Use your helmet and save your melon
 

With all the rollerski chat happening lately, thought I'd post a
reminder resulting from a fall I took today. Don't know how I managed
to do it, but I took a mistep at speed and fell flat on my back hard
enough to dent the back of my helmet. Some serious thinking about what
would have happened to my head if I didn't have the helmet on.

nordvind wrote:
With all the rollerski chat happening lately, thought I'd post a
reminder resulting from a fall I took today. Don't know how I managed
to do it, but I took a mistep at speed and fell flat on my back hard
enough to dent the back of my helmet. Some serious thinking about
what would have happened to my head if I didn't have the helmet on.

You would probably have to put the sawdust back into your head again.

--
Terje Henriksen
Kirkenes

nordvind wrote:
With all the rollerski chat happening lately, thought I'd post a
reminder resulting from a fall I took today. Don't know how I managed
to do it, but I took a mistep at speed and fell flat on my back hard
enough to dent the back of my helmet. Some serious thinking about what
would have happened to my head if I didn't have the helmet on.

Nice reminder. I assume you took it off and said 'thank you very
much..." Also, time to get a new helmet - they are definitely designed
to be 'one bounce'.

Trivia - which Scandinavian National Team now requires helmet use (and why)?

Marsh

I'm "pro-helmet" but I find this bit of science interesting:
In populations of bicycle riders in which helmet use is necessary by law
there are more head injuries than in populations with no laws about helmet
use.
Doesn't say much about the utility of a helmet in the event of a crash, but
it does illuminate a short coming of statistics.
Risk aversion while riding with out a helmet might be one explanation. I am
assuming that the populations have similar cycling habits.

Trivia - which Scandinavian National Team now requires helmet use (and
why)?
Guess(es): Norway. 1. Many roller ski crashes. 2. Insurance issues. 3. They
want to prevent head injuries.

Gary Jacobson
Rosendale, NY where I have decided that I will train on bike or roller skis
if I forget my helmet unless "I have a feeling", because the health benefits
of a work out outweigh the risk of an injury. (How's that for
rationalization?)



"Marsh Jones" wrote in message
...
nordvind wrote:
With all the rollerski chat happening lately, thought I'd post a
reminder resulting from a fall I took today. Don't know how I managed
to do it, but I took a mistep at speed and fell flat on my back hard
enough to dent the back of my helmet. Some serious thinking about what
would have happened to my head if I didn't have the helmet on.

Nice reminder. I assume you took it off and said 'thank you very much..."
Also, time to get a new helmet - they are definitely designed to be 'one
bounce'.


Marsh

Norwegian national ski team. Some unfortunate mis-meetings involving
automobiles.

Du er virkelig jo flink!

Oops, sorry that last post of mine was meant for Terje.

nordvind wrote:
With all the rollerski chat happening lately, thought I'd post a
reminder resulting from a fall I took today. Don't know how I managed
to do it, but I took a mistep at speed and fell flat on my back hard
enough to dent the back of my helmet. Some serious thinking about what
would have happened to my head if I didn't have the helmet on.

Nordvind,

What type of helmet were you using? Nearly everyone here uses bike
helmets for roller-skiing and these are usually of the "aero" type with
a projection at the back. They don't look to me to be designed for a
fall on the back of the head, and I have seen skaters in other more
head-shaped designs. It seems to me that a backwards fall is quite
common when roller-skiing and much more likely than on a bike.

If you were using a bike helmet I would be interested to know how you
feel it stood up to the crash. Clearly it was good enough that you are
still writing to this board :-)

Alex

nordvind wrote:
Oops, sorry that last post of mine was meant for Terje.

You have to write in english.

--
Terje Henriksen
Kirkenes

Alex wrote:

Nordvind,

What type of helmet were you using? Nearly everyone here uses bike
helmets for roller-skiing and these are usually of the "aero" type
with a projection at the back. They don't look to me to be designed
for a fall on the back of the head, and I have seen skaters in other
more head-shaped designs. It seems to me that a backwards fall is
quite common when roller-skiing and much more likely than on a bike.

It is also common on skis. I hurt a rib that way.

--
Terje Henriksen
Kirkenes