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EVERY pro should wear a helmet AT ALL TIMES IN PUBLIC

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Oli_jgb
Posts: 985 - Karma: 95
IDK if it's been said before but it needs to be said again.

Too many people have died this year as a direct result of not wearing a helmet. My cousin's best friend died the other day, she was a good friend of mine too (RIP Faye x). She was only 18 and it could have completely been avoided if she had been wearing a helmet.

Pro skiers have a responsibility to wear head protection because so many young people aspire to be like them. Professional skiers need to set a good example, otherwise people start saying "Candide doesn't need a helmet and look how big he goes! Why on earth would I need one?"
The point is that it isn't difficult to wear a helmet, they are light and hardly restricting, barely noticeable, and look just as legit as any hat or beanie.

You get 1 chance with your head. Just 1. There are no replacements, warranties or refunds. So look after it.


I'm probably going to get my Karma stripped away now but I feel someone needs to say it.
May 4 2009 6:15AM
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Trashpuppet
Posts: 529 - Karma: 123

WRONG!! studies show the more the helment sales have gone up over the years so have head injuries. ITS FREESKIING! everyone skis at there own risk, DO WHAT YOU PLEASE!!

Dec 24 2010 5:13PM
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[evan]
Posts: 5628 - Karma: 117
I agree 100%. My helmet has saved me countless times, and I also think that pros have a huge audience. If they found out a fan of theres died because he wasn't wearing a helmet (like his hero Tom Wallisch) then i think they would feel awful.
Dec 24 2010 5:30PM
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evanstp
Posts: 280 - Karma: 247

pro skateboarders dont wear helmets , an there on pavement ! haha

Dec 24 2010 9:13PM
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future-spins
Posts: 395 - Karma: 900
ya my helmet hase saved me, i cracked one helmet and half and was asking where i was and why my head hurt for about 8 hours and i forgot about 6 mounths befor it but without it i would have goten fucked
Dec 24 2010 9:30PM
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derpina
Posts: 2186 - Karma: 55
Oh so you're saying helmets cause worse head injuries? You're an idiot. Helmet sales and head injuries have gone up together because the sport is progressing, they have no correlation whatsoever. I guarantee a lot more people would be dead/fucked up if it weren't for helmets. Have fun getting even more dumb.
Dec 24 2010 9:35PM
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afterbang_me
Posts: 385 - Karma: 152
agreed.  I wear a helmet, encourage all my friends too as well.  I dont think that skiers need regulations imposed on them tho.
Dec 24 2010 9:47PM
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Caleb.E
Posts: 3556 - Karma: 1,015

this.

Bascily this is how i think of it , if i see u skiing and u dont ahve a helmet and even if u look  cool, i still think your a fagget and about every one else around me thinks the same thing.

And if u are wearing a helmet and still not looking cool well thats not our fault get a cooler looking helmet next time but way to be safe...

Dec 24 2010 9:49PM
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Drail
Posts: 14012 - Karma: 10,010
Well, I might as well jump in on this conversation. I have been skiing for pretty much my whole life (23 out of 26 years), and in that time I only wore a helmet for, oh, about a year, give or take. This was when I was in high school, by the way.

During my time as a helmet wearer, I sustained a concussion that was pretty gnarly. My memory goes away at around 7pm on Sunday, with the approx. time of hitting my head being around 7:30/8pm. Essentially, I don't regain my memory until around 8am on Tuesday morning. Not too long after that incident, I stopped wearing my helmet, partially because I didn't like it, didn't think it fit well, and I thought it looked ugly.

Many years have gone by since I stopped wearing a helmet (other than for competitions, of course), but, I can now say that I am a helmet wearer again. A week ago I went and picked up a new helmet. Not because I felt I needed the protection, but because I bought a GoPro this winter, and I can't use the chest mount when the pow is deep. Whatever my reason - I now wear a helmet.

With all this being said. I do not think Amateur and Professional skiers should be forced to wear helmets. I think this because skiers are not role models. Pro skiers are simply people who are really good at skiing. Take Max Hill for example. He smokes cigarettes, and doesn't hide it from the camera, but if he did, he wouldn't be himself. Do you want a role model or do you want a true individual? If you know what I mean.

