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Using a kayak helmet for off piste skiing



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 2nd 06, 09:32 PM
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Default Using a kayak helmet for off piste skiing

Following my various other threads, I thought I had better ask this
seperatly. I am going to be skiing the off piste bits of heaveny and I
think I need a helmet. I am a bit hard up, and it seems that a ski
helmet is either $50 or $120.

I have a kayak helmet that looks like this one [1]. It was expensive.
Do you think it would do? I reallly do not want to have to spend lots
on a new one but I would if it will significantly help my saftey.

If not, what is the best one to get? I do not care in the slightest
about looks, but do care about saftey and comfort (esp. my ears being
cold) and very much about the $70 difference from the cheapest to most
of them. Any suggestions? What should I be looking at? I am used to
trying on kayak helmets, and reakon they should be a bit uncomftable so
that you should not be able to move them forwards and backwards at all.

I really hope posting 3 threads in one day is not bad netiquete. Tell
me if you think it is.

Thanks for any input.

[1] http://outdoorplay.com/store/Product...?SKU=EHE_GHSCO

Ads
  #2  
Old February 2nd 06, 10:04 PM
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wrote:
Following my various other threads, I thought I had better ask this
seperatly. I am going to be skiing the off piste bits of heaveny and I
think I need a helmet. I am a bit hard up, and it seems that a ski
helmet is either $50 or $120.

I have a kayak helmet that looks like this one [1]. It was expensive.
Do you think it would do? I reallly do not want to have to spend lots
on a new one but I would if it will significantly help my saftey.

If not, what is the best one to get? I do not care in the slightest
about looks, but do care about saftey and comfort (esp. my ears being
cold) and very much about the $70 difference from the cheapest to most
of them. Any suggestions? What should I be looking at? I am used to
trying on kayak helmets, and reakon they should be a bit uncomftable so
that you should not be able to move them forwards and backwards at all.

I really hope posting 3 threads in one day is not bad netiquete. Tell
me if you think it is.


I doubt if any helmet would *significantly* help your safety. After 40+
years of skiing trees, I have yet to personally meet anyone that
sustained anything more than a superficial (read: scratch) head injury
as the result of bashing their head into a tree. Not saying it doesn't
happen... just not very often.

OTOH,I have however known a couple of people that suffocated after
falling upside-down into a tree well. Makes me think that an Avalung is
a more prudent investment if financial resources are scarce.

Of course if looking like a RadSkiDude is a priority, the value of a
helmet can't be discounted. ;-)

Armin

  #3  
Old February 2nd 06, 10:08 PM
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Oh, one more thing.... If you're really worried about your safety and
you already have a kayaking helmet anyways, then by all means wear it
if it makes you feel better. Since it's designed to protect your head
when it bashes into rocks I'm sure it will work for trees as well.

Armin

  #4  
Old February 2nd 06, 10:16 PM
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Armin wrote:
I doubt if any helmet would *significantly* help your safety. After 40+
years of skiing trees, I have yet to personally meet anyone that
sustained anything more than a superficial (read: scratch) head injury
as the result of bashing their head into a tree. Not saying it doesn't
happen... just not very often.


That is interesting. I have always been doubtful about the use of
helmets for cycling, but it seems I am in the minority. I would much
rather no wear one, but it seems most people think it is a good idea.
Esp. as I am just learning.

OTOH,I have however known a couple of people that suffocated after
falling upside-down into a tree well. Makes me think that an Avalung is
a more prudent investment if financial resources are scarce.


I do not know what a tree well is, but it looks like you would have to
be conscious and unable to get to air, such as would happen in an
avalanche. Is a tree well really deep snow that you go down below head
height? Sounds nasty, but not likely in an area where there are lot of
people going though, such as the off piste bits of heavenly.

Of course if looking like a RadSkiDude is a priority, the value of a
helmet can't be discounted. ;-)


I do not doubt it, fortunately that is not a priority for me

  #6  
Old February 2nd 06, 10:38 PM
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wrote:

That is interesting. I have always been doubtful about the use of
helmets for cycling, but it seems I am in the minority. I would much
rather no wear one, but it seems most people think it is a good idea.
Esp. as I am just learning.


I do a bit of biking. Wouldn't mountain bike on the trails around here
without one. Mine has got plenty of dents in it. I'm a bit clumsy. ;-)

I also wear one road biking. It's mandatory while racing and I wear it
most of the time when training but I take it off for longer climbs on
hot days.

I do not know what a tree well is, but it looks like you would have to
be conscious and unable to get to air, such as would happen in an
avalanche. Is a tree well really deep snow that you go down below head
height? Sounds nasty, but not likely in an area where there are lot of
people going though, such as the off piste bits of heavenly.


