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Wearing helmets


ajfclark

29-Sep-2009
9:56:28 AM

On 29/09/2009 egosan wrote:
>and venereal disease.

If a helmet is protecting you from venereal disease I think you're doing it wrong...

egosan

29-Sep-2009
9:59:28 AM

On 29/09/2009 ajfclark wrote:
>On 29/09/2009 egosan wrote:
>>and venereal disease.
>
>If a helmet is protecting you from venereal disease I think you're doing
>it wrong...

You can never be too safe, Andrew.

.... or kinky.

prb

29-Sep-2009
10:59:43 AM

On 14/11/2005 prb wrote:

>I've usually worn a helmet, almost always when leading and other times when there's a reasonable
>chance of rock coming down.

>Chose not to one warm day, deciding on head gear which would keep more sun off instead. Wouldn't you
>know it, had a 10m head-first grounder. Got multiple skull fractures. Twelve months later I was still
>undergoing tedious psychological assessment, but I know I was lucky.

>These days I wear a helmet over any sun visor-type hat.

I would say I've grown more pro-helmet over the years. You only need a helmet when your head comes
into contact with rock (or a #3 cam), but picking exactly when that's going to happen can be tricky. I still
don't bother with one all the time, but I have respect for people who do, even when belaying or toproping.
You occasionally see kids wandering around the bottom of busy crags without a helmet - that sends a
shiver up my spine.

Unlike Wendy, I had my helmet with me in Chamonix last month and was glad of it. The Alps are
particularly dangerous these days; with the permafrost melting, many of the mountains are literally falling
apart. We were on the lower slopes of the Dent du Geant when a (big) rolling boulder went through my legs
and sent me spinning. I was hurt but at least had no head injury and was able to get down with assistance.
So I'll be limping around the Pines this long (SA) weekend, but I shouldn't be any more vague than normal.

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