Helmets

[The Teth]

Hmmm...The Mit has a car and Scooter can belay....looks like there will be action at Columbus this weekend after all.

Hey Rebecca, if you crop and resize that photo properly it would make a great avatar. Although the one you are using now does look fairly hard core. Also, and I think you will back me up on this, helmets have become much more stylish since Black Diamond started making them. The Half Dome rocks!

The Teth

[Fred]

Hmmm...The Mit has a car and Scooter can belay....looks like there will be action at Columbus this weekend after all.

Hey Rebecca, if you crop and resize that photo properly it would make a great avatar. Although the one you are using now does look fairly hard core. Also, and I think you will back me up on this, helmets have become much more stylish since Black Diamond started making them. The Half Dome rocks!

The Teth

I have a bout 20 photos on my hard drive of John B in Clifton wearing a Half Dome and it's all crooked and makes him look like a sped.

don't get me wrong.... I agree that helmets are key for safety. I'm only adding a fact to your comment about the Half Dome looking stylish.

[granite_grrl]

I wish I had a blue BD Half Dome...but what can you do? Actually Teth, the reason why I own that helmet is that Petzel helmets don't fit my head properly

As for looking cool in a helmet....for some reason it gets all cock-eyed on my head sometimes, which really looks even less cool than a helmet normally will.

I must have a weird shapped melon.

But I don't really mind it, I tend to forget I'm even wearing one once I get climbing.

[martha]

I just bought a new BD Half dome this spring. I have an Edelrid that I will now use exclusively for ice climbing. I prefer it for that as it sits higher with a full suspension and also is big enough around that it covers my ear tops from fun stuff like freezing wind and chuncks of ice. I get hit with ice all the time out ice climbing, where rock climbing i have rarely been hit on the head or body with anything. But I wear the helmet anyways. better to be safe than sorry. And like Granite Grrl said...once you get climbing you forget about it anyways.

[Fred]

And like Granite Grrl said...once you get climbing you forget about it anyways.

see, that's where I disagree. I hate wearing the helmet because of how it feels when I climb not how it looks. Evertime I lead and look up to place gear the things moves back onto my neck or strangles me. And when I'm in a corner or roof it interferes with my clearance. I can honnestly say that I don't like wearing a helmet because it restricts my movement and doesn't feel as nice as climbing without one.

[dcentral]

When I ride my motorcycle I like to feel the wind in my hair, and I can see so much better with out one. My vision feels so restricted with a helmet on.

It really depends on where you are climbing too I guess. When I'm outside I wear my helmet. Some places there really isn't a danger out rock falls. But it just sounds like you haven't found a helmet that fits your head.

I will agree about how ugly and uncomfortable some helmets can be. I'm not sure what climbing companiens use as their requirements for helmet design, but there seems to be a lot of research in other sports that use helmets, but they don't seem to have it right a lot of the time. It may protect your head but being comfortable enough to wear all day is (In my opinion) ultimately the only way its going to save lives.

After spending a day going around to different stores and bike shops around town looking for a new bike helmet it can be really tough to find something that fits nicely.

[jeremy]

Its better that your helmet hit that roof than your head! I'm bad for not wearing my helmet on easy trad or sport. When i'm at an area where the rock is not really solid (ampletheater welsford) that blue bd half dome will always be on my head! I will always wear it in conway because you never know when a tourist will kick a rock down over from the top. I know people don't always wear their helmet when top roping, but it is very easy for the rope to knock a rock off the top if your anchor is back from the edge.

For anyone climbing on catherdral in NH: wearing a helmet is your choice, but this summer I found nuts and bolts that came out of the fence at the top just feet from the edge. How would one of those feel hitting your head after a 500 foot fall?

jeremy

[The Teth]

Finding a helmet that fits the shape of your head might make a big difference. Everyone here knows that any climbing shoe will fit one type of foot better than another. I imagine it is the same for helmets.

Also, take the time to fiddle with those straps. When I first got my BD Half Dome it flopped around on my head, but once I had the straps adjusted just right I found I hardly knew it was there. In fact I went looking for my helmet once and found it on my head.

