Full faced helmets? etc....

O

option_ride

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OK, As ashamed as I am to admit it I just started wearing a helmet this year. I held out for a long time because I thought it would drive me nuts, now I can't imagine riding without my helmet. I spend most of my time in the trees and so I was considering looking into a full faced helmet. Any thoughts on whether a full faced helmet is a good idea or just added expence. I really wonder what are the most common injuries when hitting a tree. I have slammed a tree only a few times, and every time I was able to bail early and put the board out in front of me to take the impact. Anyway I guess my point is.... is a standard helmet enough? Also is anyone else using any other type of protection besides a helmet?
 
option_ride":195uffuy said:
OK, As ashamed as I am to admit it I just started wearing a helmet this year. I held out for a long time because I thought it would drive me nuts, now I can't imagine riding without my helmet. I spend most of my time in the trees and so I was considering looking into a full faced helmet. Any thoughts on whether a full faced helmet is a good idea or just added expence. I really wonder what are the most common injuries when hitting a tree. I have slammed a tree only a few times, and every time I was able to bail early and put the board out in front of me to take the impact. Anyway I guess my point is.... is a standard helmet enough? Also is anyone else using any other type of protection besides a helmet?
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Never seen anyone using a full face helmet on the slopes. I feel it would be more of a distraction than a help and the decreased visibility might even pose a safety risk.

I started using a helmet 4 years ago and can't imagine skiing without it now.
 
there are some riders around big sky that rock the full face helmets.
racers sometimes yes, but it's mostly the people riding the big terrain.
kinda makes me wish i had one. they look bad ass. i have never tried
one on, but i would also think that it would hinder my visibility. they look
heavy too, but so did the regular helmets (before i wore one) and i don't
even notice mine now. try one on to see wha the vis is like. i supposse if
you're hitting up high consequence terrain it's a good idea to have all the
protection you can get, the skills to pay the bills, and common sense.
these should keep you "safe". :lol: if you ski lot's of trees and have had
the luck of the irish that you had your board below you to protect yourself.....
....i don't know about you, but i used to play hockey and have
some superstitions that i try to go by......it's happened twice now,
three strikes and you're out. if you think it will happen, it will. :wink:
 
option_ride":35ddy60g said:
I just wonder how often impact occurs to the face. I have also seen helmets with a bar to protect the jaw from impact. Anyway thanks for your response.
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It is a badass looking helmet; makes sense for racers who look for the straightest line down a course and who hit every gate in the process. I would guess that face impacts are more common in these situations.

Other than saplings that occasionally swipe at my face, I've never experienced a full face impact in the trees. Goggles seem like more than enough protection.

But, like Hamdog says, if you're thinking about it alot, maybe you ought to get the face protection. Can't hurt.
 
I have seen two almost identical accidents in Extreme comps (once live at Crested Butte in 2001) where the full faced helmet would have helped. In each case the skier compressed hard landing an air and one of his knees came up and smashed into his lower jaw. At CB it was the final run right in front of us at the bottom of the course. He got up bleeding from the mouth and skated into the finish area, obviously somewhat dizzy. The one I saw on TV lost a couple of teeth and would have been leading the competition but had to drop out.
 
Tony Crocker":1uu64hp7 said:
I have seen two almost identical accidents in Extreme comps (once live at Crested Butte in 2001) where the full faced helmet would have helped. In each case the skier compressed hard landing an air and one of his knees came up and smashed into his lower jaw.
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Saw a buddy of mine do precisely that hucking the cliffs (whose name I can't now recall) above the top bullwheel of Wildcat at Alta, on Baldy Shoulder. This was back in '97. He broke his jaw, but kept skiing with the broken jaw until the end of the day.
 
Probably no one is still reading this thread, but here's two cents from an ER nurse:

The reason a helmet is so important is because if you break your brain, you are screwed. There is no repairing brain damage. (Please don't get smart with me about something you read in the Journal Science. I work with some of the best neurosurgeons in the country. Trust me, you are basically screwed if you break your brain. All a good neurosurgeon can do is limit further damage.)

Your face is not quite as important as your brain. There are a few caveats to that. One being that your face is pretty important from a psycho-social aspect in that no one wants to look like they lost a fight with a tree for the rest of their lives. The other being that your face is also where your body draws fresh air for respiration. Given that, its possible that a face guard will increase your survival chances after hitting a tree. It will also make it easier for EMS/Ski patrol/etc to intubate you if there isn't blood all over your airway.

So, I guess a face guard isn't at all a bad idea, but it's really not quite as important as a helmet. It's probably about as necessary as wrist guards, knee pads, etc.

I'd be more likely to start wearing wrist guards again than to get a full-face helmet. I figure I'm a lot more likely to hit something with my wrists than my face. (Most people instinctively protect their face with their hands.)
 
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