Besides what we think as individuals, or as a community, say "we" tried to implement such a rule. How on earth would we be able to enforce such a rule/law? "freeskiing" isn't the same as other factions of our sport like ariels and moguls, it is truly an individual sport. Every competition, at all levels of the sport, across the map make all competitors where helmets. So the issues now lie with complicated issues. Who would force a pro to wear a helmet while hitting a backcountry booter, or sessioning an urban rail? Where do we even draw the line in terms of defining a "pro" and who has to abide by such a rule/law? Who is issuing said rule/law, and what would the penalty be if [enter name] was seen skiing without a helmet on.

The bottom line is simple. While this topic makes good conversation (or debate, if you will), there is absolutely no practical way of making a rule/law like this come to fruition any time in the foreseeable future. Our sport just isn't set up in such a way.
Dec 24 2010 11:16PM
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.Midwest
Posts: 493 - Karma: 22
I always wear one when I go out to the hill. I used to not wear a helmet in my backyard, but after hitting my head on my box I have it on everywhere I ski.
Dec 24 2010 11:17PM
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jksl
Posts: 12727 - Karma: 854
ya! pro skateboarders should wear them all the time too because it's a way bigger sport with a wider audience than skiing, and they don't even wear helmets in competitions! it's so much more dangerous cause it's on concrete!





shut up. seriously. you wear a helmet. don't tell other people how to live their lives. like many things in life IT'S ALL ABOUT PARENTING. this is like people blaming music for their kids acting like shitheads, no, you're just a shitty parent. my parents used to make me wear a helmet, i wear one on occasion now, and have suffered my only two major concussions the past two years. once with a helmet and once without. the crash without was way gnarlier, but the concussion with it was gnarlier. it's not a guarantee that it will save your head, but it's a chance. use your own judgment.
Dec 24 2010 11:32PM
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CassiusClay
Posts: 1757 - Karma: 2
Too many concussions with helmets has led me to believe that I'd be dead if I didn't wear one.
Dec 24 2010 11:38PM
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matt22matt
Posts: 272 - Karma: 17
around here its the law anyways... you wont be able to get in a park without a helmet.
Dec 24 2010 11:46PM
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eastcoastskiar
Posts: 7 - Karma: 10
Pro's also wear them at the most random times too, like it's not as if they only wear them while hitting big ass gaps, they don't wear them when they're hitting like, 65 foot down flat down flat down rails in the middle of a public park. weird
Mar 29 2011 7:57PM
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zahava
Posts: 7791 - Karma: 12,039
This actress died at tremblant last year. She fell on a GREEN run and hit her head. She wasn't wearing a helmet. I always wear my helmet.
Mar 29 2011 8:19PM
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ndye
Posts: 3756 - Karma: 7,094
I've lost friends to skiing this year. A helmet should always be worn by pros just to set an example for younger athletes
Mar 29 2011 8:31PM
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matt.donald42
Posts: 116 - Karma: 152
I feel like saying this is putting the blame elsewhere. You have to be able to think for yourself to a certain extent. Saying all pro skiers owe it to the public to wear helmets is just silly. Firstly they are not different from anyone else and did not ask for this additional responsibility. They deserve a choice in what they want to do as much as anyone else.You should be responsible enough to make your own good decisions and choose a helmet. Skateboarders rarely wear helmets skating and they influence a far larger demographic then skiing. Adding more responsibility to a select group of people is not saving anyone
Mar 29 2011 8:33PM
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JKill
Posts: 626 - Karma: 67
Not sure on how to forced this, but I feel it would be a Very responsible thing to do.

I think this is more the responsibility of the sponsoring company than it is the individual skier. They are the ones supplying the skier and creating there image and in return they have the control to decide this. The skier than has a choice to ride for that company and be that role model because in essence if they do not have that sponsorship than they are going to have a very hard time being a very influential role model on the national scale.

