TO HELMENT OR NOT TO HELMENT..... THAT IS THE QUESTION!!!!!

im not gonna let this forum die!!!!

Ryan Swanson wrote:

Lots of deleted posts I see... Sad

don't know why

Apparently REI has a vested interest in selling helmets...

Has the OP, or anyone yet answered what a HELMENT is?

I think a better question is 'why don't you wear a helme(N)t?

Em Cos wrote:

Are you trying to say that there aren't any climbers who always wear helmets? Just about every climber I climb with defaults to wearing a helmet, and many wear them always with no exceptions. I'm sure there are many climbers that follow the pattern you outlined, but I think you may be projecting your own feelings on helmet use on all climbers. 

If you applied that to outside and not in the gym, then I would agree with you. Most climbers I know default to wearing a helmet outside (I mostly trad climb and ice climb and tend to do long multipitch routes in the mountains, where helmets are more common)... But I almost never see anyone wearing one in the gym.  On the occasion I go sport climbing, there tend to be a lot fewer helmets, I guess they feel they are immune from getting their leg behind the rope...

Stagg54 Taggart wrote:

If you applied that to outside and not in the gym, then I would agree with you. Most climbers I know default to wearing a helmet outside (I mostly trad climb and ice climb and tend to do long multipitch routes in the mountains, where helmets are more common)... But I almost never see anyone wearing one in the gym.  On the occasion I go sport climbing, there tend to be a lot fewer helmets, I guess they feel they are immune from getting their leg behind the rope...

Sorry, if anyone was talking about wearing a helmet in the gym I totally missed it, I sure wasn't. I would say I "always" wear a helmet when I ride a bike, too - but if you want to get semantic about it, no I don't put a helmet on to ride the stationary bike at my physical therapist's office. 

I usually don't wear them cuz (I feel) they get in the way...plus ALL the rockfall I've seen would take your head off helmet and all..it's your head fk what ppl say

Daniel Behrend wrote:

whats ur guys opinions on helments

Your question is like driving, to fasten seat belt or not to fasten seat belt. 

Sam Deshler wrote:

I'm pro-helmet as well.  Anyone else leave their helmet on during the drive home to?  

One day I was shuttling four of my friends to a multipitch in red rocks, and they were all geared up before getting in my car and when we arrived at the crag, a couple other climbers made a joke about my driving because all my passengers were wearing helmets

Take a look at this video...

http://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/climbing/jorg-verhoeven-and-the-life-saving-climbing-helmet.html

What injuries (or death?) without a helmet?

Helmets are great for falling rocks, not sport climbing or worse yet I have been seeing people bouldering with them on. 

Mike Robinson wrote:

I usually don't wear them cuz (I feel) they get in the way...plus ALL the rockfall I've seen would take your head off helmet and all..it's your head fk what ppl say

That is a very selfish attitude.  Why is it selfish?

If it only affected YOU, I would say "go ahead and fk up your head."  But your head injury will affect many other people than just YOU.

A SAR team will have come scrape you off the crag, putting them at risk.

Do you have insurance that will cover your brain surgery? Months (or years or forever?) being in rehab?

If your injury is severe and you can't take care of yourself, somebody will have to take care of you.  Maybe your brain injury leads to incontinence - who's going to clean that up?

Helmets don't get in the way, and I've avoided many cuts on my scalp from bumping my head on the rocks.

Yes, a rock may be too big for the helmet to do any good.  But I would rather have some chance that it would stop a rock than guarantee getting injured or killed. And I have been hit by several rocks and the helmet prevented injury.  One was big enough to break the helmet, but all I had was a headache and sore neck (Dr. said it would have killed me!).  

So starting to wear a helmet after years of "nothing happening" ended up being a very good choice. I consider it returned good karma for all the rescues of people who thought they were bulletproof...but found out they weren't...

Seatbelts don't save you from every crash, but I'm not going to stop wearing seatbelts because they don't work 100% of the time.

Sorry, but your excuse is silly and your argument lame...

when going into remote areas, with little traffic from others, on easy scrambles, I hate to carry it.  The risk is low, and the extra weight adds another trade off with time and safety.

But the consequence of not wearing one in steep terrain, particularly with lots of loose rock (like on alpine climbs) or where one can expect others on the rocks above you, it seems very foolish not to wear a helmet.  The difference is between being inconvenienced, or suffer minor injury to your shoulder; or instant death, or permanent brain injury.  

the choice is simple: where one where severe head injuries are possible.

Arlo F Niederer wrote:

That is a very selfish attitude.  Why is it selfish?

If it only affected YOU, I would say "go ahead and fk up your head."  But your head injury will affect many other people than just YOU.

A SAR team will have come scrape you off the crag, putting them at risk.

Do you have insurance that will cover your brain surgery? Months (or years or forever?) being in rehab?

If your injury is severe and you can't take care of yourself, somebody will have to take care of you.  Maybe your brain injury leads to incontinence - who's going to clean that up?

Helmets don't get in the way, and I've avoided many cuts on my scalp from bumping my head on the rocks.

Yes, a rock may be too big for the helmet to do any good.  But I would rather have some chance that it would stop a rock than guarantee getting injured or killed. And I have been hit by several rocks and the helmet prevented injury.  One was big enough to break the helmet, but all I had was a headache and sore neck (Dr. said it would have killed me!).  

So starting to wear a helmet after years of "nothing happening" ended up being a very good choice. I consider it returned good karma for all the rescues of people who thought they were bulletproof...but found out they weren't...

Seatbelts don't save you from every crash, but I'm not going to stop wearing seatbelts because they don't work 100% of the time.

Sorry, but your excuse is silly and your argument lame...

Hey dude, I got a little newsflash for you: ALL CLIMBING IS SELFISH.

You can go ahead and think you are being considerate of your family wearing a helmet but the fact of the matter is you are more likely to get hurt or killed in an accident that a helmet had no contribution to your safety whatsoever.

The argument is also easily made that some people take risks that they shouldn't due to wearing a helmet. I sure as hell wouldn't go into the Alpine without one, but just going into the Alpine is probably more dangerous and helmets can lead to an illusion of safety.

Really glad you got lucky instead of getting hit in the shoulder. My guess is that there is probably some contributing factor of judgment that could have easily prevented getting konked on the noggin like not climbing below others on routes with known loose rock?

Peter Chopelas wrote:

the choice is simple: where one where severe head injuries are possible.

Possible? Everywhere and every time!

This always reminds me to try to remember to wear my helmet

Making a case for an extra skull, just in case

This is the cycling discussion that happened 20 years ago. Helmets are cool looking now and ventilated and expected!  No reason not to wear one.

And put stickers on it !!!

I wear a helmet when trad climbing, but it’s my kayaking helmet, repurposed.  Am I going to die?

Hamish Malin wrote: I wear a helmet when trad climbing, but it’s my kayaking helmet, repurposed.  Am I going to die?

yes...some day