By the way, how do you split topics?

Teth

[dcentral]

Yeah adjusting the straps is huge. I tried a on a bike helmet on Saturday and I couldn't really get it on my head. Then the guy at the shop fiddled with the strats a little and it fit like a glove.

[Fred]

hitting your head on a roof when you have a helmet on doesn't mean you will hit your head with a helmet off. And it's not an imact from a fall that I'm talking about. When you approach the roof while climbing you know where the top of your head is. Kind of like hand eye coordination. But with a helmet on you tend to forget that the top of your head is now a few inches higher thus scrapping the underside of roofs when you climb. Same goes when leaning your head forward in a corner.

And a helmet falling on your brow or ridding the back of your skull is a bitch when you are pumped out on a wall and trying to focus.

Don't get me wrong. I see the importance of wearing them but man I hate them. I wear my helmet 100% of the time ice climbing and maybe 50% of the time rock climbing, never sport climbing but sometimes while bouldering.


Teth, to split a topic hit the button on the bottom left. It looks like a dido. I don't know if mods can do this or only admin. Let me know if you see the option at the bottom left of your screen when you are logged in. Simply give it a new title and check all the items you want to move into the new thread.

[mathieu]

Hey Fred remember when I took that fall in KY, it was an easy trad climb and I managed to pump myslf out and take a nasty whipper where I pendulumed (we won't get on those details ) and slighly remember hitting my head on the wall a couple times as I swung. I bet Jeff was glad I was wearing a helmet cause I would of been gushing blood all over his only pair of pants. Lesson learned, there is no such thing as an easy climb where a fall is impossible, my rule of thumb for cragging is if I tie in then the helmet goes on.

[dcentral]

Plus if you have to hike in pretty far, a million other things go wrong while climbing. Why create a situation for whoever you are with, over something that could have been avoided.

[Richard Eh!]

And in Kamouraska last summer when I was giving junior a ragging about not wearing his helmet. I got the usual pablum about the rock being clean and several other stock remarks about sport climbing that I've chosen to forget from him and a certain belayer standing next to us who was of like mind (the "cool" factor being a high priority) when a quickdraw came whistling down from the top of Bonsai missing his head by about TWO FEET! Hard to look cool in a box, or when someone has to wipe your drool and clean your drawers for you!
Sorry to preach... think I'm flogging a dead horse here...

[Andrew]

To prove that climbers loook cool in helmets, here a couple photos of ME in a helmet:

1) Kamouraska



2) Cochrane Lane - Border Wall

http://www.climbnb.mine.nu/pic/2004_06_13/10_Andrew_FingersAndToes.jpg

3) Cochrane lane - King Arthur's PG
-- > Advertizement for CAMP, basically < --




...my little contribution...

Cool climbers don't drool... wear your helmet[/list]

[martha]

Fred maybe isn't aware right now...but his coolness will come to an abrubt end when our little one comes into the world. we must set a good example for Junior while out climbing.

I rag on Fred EVERYTIME we hit the crag about his helmet. You think if he wanted me to shut up about it he would just wear the dang thing!!



Cara

[mathieu]

I just had a thought, you guys are all wrong with your cool factor. Wearing a helmet is definatly cool if you climb and the top out is a tourist route. If you top out at cathedral, the people will know your a climber if you have a helmet, and they even think you did something really hard (they don't have to know that you've just climbed Upper Refuse. When we topped out at the top of a mtn where a popular scrambling route would lead hikers too, we got looks and got asked "Are you guys climberz?". To which we would reply "Ehh, yeah! I'm a climber". These hikers didn't seem to think that our helmets weren't cool.

I bet you never expected THIS to hit your helmet.

[martha]

HAHAHA

or like ice climbing at Chutes Mo Mo. you top out there and there are tons of people asking all sorts of questions....'how long did it take?' 'were you scared'? 'are those things sharp?' etc. etc.

[granite_grrl]

Hmm to those of you (Fred) who find their helmet's slip and slide all over the place and the straps choke you: does it actually fit you right??

My helmet stays on my head, unstrapped if I bend forward. Sure, it'll shift a little bit, but nothing really noticable on a climb.

