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Aussie man dies when hit by falling rock 23-Sep-2004 At 11:32:45 AM Mike

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My condolences to all involved. At the risk of starting a helmet debate...

On 23/09/2004 rodw wrote:
> ...if the rock big enough nothings gonna help you

The odds of getting a TV sized block to the noggin I would imagine are far less than those of being sconned by the loose flakes your leader is kicking off while scaping his way to glory. To me it makes to sense to protect yourself from the more likely of mishaps. Even being beaned by a penny sized chunk is going to hurt like all hell especially if it gains speed. Also consider a leader fall from a layback position or with the rope behind your leg, or protuding sections of rock to hit on the way down. Head butting the cliff is a real possibility. Personally I wear my helmet almost all the time while climbing. I even put it on the other day to walk down the Asses Ears approach track.