Helmets .... Is it a Brit thing.

like snowy says, you can be skiing well within yourself and a nice steady pace, but there is always a nutter out there who has no control who could smash into you. we have all seen them flying past on the mountains.

Tspill I think you go too far, so If I were stationary anywhere like waiting for a bus I could fall & hit my head on the pavement & the answer is that I should wear a helmet. If a cyclist hits you while riding on the pavement & knocks you down & you bang your head it would be partly the pedestrians fault for not wearing a helmet.

In France this year I saw many skiers without helmets, lots of women with head bands which I think the sunny weather is the reason for & many men with nothing on their heads.

The main problem with these helmet & bobble posts are that some that wear helmets tell those that don't they should & start insulting them when they don't agree, its a case of if I have to wear one so should all. Us that don't wear helmets don't dictate about what anyone else should wear,
live & let live.

Sorry - I didnt mean to insult anyone.

At the minute you are right - it is personal choice.

It just seems to be an easy thing to do to protect yourself. And If it were to become mandatory, I would welcome that.

Personally I have family responsibilities and think a helmet may protect me some day (maybe it already has as I have had a few very bad falls where my head has hit the ground pretty hard). A head injury would impact my family as well as me - hence that is part of my decision process. My wife is much happier that I wear a helmet and that counts for something with me.

I don't see it as a brit thing,i certainly don't think a lot of the French wear them but when ever i'm skiing in Austria they all seem to be wearing them, even the old guard and this the spiritual home of Alpine downhill skiing!!TonyH said he didn't think they looked good,I beg to differ, I wear a giro and it looks the dogs!!!

I think tony has already touched on it .... it is not about should everybody wear a helmet, if you read the thread subject it reads ..... Helmets ...... is it a brit thing.
Just to stop these totally ridiculous arguments please keep on topic.... I thank you.

I don't think that it's a British thing - I think that it's a risk aversion thing that's independent of nationality. I'm risk averse and so I'll always take what's going if I think it reduces the statistical probability of something bad happening or reduces the severity of the consequences. At the other extreme, some people are happy to take risks and deal with the consequences because they perceive the probabilities as very low.

If insurers start insisting on helmets then it'll be interesting - they usually do this sort of thing only if there's statistical evidence for it e.g. not insuring male drivers under 25. Even if the accident numbers are revealed, I daresay it'll still be a matter of personal judgement about the relative risk balance.

I don't think it's a Brit thing, it seems to me that all nationalities are getting safe. Go to Courchevel and see the blingy crap they have on the helmets there.....and that's for the Ruskies!!!

Ian Wickham wrote:I think tony has already touched on it .... it is not about should everybody wear a helmet, if you read the thread subject it reads ..... Helmets ...... is it a brit thing.

Tony_H wrote:
but statistics clearly show the huge majority of injuries skiing are bones or ligaments.

I'm a firm believer in freedom of choice and I still choose not to wear a helmet, partly because I think a lot of them make people look a bit simple, and also because I prefer to wear what I want to and not be told by anyone.

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