Helmets

I use one while doing motorized sports.....

I do not own one, I did borrow one when Ice climbing in Canada... not one of those little lightweight ones though. I do not think they would be of any help if you had a base ball size stone fall a few hundred feet and smack your head.

I do see a lot of climbers who use one and think they are somehow "protected" use very poor rope management around their feet and legs.

I don't know if it's the poor rope management or the fact that the weight of the brain bucket upsets your natural center of gravity causing one to flip over during routine falls.

bottom line.... if you think it helps and make you safer, cool, use one.

Just don't think that the use of one should let you become careless with the real skills that keep one safe. EG: climbing below other parties or being careless with running the rope through scree.

but to each his own, call your own shots, the freedom that we have in climbing is one of the things that make it so special.

Smoking cigarettes is also an optional activity ...

I always wear one. My sister was hit by a rock at the base of a multi pitch route while they were gearing up. No parties above them. It made a huge crack in the helmet, but apart from a headache and sore neck, she was fine. She has that helmet hanging on her wall. That's all I really need to remind me that it's worth it.

As far as being cool--people are going to figure out whether I'm cool or not regardless of whether I'm wearing a helmet. No hiding that.

I always wear a helmet and I own an extra one to give to a friend if we climb together. All of my friends have only been thankful I had an extra helmet for them. I even wear my helmet from the car to the crag and back, barely ever taking it off. One day I will trip on the hike in and the helmet might save my life. The way I see it, an accident can happen any time and the most comfortable place to carry a helmet is on my head.

Firestone wrote:I always wear a helmet and I own an extra one to give to a friend if we climb together. All of my friends have only been thankful I had an extra helmet for them. I even wear my helmet from the car to the crag and back, barely ever taking it off. One day I will trip on the hike in and the helmet might save my life. The way I see it, an accident can happen any time and the most comfortable place to carry a helmet is on my head.

"It's not bushwhacking until you need a helmet" -A canyoneering buddy of mine, justifying his route finding.

Firestone wrote:I always wear a helmet and I own an extra one to give to a friend if we climb together. All of my friends have only been thankful I had an extra helmet for them. I even wear my helmet from the car to the crag and back, barely ever taking it off. One day I will trip on the hike in and the helmet might save my life. The way I see it, an accident can happen any time and the most comfortable place to carry a helmet is on my head.

+1

Not quite as much but I wear it scrambling up to and after climbs. Had a partner get badly injured on the post-climb scramble once on easy rocky terrain. But I am also considering my wife and kids. And I want to climb next week and not be recovering from a stupid avoidable injury (this is an old person type of thought that only started occurring when recovery time became much longer with age).

I also place pro 'for my wife' on lead sometimes where if I was single I might not have bothered.

I always wear one. I have been in a coma from a head injury (not from climbing) and it just seems like a smart thing to do. I have top roped without it but, not often.

Sorry, if you expect your kids to wear helmets, you have to be the first to always have yours on. Otherwise they'll stop as soon as your back is turned!

I climb with my son most of the time, and Mom splatted is not what I would wish for him. I also always wear my bike helmet, since he became an EMT and I promised him I would.

I'm one of those who wears a helmet, including the scrambly hike to and from. And, I think it's more likely to get hit by something at the base than to flip. I climb on top rope a lot, and have little respect for routes, so pendulums are a possibility I have to pay attention to also.

People always think of the big ticket injuries, but the helmet has also kept me from some of the little bashes that wouldn't have mattered much, just bled like mad as head/face cuts will.

The only reason I can think of to not wear one is it's bulkiness. I personally hate the awkwardness of them and rarely use mine, but I also sport climb mostly at popular crags where lots of the loose rocks have already been pulled off. They have their time and place, and it's all a personal decision of comfort/enjoyment vs. safety.

A couple of years ago I decked on a sport climb after blowing a low bolt. It was early spring so I was wearing my helmet while belaying, but took it off to lead. When I decked (and broke my wrist), my head whipped and came within inches of also hitting the rock I landed on. I was inches from it being bad.

I realized how silly it would have been had I been permanently injured when the tool that could protect me was sitting 10 feet away. Ever since I've always worn mine for climbing and belaying.

There's an image about stronger climbers wearing helmets. My gf and I like to stand out as some of the few sport climbers who get on 12s while wearing one, but at the same time, you do you. I'm not going to preach, but hope the trend is going to be like snow sports where wearing a helmet will become no big deal.

I wear my helmet most of the time while belaying, and always on multipitch climbs. I probably should wear it all the time. I've been hit in the head while belaying two or three times. Each time was by rocks that would have put nice dents in my skull. I find myself in offwidths and chimneys often and purposefully don't wear my helmet on these routes. I've had to leave my helmet at a belay and have my belayer tag it up to me on multi pitch routes.

I wear my helmet 99% of the time while leading anything. The only time that I don't is if there is a squeeze or some other feature that it would catch on. I have the BD Vapor, and while people worry about it's durability it's still going strong after two years of 80+ days of climbing per year.

There are plenty of reasons one might choose not to wear a helmet. Plenty of reasons to wear a helmet. Anecdotes of head injury give context but not themselves make an argument.

I say this because I've seen the devastation that mandatory helmets have done to cycling participation in some states and some parts of the world. Rockclimbers should be thankful they have the choice.

Personally I wear a helmet on lead. It often goes off while belaying a second. I feel naked climbing without one now.

I've always worn my helmet since having a kid, but I've also only climbed trad since then. ;) I probably will still wear the helmet sport climbing...like others have said, my kid really doesn't need her dad getting hit in the head by a rock.

I have no good reason to not wear mine.

Buff underneath, wicks sweat and shades my neck too. I climb for fun, not fashion.

If you want your kids to wear one, they need to see you wear one. It is the same with seatbelts, life jackets or any other piece of safety equipment. You are their biggest role model, so act like one and smile big while you put on your brain bucket.

Always wear mine. First, being a professor I make my living with what's in my head, and I take care of my tools. Second, where I climb the mountain sheep have a habit of kicking rocks off from above. They're inconsiderate, never call "rock!", and then the blood trickling down into your eyes from the scalp laceration makes it hard to climb. Finally, at my age hair is a distant memory and the brain bucket prevents painful sunburns.

I don't wear a helmet often although, I often think about it. I would definitely advocate always wearing one. Not really a good reason to not other than squeeze chimneys. For places like the diamond or when there will be a party above me I will wear one. I'm pretty cautious about falling/dropping rocks. Accidents happen but whenever I'm leading into a choss I make sure to tell my belayer "watch out for choss" so they can move out of the projected fall zone.

I always wear a helmet for many of the reasons already mentioned.

And as a weak climber with poor technique the helmet is great when I find myself needing to use the "head jam". Take for example the roof on the second pitch of the Owl in BoCan, I don't think I have yet to pull that one without jamming my skull up there while I fumbled about.

The absolute dumbest is the folks who only wear their helmets situationaly. Like they think they can actualy predict when and where they will have an accident. this is stupid on many levels.
1st murphy is smarter that you and will definatly fck you up when the helmet is off. 2nd its programing yourself for failure "this climb is super sketch so i better wear a helmet" is a negative thought process at a time when positive thought process is nessicary for success and and finaly its just plain stupid to carry a lid arround an not bother to wear it.....