Confessions of a Former Non-Helmet Wearer
Photo by Sam Clarke on Unsplash
For decades, as in almost seven, the only time I wore a helmet while skiing was running a downhill race. During my 18 years of flying helicopters and fixed-wing airplanes in the Navy, I wouldn’t think of climbing into the cockpit without a helmet. When riding my bike, I wore a helmet. In a race car, I wore a helmet.
Helmets while skiing? Nah!!!! They’re for little kids who might run into trees or lift towers, but not for me. Neither of my adult children wore helmets past age six.
The cold wind whistling past my face and ears was the order of the day. On warm sunny days, it was baseball hats and sunglasses.
Over the years, helmets began to proliferate but neither my brother who is 13 years my junior, nor I owned a helmet for skiing. The first of the non-helmet wearers in the family to fall was my son. He’s another Naval Aviator and is involved in test flying. On one trip, he showed up wearing a ski helmet!!!
OMG!!!
That’s when the chorus from my grandchildren about wearing a helmet began. “Grampy, you need to wear a helmet. We like skiing with you, but you’re old, and we don’t want you to get hurt.”
Another refrain was “Helmets are cheaper than brain surgeons.” That’s when my son, the mechanical engineer and test pilot sent me an email listing the top-rated helmets and a description of the rating system. His note said, “Buy one!”
I turned the shaming at the other hold-out, my brother. We both bought the same helmet before we went to Whistler last winter.
My advice is by one that meets ASTM standard F2040 or if you live in Europe, CE EN 1o77. Also, try it on in the shop wearing what you wear on the slopes. Bring your goggles because they may not be compatible with the helmet.
Here are some lessons learned from skiing with this newfangled thing called a ski helmet. One, I seem to ski faster with the helmet because the sensations of speed going past my ears is different.
Two, will need to figure out how to keep your ears warm. I won’t ski when the wind chill is well below zero, but even when I did, in my pre-helmet days, ears were toasty warm under my 100% wool Moriarty hat. Wearing a helmet is another reason not to ski when it is -100 F outside and the wind chill makes it -300. There was a time when I would, but not anymore and now I can blame my helmet.
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Good morning I’m a 75 year-old guy who has not skied for 22 years. Any suggestions on how to get ready to ski again or should I just admit that I’m too old to start again?
Take a lot of lessons
Santo, you are never to old to start skiing again! While in Navy training after college, I broke my leg at Mammoth my first time on skis but returned to ski the following year when stationed in New England, had a 20 year break from skiing (family and work obligations), but tried it again when my university offered a one night a week program at Holiday Valley (south of Buffalo). I was re-hooked! I don’t have that deep muscle memory that a kid develops but enough of my muscles remembered that I was skiing blacks by the end of that year and two years later joined the Safety Patrol. Now a retired 83 year old, we get down to Holiday Valley several times a week in preparation for an annual two week trip to Utah. No more double blacks but the powder still creates dream experiences! Go for it!
Nice article Marc. One thing. People should consider compatible systems of helmets and goggles. POC and Smith for instance have helmets and goggles that are integrated thus eliminating the guess work out of matching goggles to helmets. Cheers.
To be quite honest I find a helmet to be much warmer than a hat because it doesn’t shift You should really try a helmet liner anyway You can get 2 types Either a lightweight breathable one or a thicker one designed for warmth There should be enough adjustment on your helmet to accommodate either
I agree. My Helmet is comfortable and just as warm or even warmer than any hat. It has vents that you can open on warmer days. Integrated with goggles, you get a lot of protection from the weather!
I too have found that my helmet keeps my head, including my ears, warm.
I ski using the POC Skull Dura Comp Mips helmet… nothing could be warmer than this full coverage ‘brain bucket’. Even with the full coverage, there is no loss of hearing.
As we get older, most reactions are slower and we need to be cognizant of others skiing around us, hence the simple need for a helmet.
In Truckee it’s rare not to see someone boarding or skiing without a helmet.
Agree with others that they are quite comfortable and warm.
35+ years wearing one.
Great article….thanks.
