults on the trip, the usage of helmets was a bit under 50%. We have two injuries to helmeted skiers: one eye injury, one cracked pelvis - their helmets didn't protect them!

3 years ago I took a tumble. I was going rather fast. They put a neck brace on me and helicoptered me off the slopes. thankfully my injuries were no more than flesh wounds (on my profile. not nice).

we all wear helmets now - and i've noticed more and more people do. you don't have to be going quick. you don't have to smash your head on a tree. you don't have to be incompetent. you can still do yourself a horrendous injury.

can;t find pic. but dd told me I looked like a dr who monster. adults told me i looked like i'd done a round with tyson.

pic there now for anyone interested...I know people's main concern is fatal injuries but had I been wearing a helmet I wouldn't have ended up like that, wouldn't have needed stitches. and i guess I came pretty close to damaging my eye - i had to go back to the hospital when the swelling had gone down to check that i hadn't.

i agree, ski helmets are like bike helmets. They don't make you indestructible, but they help protect your head. No-one suggests a cyclist doesn't need a helmet because they are 'too good to fall off' or that they would survive a collision with a car because of their helmet, but everyone agrees they are a good idea to try and minimise damage.
same with ski helmets. it just takes one mornon/beginner/ice patch and over you go.

glad you recovered hatwoman. always amazes me how resilient the human body is!

Hatwoman that looks nasty! Just asked DH if he's going to wear a helmet this year. I got a negative sort of grunt, so I'll take that as a no. But as someone else said since DS will have to wear one I think he should too.

I got one last year after I had fallen the year before and whacked my head - the snow might look soft but on the pisted runs it isn't - it is compacted and hard! DD also started to ski last year so I felt that if she was wearing one then at least one of her parents should wear one too. DH succumbed and wore one this year too.

They are a faff to carry, no doubt about it - we had ours in our hand luggage - but I wouldn't be without one now.

My DS is a ski instructor, he has worn a helmet since he was 8 years old. He won't take anyone on black runs or off piste without a helmet, not because of skiing recklessly or beyond capability, but the terrain maybe more unpredictable; you only have to slip on ice on a nursery slope as did Natasha Richardson did, with fatal consequences.

He also renews his helmet every season, but then he does do stupid things, like skiing backwards and doing somersaults off a roof, his helmet saved his head, but collected a good scar on his face)

Wear a helmet!

i thought about wearing my helmet during the flight once, but i am not sure if it is allowed. we fit our helmets in the luggage (hand luggage too full of crap colouring books and emergency food and sick bags.

Just been to Snow and Rock - the Holborn branch is sold out (no more coming) despite having ordered 3x more than last year.