Helmets
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I know it is ultimately my decision on whether or not to wear a helmet, and the opinions of others should not matter. But for the sake of conversation... when, where, how often, etc. do you wear a helmet? |
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I always wear a helmet on lead or when belaying trad climbers. Put on some cool stickers, beat up your bucket and ya won't look like a noob |
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Medic741 wrote:I always wear a helmet on lead or when belaying trad climbers. Put on some cool stickers, beat up your bucket and ya won't look like a noobsounds like a plan. Not directly related to helmets, but for whatever reason this is what made me start thinking about it again: publications.americanalpine… The issue wasn't the lack of a helmet, and the end result wouldn't have been changed by a helmet, but it could have easily gone a different direction and been much worse for both climber and belayer. |
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Your kids can't afford you taking a rock to the head: wear your helmet! Every time! |
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Ditch the ego and wear a helmet: trad or sport. I've been flipped upside down a few times sport climbing and not having a cracked skull is worth the nerd factor. |
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If you go the route of wearing a helmet then I think it is equally or more important to wear one at the base - either belaying or just standing around (obviously applies to your kids if they are there). Its probably more common to get hit by something dropped/pulled off by a climber above then to fall and hit your head. |
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I wear a helmet every time I climb outdoors. Full disclosure: I don't boulder, I rarely sport climb (but I do wear it even if the super strong shirtless children laugh at me!), obviously I wear it for trad and ice. |
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I wear a helmet all the time for trad and sport. ive had a few close calls that had things gone slightly different without a helmet I might not be writing this so for me a helmet is a no brainer. having not worn a helmet for the first 2 years of climbing I can tell you if you just force yourself and make it a conscious habit for a little while it will become like second nature and youll feel naked without a helmet. I also leave it on when im just standing around at the base. a lot of people say its to protect from rockfall but another major reason (and my friend did this) is forgetting to put it back on before getting on a climb. |
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I wear a helmet leading (trad or sport) and belaying if there is any suspect rock. I also flipped upside down early in my climbing career. I was wearing a helmet and hobbled away with a sprained ankle from hitting my foot on a ledge. I think the helmet was the difference between a pleasant afternoon in the campground and a trip to the hospital. |
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The new crop of ultralight EPS helmets are incredible. Mammut, Petzl, and BD each have one in the ultralight category. |
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I almost always wear mine. Be careful about blindly trusting any climbing helmet for back of head(upside down flip) protection. Many climbing helmets I've seen offer no protection for that area despite the plastic shell covering it. |
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Do any of you insist your partners wear a helmet? |
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Dropping a coin on the light BD helmet was the best thing I ever did. |
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FrankPS wrote:Do any of you insist your partners wear a helmet? I want my partner to wear one if we're doing multipitch, as a head injury to him can greatly affect me. If we're on single-pitch, it's their call.my friend was about to do his first 5.11 sport clean. he took his helmet off at the base and didn't put it back on. I stopped him half way up when I realized it. at first he said he was fine but then really thought about it and had me send it up to him. he was grateful I did. |
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In my 20s and 30s, I rarely ever wore a helmet, never for climbing and only when whitewater rafting/kayaking or mountain biking. |
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wonderwoman wrote:I wear my helmet at all times at the crag ever since having to visit one of my friends in the hospital who nearly died while belaying a top roper: THE CLIMBING ACCIDENT THAT ALMOST KILLED ME Sometimes I am the only person at a sport crag wearing a helmet, but I could give a rat's ass.Helluva story, Sara. You're lucky...oh, never mind. :) |
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So this discussion has reaffirmed my decision to start wearing a helmet, and certainly to put them on my kids (and wife). |
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We don't need no steenking helmets. |
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I try to always wear my helmet because it has saved my life on more than one occasion. every now and then I forgot to bring it if I'm just sport climbing or TRing in an area without much loose rock, but I'm usually pretty good about wearing it and I won't climb multi pitch or trad without one, even if it means hiking back miles to the car. As it has been stated, there's simply no reason NOT to wear a helmet and doing so can keep you climbing rather than having your head go splat. Life is fragile, so wear your damn brain bucket. |
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I learned to climb in an organization that left me with a bunch of bad habits that I later had to unlearn once I knew better. One habit that was driven into me that I'll never ditch though is to wear a helmet. Mine has kept me out of the hospital on at least three separate occasions. It goes on when I get to the crag, and comes off when I leave. Doesn't matter what kind of climbing I'm doing. |
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Even belaying sport I wear a helmet. Anything dropped by the leader is worth having a helmet for. |