Using your head ....

While climbing an outdoor route .... I pushed my helmeted head into a corner to balance when I re-positioned my hands ....

Now I'm wondering .... do climbers heads have under-utilized potential as a point of contact while climbing ?

Has anyone ever heard of climbers deliberately using their head contact as a climbing technique,  ?

Wow, not a bot.

Yeah man - this happens all of the time. I can name multiple high traffic routes off the top of my head where a headbar is part of the standard beta (Cozyhang, Sonic Youth)

Scroll to the second post on this page...  and I'm sorry, in advance.

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/107806688/climbing-memes?page=9#ForumMessage-112358246

Tal Mwrote:

Wow, not a bot.

Yeah man - this happens all of the time. I can name multiple high traffic routes off the top of my head where a headbar is part of the standard beta (Cozyhang, Sonic Youth)

I have never heard the term "head bar" before  .... now I  know. 

If a regular thing, I wonder if anyone has ever put "sticky rubber" onto their helmet, to make their helmet into a climbing aid. (and maybe to extend helmet life) ?

If head bars are a thing, what about head jams?

Head Stacks is an offwidth technique

Surely others have also used a chin hook.

J Lwrote:

If head bars are a thing, what about head jams?

https://youtu.be/jYvcBlSiXcc

I'm not going to try to figure out what is serious and what is humorous .... I do think that; using ones head , for deliberately contacting the rock, as a balancing technique ,  while climbing is under-explored topic. I can almost imagine a specialty helmet

Jon Nelsonwrote:

Surely others have also used a chin hook.

Works on slopers.

Teeth for crimps.

That begs the question has there ever been a decapitation while climbing?

If you use your noggin, get ready for a floggin!

Using your head is aid.  Even just using your head by thinking is aid. 

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/109753338/head-stack 

Didn’t the wideboyz try a head-jam at some point (IE wedging your noggin in a constriction)? I recall neither was willing to really go for it for fear of permanent disability. Imagine cutting feet on a head jam   

It’s definitely against the rules

I have "head-barred" before. I wear a helmet so I always wondered if it was aid, like the kneepad of the head lol

I use my head to balance all the time. When you have everything in a crack, you don’t have much to keep you from rocking left or right. Sometimes you have a knee for stability, but sometimes your helmet just works better

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/106746165/head-jam

I have occasionally done moves where cocking my head to the side got my center of gravity just a little further towards the optimal position. I’m not talking about contacting the rock, just getting my weight over. 

Probably time for someone to make a specialty helmet ...., nicely padded, firmly attachable to head, and completely covered with sticky rubber. Maybe the helmet could even offer a padded, sticky rubber forehead option, for those climbing slab routes.

Jaren Watson wrote:

Without a doubt, and that someone is you.

Speak to the similarly enterprising folks at RopeX about doing a collaboration.

No developers spirit in me ... good luck to others if they wish to make one .... I'm just surprised no one has produced one yet