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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 |
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#3
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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
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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 |
#5
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wrote:
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. A tree well is the area under a tree where there is less snow than the surrounding area. You can fall in, and if you go in headfirst it can be quite difficult to extricate yourself before suffocating. Suffocation (from falling in a tree well) is the #1 cause of death for snowboarders.* You don't need an avalance, or even a very serious spill to fall in a treewell. 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 //Walt *read on the internet somewhere. May not actually be true, and I'm too lazy to chase down the reference. Don't take my word for it. |
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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
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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
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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. |
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#10
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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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