Wear helmets, ye kids especially

But to chime in:

I used to not wear helmets sport climbing. Then I watched someone catch their foot on a rope taking a whipper that they had taken 20+ times already. She cracked her head, lots of blood, concussion. Helmet wouldn't stop everything but it sure helps and I don't see how it hurts. 

A couple years late a partner pulled a hold off on his head, he forgot his helmet and climbed anyway... again concussion and messed up.

Then a friend of a friend had a hold break on his regular warm-up, caught his leg and died when his head impacted the wall. 

Now a helmet is non-negotiable for me and my partner.

Climbing Weaselwrote:

Doesn’t matter how solid you are, imho. Bomber holds can break; rockfall just sometimes happens, less skilled parties above you can drop cams, dislodge stuff, etc. Skill doesn’t keep you safe from random accidents out on the sharp end. You know what will, or at least keep you safe-er? A helmet.

Gee I never thought about the objective hazards of the sport. Thanks for your enlightenment

Graham Thomaswrote:

What are real reasons not to wear a helmet?

Because you don't want to. Sweat with a helmet sweat without a helmet. Without feels better 

My dad is always confused why boulderers don’t wear helmets. Seems the most likely time to get a head injury due to the high frequency of ground falls onto not always font-esque terrain.

When I started skiing in the late 1980s, no one wore a helmet except racers. Now I go to the local hill and 75+% of people are wearing helmets.

I wonder if climbing will go threw a similar thing as the sport matures, and people realize a traumatic brain injury is maybe not worth a cool instagram photo.

Danny Birchmanwrote:

Gee I never thought about the objective hazards of the sport. Thanks for your enlightenment

3/10

Cory Bwrote:

When I started skiing in the late 1980s, no one wore a helmet except racers. Now I go to the local hill and 75+% of people are wearing helmets.

I wonder if climbing will go threw a similar thing as the sport matures, and people realize a traumatic brain injury is maybe not worth a cool instagram photo.

a Mathilde, aka Martyr of Destiny. Someone notable will eventually get injured at the height of their career and bring awareness to snowball the generational shift. Until then, we get gumbies watching monetized content creators on YouTube and Instagram climb without helmets.

There's something to be said about personal acceptable risk levels in climbing, but I think that refers more to pushing personal envelopes like Grade or Aid, and doesn't include anyone ignoring the fact that we climb up and rocks fall down.

the absolute dumbest shit is the folks who take their helmets on and off every 10 min depending on what they are doing . like they have some majic plan that says i won't need the helmet now I am only belaying. either wear it or don't wear it but don't think you can second guess the accident.  If that was possible there never would be accidents. 

Cory Bwrote:

When I started skiing in the late 1980s, no one wore a helmet except racers. Now I go to the local hill and 75+% of people are wearing helmets.

I wonder if climbing will go threw a similar thing as the sport matures, and people realize a traumatic brain injury is maybe not worth a cool instagram photo.

Climbing seems to already be close to 75% around here.  (Roped, not bouldering).

I usually wear one, and really hate when people give me shit if it’s not on (like that day I forgot it mountain biking, and a hiker lost his mind on me.  Rude as hell, ruined my mojo for the ride.)

I had a guide chew me out for soloing in view of his clients. totaly ruined my mindset but before I left I pointed out that he was setting a worse example by having his helmet hanging on his harness instead of on his head. 

Jim Twrote:

Climbing seems to already be close to 75% around here.  (Roped, not bouldering).

I usually wear one, and really hate when people give me shit if it’s not on (like that day I forgot it mountain biking, and a hiker lost his mind on me.  Rude as hell, ruined my mojo for the ride.)

It’s as if you pissed on his cheerios. 

Becca Joy Steinbrecherwrote:

I took a lead fall this year and my helmet saved my life. 

And you know this to be true because you ran the opposite scenario in a parallel universe?

Cory Bwrote:

I wonder if climbing will go through a similar thing as the sport matures, and people realize a traumatic brain injury is maybe not worth a cool instagram photo.

This is such an odd common theme that people think anyone isn’t wearing a helmet to “look cool”. Exactly zero people on earth are choosing to not wear a helmet based on how they think they’ll appear to other climbers. It’s just not reality and tries to shove the entire decision into a bad one liner and shows you don’t understand

Val Iwrote:

Trying to impose your point of view upon others is always a good idea… climb with a motorcycle helmet if that makes you feel safer but leave others alone.

My point of view is I don't like to see the insides of other people's heads at the crag when I'm climbing

Tanner Jameswrote:

Would you tell someone at the crag they are being unsafe and irresponsible if they ran out a trad climb more than you would feel comfortable doing? Or if they skipped a bolt on a sport climb that you would feel unsafe doing? If not why is that different than telling others they need to be wearing a helmet? Curious where the line on imposing your own risk tolerance on others gets drawn. I’m not advocating for climbing without a helmet, just trying to apply this thought broadly. I also understand this thread started about children wearing helmets but it’s clearly drifted. 

Relax. You sound like a teenager saying “make me!” You think there are some totalitarians who are gonna arrest u and throw u in a camp for not wearing a helmet? Do what you want, but don’t expect people’s respect or approval.

People also have conversations about skipping bolts and running it out all the time, idk what ur talking about? And also the objectives are pretty obvious. Your trading off risk for success. What success are you trading for by not wearing a helmet? More likely to get in bed with someone? You’ll get a comfy bed and pillow in that coffin at least….

I don't think a Helmet is gonna do much for my 10yo when he solos.

FrankPSwrote:

That's crazy! Imagine wanting to protect your skull while bouldering. Insane. As if a bad fall could possibly happen.

Yeah that’s what I thought 

Josh Zwrote:

My point of view is I don't like to see the insides of other people's heads at the crag when I'm climbing

Take responsibility for your own emotions. 

Retro bolt snake dike 

Tanner Jameswrote:

This is such an odd common theme that people think anyone isn’t wearing a helmet to “look cool”. Exactly zero people on earth are choosing to not wear a helmet based on how they think they’ll appear to other climbers. It’s just not reality and tries to shove the entire decision into a bad one liner and shows you don’t understand

That's just plain incorrect. According to a survey with 1279 climbers, the statement "helmets take away from the aesthetic look and feel of a climbing scene" scores 2.16 in a 1-5 scale and is found to have a statistically significant negative correlation to helmet use (pearson correlation = -0.323, p < 0.001).

See table 9 here.