[Fred]

yeah it's not that bad. I was probably exagerating when I said it chocked me. But sometimes it does shift enough over my brow that I want to fling it back to see where I'm going. It's definitely a problem under roofs though. Again, not because of the fit, but because of the top of head depth coordination.

I'll just clarify that it's really not a cool thing why I don't wear it. It's definitely a comfort thing. Like I said, I understand the safety aspect I just don't like wearing the thing.

[Andrew]

Hmmm.. KamelBack. That's a good idea. I've been thinking of trying to find somthing to carry some hydration while climbing multipitch and that's a good idea. Looks like it wouldn't bother me too much. I'll have to look into it. Has oneone reading this post used one of those?

Andrew

I just had a thought, you guys are all wrong with your cool factor. Wearing a helmet is definatly cool if you climb and the top out is a tourist route. If you top out at cathedral, the people will know your a climber if you have a helmet, and they even think you did something really hard (they don't have to know that you've just climbed Upper Refuse. When we topped out at the top of a mtn where a popular scrambling route would lead hikers too, we got looks and got asked "Are you guys climberz?". To which we would reply "Ehh, yeah! I'm a climber". These hikers didn't seem to think that our helmets weren't cool.

I bet you never expected THIS to hit your helmet.

[martha]

Hmmm.. KamelBack. That's a good idea. I've been thinking of trying to find somthing to carry some hydration while climbing multipitch and that's a good idea. Looks like it wouldn't bother me too much. I'll have to look into it. Has oneone reading this post used one of those?

Andrew

I have a camel back that I use on LONG multipitch like in North Conway when I could be off the ground for many hours, and it is big enough for 2 litres of water (enough for me and my partner), some food, a guidebook and a light sweater etc.

It is great for a second, but carrying it as a leader could be a pain if you are on harder stuff. But on easy stuff it is no big deal at all. also, you can't go in Chimney's etc with it. heheh. The bladder wouldn't break or anything, but you just couldn't climb with it there. you'd have to clip it to your pig loop for that portion of the climb and dangle it between your legs. I've done that too...again, no big deal.

But, in welsford, I have a .5litre nalgene that I just clip to my harness for climbs. nothing I'll be off the ground for a huge length of time, so that is enough water to get me back to the ground.

Cara

[Fred]

leave the water on the ground. It'll just slow you down. Train your body for water deprevation instead. Not only will you be lighter from not having the extra weight on you but you yourself will be lighter from being bone dry. hehe

[dcentral]

Ha,

I was actually reading that most people go through life by mildly dehydrated and we should be drinking a lot more then we do during the day. Also having a large glass of water before going to and getting out of bed in the morning is recommned.

This book also said that added benefit to drinking sport drinks is that most for most people when drinking water, you reach your limit on how much water you want to drink long before you've rehydrated yourself. So if you drink sports drinks bcause they are flavoured you'll either drink more of it longer or take drinks from it more often.

I just thought it was interesting. I'm not saying you need to drink sports drinks. In fact this guy helped develop some of them so he was a little biased. But just makes you realize how much more water we should be taking in then we do.

[Ropeguy]

yeah right,Like Fred putting a bucket on his head is going to Shut Cara up!!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cara Wrote

Fred maybe isn't aware right now...but his coolness will come to an abrubt end when our little one comes into the world. we must set a good example for Junior while out climbing.

I rag on Fred EVERYTIME we hit the crag about his helmet. You think if he wanted me to shut up about it he would just wear the dang thing!!

[martha]

yeah right,Like Fred putting a bucket on his head is going to Shut Cara up!!!

You've got a point there.

[Matt Peck]

After my attempt to race rockfall to the ground this spring I'm all about the helmet. I was using my half dome for the first time on rock at the time, and the boulder smoked me right in the temple. If I had been wearing my old Camp skullbucket, I would not hav gotten away with just scrapes and bruises. max out your pro people. That inch and a half more coverage was crucial to me not being a veggie. And Richard, that was a vary salient story, made all the more effective because I acutally saw it happen. Scary eh?

Matt.