A tree well is the cavity formed in the snow beneath a tree. I have yet
to see anyplace where there is snow in the trees where there aren't any
tree wells. I'm sure Heavenly is no exception. A quick Google search
will give you many examples.

Armin

  #7  
Old February 2nd 06, 11:08 PM
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Walt wrote:

Here's what it looks like when somebody falls into a tree well.
Fortunately, he had friends along to pull him out:

http://homepage.mac.com/saemisch/SJ2.../DSC_5829.html


.... and fortunately he was not inverted with
his skis in the branches and his face under the snow ...

-- Mike Treseler
  #8  
Old February 2nd 06, 11:18 PM
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Armin wrote:
wrote:
Following my various other threads, I thought I had better ask this
seperatly. I am going to be skiing the off piste bits of heaveny and I
think I need a helmet.


CLIP


I doubt if any helmet would *significantly* help your safety. After 40+
years of skiing trees, I have yet to personally meet anyone that
sustained anything more than a superficial (read: scratch) head injury
as the result of bashing their head into a tree. Not saying it doesn't
happen... just not very often.


I managed to knock myself out on a nice tree; of course I had to fall
off a minor cliff in order to wack that nasty old tree with my head.
Emergency room spent more time pulling wood out of my face than looking
at my torn up knee.

But that had nothing to do with helmets - took another 15 years before I
started wearing a helmet. For me, the helmet's primary use is to
intercept tree branches in tight spots before they wack me. I hope I
never have to test my helmet's live-saving attributes, if any.

For the OP - IMO get the cheapest helmet available, unless you race. You
don't want a chin guard, visor, or other doodads - those are for racing.
With that in mind you can get decent new helmets down in the $40 range -
look like crap but work fine. Also, don't forget the used/ clearance/
garage sale/ routes - for helmets just be sure to inspect both the outer
shell inside and outside; AND the inner, crushable (usually styrofoam or
similar) shell inside and outside, and the straps. Means you have to
take the used helmet completely apart. Don't accept anything with a
significant ding in the outer shell, or _ANY_ crushed region or
otherwise compromised region in the inner crushable shell; flaws in the
straps you maybe can fix.
  #9  
Old February 2nd 06, 11:54 PM
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wrote:
Following my various other threads, I thought I had better ask this
seperatly. I am going to be skiing the off piste bits of heaveny and I
think I need a helmet. I am a bit hard up, and it seems that a ski
helmet is either $50 or $120.

I have a kayak helmet that looks like this one [1]. It was expensive.
Do you think it would do? I reallly do not want to have to spend lots
on a new one but I would if it will significantly help my saftey.


There's a reason why they make kayak helmets, and why people don't just
wear bike or ski helmets kayaking (although a few hodads always do it).
It's because they're designed to protect your head from different
things. A kayak helmet is designed to protect you from multiple
low-speed impacts: you go paddling, smack some rocks, get up the next
day and do it again with the same rock-tattooed helmet. Bike helmets
and ski helmets, OTOH, are designed to protect against a single, bigger,
higher-speed hit: it has an inner layer that's supposed to crush and
stay crushed when it takes a hit, after which you throw it away and get
a new one.

If not, what is the best one to get? I do not care in the slightest
about looks, but do care about saftey and comfort (esp. my ears being
cold) and very much about the $70 difference from the cheapest to most
of them. Any suggestions? What should I be looking at? I am used to
trying on kayak helmets, and reakon they should be a bit uncomftable so
that you should not be able to move them forwards and backwards at all.


I bet you bought one of those coolio composite $200 doesn't-fit-anybody
kayak helmets. The state of kayak helmets sucks, quite frankly, because
everybody's getting all mystical about fashion and material and ignoring
fit. Ski helmets are not nearly as weenie.

(before you ask, mine's a Wildwater slalom-cut...gee, isn't it funny how
many people you still see wearing those?)

  #10  
Old February 3rd 06, 01:52 AM
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On Thu, 02 Feb 2006 17:38:50 -0700, Bob Lee wrote:

Mike Treseler wrote:

Walt wrote:

Here's what it looks like when somebody falls into a tree well.
Fortunately, he had friends along to pull him out:

http://homepage.mac.com/saemisch/SJ2.../DSC_5829.html


Gee, thanks Walt.

... and fortunately he was not inverted with
his skis in the branches and his face under the snow ...


Half right - my skis were caught in the branches and I was hanging down.
The pictures were taken after I'd moved some. I wasn't in danger of
suffocating, but it would have taken a longish time to extricate myself
if I were alone.


That was at Silverton, right? I'm wondering how likely it is to find
a serious tree well in a more heavily skiied area, like in-bounds off
the upper lifts at Heavenly. Seems to me it would be much more rare,
since the passage of skiers and boarders might tend to collapse the
sides of the well between snowfalls, but I could be wrong....

bw
 




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