I was an early adopter! I immediately noticed the wind noise was reduced. My hearing wasn’t. My ears were warmer. On frigid days, I wear a balaclava under my helmet; it’s like wearing a first layer. I have stopped for too many falls for people brain-bucketless, dazed, and disoriented.
Yup A light BALCLAVA does it for me
Marc,
Kinda like almost 40 years ago when my wife read a Bicycling magazine article about helmets and said “you should get one. Even your brain is worth $40!
As for ears and cold I find helmets MUCH warmer as mine has a built in ear muff. My old hat always had my lower ear lobe exposed and very cold. I love the comfort and warmth of a helmet! But I also know that the protection they provide in a forward motion into a tree is minimal at speed. However, most so called ‘minor’ falls and head bumps can easily lead to a brain bleed and death. And those falls are far more likely to occur!
Steve, so true. And also the more common type of injury these days, by being skied into by some idiot on the hill… In addition to the brain buckets, we also ski wearing back/spine protectors…
For some forgotten reason, I purchased my first helmet for the 20/21 season. I actually don’t notice it on my head, except a few times when walking with my skis on my shoulder and the binding lightly touches the helmet. Otherwise, it feels no different than before.
With a Moriarty hat you have to consider the additional half hour of furious head scratching to quell the itchies when the ski day is done. I too was in the no helmet except for ski races for far to long. When I did go to a helmet for everyday I chose a POC race helmet for its safety – warmth is also a plus. When it gets really cold I pull up my hood over the helmet. Problem solved.
not my skiiing, its the crazies I worry about and protect myself with helmet
Not a bad idea to wear a helmet, but the science on how effective they actually are in preventing serious brain injuries is inconclusive. If you are actually skiing faster with your helmet on, you might actually be at *more* risk than you were with no helmet, skiing slower.
Not saying not to wear it, but ski under the assumption it might not actually work – cause it might not.
There are a number of articles describing how the helmet testing norms don’t actually reproduce the injury mechanism that causes serious brain injuries.
MIPS was supposedly designed to be better, but was found to be ineffective in independent tests.
The primary loss of body heat (like 60%) is through the head, and a helmet with ear flaps keeps you much warmer than a knit hat. The improved safety and comfort is a no-brainer LOL. My worst on-snow incident (while snowboarding) was when a skier ran into me from behind. Next thing I knew I was down in the snow, goggles broken. And my helmet was cracked in the front and the side – but it saved me. I was shaken but not concussed. Don’t leave home without one.
Would not ski without one. Thin helmet liners or thicker for really cold and windy days is the way to go. Hearing loss absolute minimum. Skiing since 1968. Best piece of safety gear I own. No reason in my opinion not to own one. Warmth and protection all in one.
I use a polyprop balaclava under my helmet. Works well; stifles the odd cold drafts that came with helmet alone.
I, too, don’t really care for wearing a helmet, but I do on recommendation from my doctor. I have suffered two concussions while wearing approved helmets, one while skiing and one while riding. I understand that a helmet MIGHT prevent a skull fracture, but a fall of that magnitude is highly unlikely when pottering along on groomed blues at age 84. And yes, my helmet is warm enough with the addition of “ski muffs” attachments.
I started skiing in 1964 and never wore a helmet until around 15 years ago when Pico/Killington offered a free lift ticket if you bought a helmet in their shop. I always wore a helmet when riding a motorcycle or bicycle and figured if the mountain was giving free lift tickets to get people to wear helmets they must be worth it. I got in the habit immediately and then, when I started racing GS 5 years ago, I upgraded to a POC racing helmet. I couldn’t be happier with the fit, comfort and warmth. If the best skiers in the world wear helmets it’s probably a good idea for the rest of us.
I too have found that my helmet keeps my head, including my ears, warm.
Though always warm in my helmet w/balaclava when necessary, I loved the Moriarity hat reference. Spurred memories of the long-closed shop on Stowe’s mountain road and the “knock-offs” my mom used to knit for us kids. BTW: kudos to my helmet for preventing a concussion (or worse) in a high-speed crash with a snow fence/sign (my fault) that has me out for the season with a ruptured Achillies.