Canvassing opinion for helmet wearing or not

Also it's not just about preventing death. Fall over, your head hits the deck - a helmet will prevent you from getting nasty cuts that put blood all over that white snow.

Why do downhill racers wear helmets if speed over 20mph they are useless?


I never accused you of looking at wiki or the like. You will still find arguments both way.

Follow your gut....

I would have thought that Michael Schumacher's injury would have put paid to anyone even thinking about Gopro's on helmets.
(I know you were joking Paul)

This is always an interesting topic :-)

There is a lot of empirical data out there, with numerous studies offering different output and advice. I wouldn't just make a decision on numbers alone, typically most people aren't aware of these stats so either wear protection based on recommendation/scare factors/personal preference.

This sounds mostly like a psychological decision as you have done some rational stats research. If this is the case and it's more around your internal perception relating to what-if scenarios (like a head injury), then wearing a helmet may provide the positive reinforcement you need to not keep thinking about "should I wear a helmet" whilst you're on the slopes. This could have a positive affect on your skiing even though wearing a helmet may statistically just be a placebo.

FYI - I've been snowboarding for 13 years and I wear a helmet, compression vest (g -form) and other pads. Mostly this is down to previous injuries and reducing risk, where it is available to be reduced.
Have fun!

There are lots of opinions on our previous threads on the subject; I think we covered just about every aspect as Icey says... :lol:

The Ski Helmet Debate - 2009 version

Ski Helmets - 2011


There used to be an excellent site, with lots of stats and evidence-based advice, at ski-injury.com (built by Dr Mike Langran, a Scottish GP and ski patrol doctor) but that's sadly "under maintenance" at the moment.

It's an old topic but as a relatively new skier I'll add my tuppence. I was in Whistler a few years back and the Instructor we had (Julia) had noticed me on Piste a few days after a lesson, next lesson we had she said "noticed you were going down that run pretty quick! You need to get a helmet" I got a lid. FFWD 5 years I had a pretty big off (literally off the mountain) luckily missed the rocks but did bang my head on landing. Quite lucky to just have a sore knee and a bit dazed but I was glad I had a lid on. besides I'm bald and it's keeps my head warm!

It's like cycling (and yup I wear one cycling) it's that one time it's useful that will make all the difference.

Just wear one, a really bright one.....apparently its meant to be the cool thing to do. Seriously though any equipment that reduces the chance of injury must be a good thing. I think that it is interesting that virtually all parents insist their children wear a helmet but often don't themselves sighting "I do not need one as I am experienced". So is Linsey Vonn and she wears one. No more from me :)

As several posters have said, check out the previous (lively and at times acrimonious) thread on the topic where pretty much every perspective was ventilated.

I would, however, add one additional point which is to be wary of stats :roll:. Lots of people suffer minor head injuries, usually mild concussions when skiing - this I know from personal experience :oops:. However, these usually do not require/involve any medical attention and will not feature in any research on the topic. Likewise, lots of people have falls when wearing helmets and do not have any injury so nothing to report. However, the helmet may well have saved them from an injury - again it is not clear how any research would capture such positive impacts (no pun intended).

For me, the equation is simple - the helmet will almost certainly mitigate any impact to the head in a fall, though not perhaps provide complete protection if the fall is at very high speed. The only real negative I can think of (apart from any inconvenience/comfort factor) is whether wearing a helmet encourages skiers to ski faster than they would otherwise do - I know there is lots of research to do with motoring which highlights this effect arising from the comfort drivers take from safety devices like airbags, anti-skid braking systems, etc.

For me the first part of this equation makes the choice a no-brainer (pun intended this time :mrgreen: ) so I choose to wear one :thumbup: .

I don't mind wearing one on cold snowy days ...but when the sun is shining I like the wind whistling by my hair...