Helmets .... Is it a Brit thing.

What is the ratio of helmets to bobbles in the British ski areas?

oldboarder wrote:i made my kids wear 1 when learning and it has carried on from there. now i wear 1 because kids said if i make them wear 1 i should too. im glad i do because i fell when in les arcs and banged my head hard and winded myself. that could have been concusion or even a fractured skull.

I understand all that but I have been skiing a long time, and I suppose stuck in my ways, I always think if you ski with in yourself not get too carried away with the speed don't listen to music whilst skiing you have a good chance of staying safe on the slopes.
Unfortunatly I am one of those dads who "Do as I say not do as I do" ......
and I have said it once before on here, if my daughter did kick off about waring a helmet then she knows that she will spend the rest of the holiday
in child care, but she wouldn't as she is a good kid who is aware of the dangers. 8)

SnowLily wrote:What is the ratio of helmets to bobbles in the British ski areas?

I tend not to go to the british ski area's, but in La Clusaz heard a lot british accents and they all had lids, other nations other types of head ware

It always amazes me when threads like this pop up.
Surely it is obvious that wearing a helmet is generally safer than not. Even a stationary fall can be a dead drop on up to 6 feet for your geat to hit hard snow/ice. That is never going to be good. At worst iy can kill, but it can often cause concussion.
We all have responsibilities of some form - be it to a spouse, children, patents etc.
Is it not very selfish to put yourself at risk know the potential impact to others.
I know there will be some will argue that helmets are less safe - I dont buy that at all.
In the UK we have required motorcyclists to were helmets for decades probably saving thousands of lives. Some bikes are limited to 30mph so it isnt all about speed.
Your head is important and bashing it on the ground is never going to be good.

A few years ago we were sat having a quick drink (Sat at a bar), when a snow boarder out out of control hit a skier from behind knocking them over and giving them a serious blow to the head, the skier was confused and dazed, and taken away by the ski patrol.
The skier was doing nothing wrong and skiing within themselves, having witnessed this all my family now wear helmets.
The choice is yours and should be just yours.

snowy0000 wrote:
The choice is yours and should be just yours.

This is an interesting one.
So we dont have a choice whether we wear seatbelts in our cars etc. etc.
Some laws are designed to protect us.

In your example, if the innocent skier had been badly hurt and the boarder held liable. BUT his injuries would have been less with a helmet, this could be deemed mitigating. So the boarder likely gets all the blame and penalised (maybe in insurance or worse) more because the skier could potentially deemed partly responsible for the scale of the injury by not having a helmet.

In this instance, I personally would support legislation on helmets to better protect everyone on the slopes.

snowy0000 wrote:A few years ago we were sat having a quick drink (Sat at a bar), when a snow boarder out out of control hit a skier from behind knocking them over and giving them a serious blow to the head, the skier was confused and dazed, and taken away by the ski patrol.
The skier was doing nothing wrong and skiing within themselves, having witnessed this all my family now wear helmets.
The choice is yours and should be just yours.

Agree with that one :thumbup:

tspill wrote:

snowy0000 wrote:
The choice is yours and should be just yours.

This is an interesting one.
So we dont have a choice whether we wear seatbelts in our cars etc. etc.
Some laws are designed to protect us.

In your example, if the innocent skier had been badly hurt and the boarder held liable. BUT his injuries would have been less with a helmet, this could be deemed mitigating. So the boarder likely gets all the blame and penalised (maybe in insurance or worse) more because the skier could potentially deemed partly responsible for the scale of the injury by not having a helmet.

In this instance, I personally would support legislation on helmets to better protect everyone on the slopes.

First things first, you are talking about a law. You have to abide with a law, and it is not a law to wear a helmet skiing or boarding.

Suggesting you are putting yourself at risk by not wearing a helmet is also something of a modern health and safety view on things. People have been skiing for years but its only in recent times helmets have become prominent.

You want to take the choice away from people? I guess if it was made law then we would all buy helmets but until then I and other people prefer the choice not to.

The question is about whether its a British thing to wear helmets.
Its clearly a British thing to be so health and safety conscious so maybe Ians suggestion is right that it is mainly a Brit point of view.

I think we are all aware that should you hit your head there is a chance of concussion or head trauma. Thats life, and the same risk lies when crossing the road. It is not law to wear a helmet when cycling or walking down the high street, although it is law to wear a seatbelt in a car.
So, why do you think everyone should wear a helmet when skiing when its not the law?

I tend to agree that it will become a law in years to come though, sadly.