Sorry for the scatter brained idea.
Mar 29 2011 8:43PM
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Bi-ShredinalGuy
Posts: 1075 - Karma: 321

could not agree more! so many kids out there see pros not wearing helmets and think they themselves dont need to wear one

Mar 29 2011 8:43PM
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willyg0808
Posts: 4231 - Karma: 1,364
word, they should be mandatory at resorts. i wouldn't even consider not wearing one.
Mar 29 2011 8:44PM
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monkatizer
Posts: 4704 - Karma: 1,518
why cant people make decisions on their own nowadays?
Mar 29 2011 8:48PM
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Project97x
Posts: 10 - Karma: 10
I'd be in a hospital if it wasn't for my helmet. Fuck I bet I would at least have a cuncussion if it weren't for my full hard eared helmet. I was carving big turns on my k2PEs going like 60 and lost my inside ski, I made a few turns and slowed myself down before I hit ice and slammed my head hard. Thank God for racing where we train on one ski just to help us with creating angles or I would have gone right into a thick glade.
Mar 30 2011 12:30AM
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crunkiest
Posts: 369 - Karma: 21
ya at my home mountain as soon as this one kid took off  his helmrt he slid down the mountain hit his head and died
Mar 30 2011 12:40AM
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Wesley.P
Posts: 1376 - Karma: 89
I feel like if i didnt wear a helmet for my concussion i would be a vegetable. helmets are good and i always wear one. but let people do what they want. and when pros dont wear a helmet its because they are pros. they get paid to ski. because they are good. and dont fall as much as the average crazy teenager
Mar 30 2011 12:48AM
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cool_name
Posts: 4295 - Karma: 3,131
first off to all people saying pros shouldn't/don't contribute to what people wear are complete morons! example those kids you see skiing with tall tees on a powder day....nuff said

my second point to those people who think you dont always need a helmet like if you are skiing pow or teaching a friend to ski are also complete morons! i agree if it is just you on a powder filled bowl with no rocks or harzards then. ya you probably dont need one. however, it isnt it is just you its you and another 100 or so skiers/snowboarders that could quite easily crash into you from behind. also you dont always no what is under that foot of fresh snow. there could be rock that you cant see but trust me you will notice it if you crash and your heads slams into.


and finsh my rant one a happier note helmets are way warmer then beanies, and as long as you dont get a kids racing helmet from the 90's they look pretty good as well
Mar 31 2011 4:53AM
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Twig
Posts: 6407 - Karma: 60,033
its a bigger sport with a wider audience for sure but its not more dangerous. I've skateboarded 12 years now (even been spancerized for a bit /claim) and I never once in all that time did I hit my head. It happens but it is much less likely. The speeds and scales involved are much much smaller (slight exception for Mega-Ramp but they wear helmets).
Mar 31 2011 5:45AM
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Charlie_Kelly
Posts: 11954 - Karma: 12,298
I have always worn a helmet and it has saved my head many times from serious injury
Mar 31 2011 6:51AM
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DGski
Posts: 3491 - Karma: 2,328
this
Mar 31 2011 7:53AM
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SkierX
Posts: 16253 - Karma: 538
While I fully support helmets and wear mine all the time when on the mountain, I believe in free will more.

The sport of skiing is a dangerous sport; helmet or not. By using the logic that if pros don't wear helmets, kids won't wear helmets, we need to stop pros from hitting large features, or dropping large cliffs, or skiing fast, or doing any other action that could be construed as an elevated risk.
Mar 31 2011 8:13AM
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rickroller
Posts: 2468 - Karma: 483
i think kids should wear helms but it shouldent be the pros fault the stupid kids dont use a helm
Mar 31 2011 12:13PM
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ImNotARacist
Posts: 5136 - Karma: -1,030
I COMPLETELY DISAGREE WITH YOU

It should be the responsibility of the parent to see that a child wears a helmet, not professional Skiers.

I for one choose to wear a helmet on progression days/tree days and choose not to on cruise days or hot lap days.

Once a kid has established enough reasoning to not wear a helmet outside of doing what the pros do, he has the right.

If a pro likes to not wear a helmet, he is entitled to do so.



Look at sports such as skateboarding and snowboarding. They are well established in their markets and have been around for quite a long time, and the fact is, not very many professionals in either sport wear helmets. In fact, very few do.
Mar 31 2011 4:21PM
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Dhane
Posts: 3866 - Karma: 1,722
study done in 2008 by shealey determined that helmets are only useful in the prevention of serious injuries at slow speed below 15mph. anything above that is a crapshoot. i personally do not believe they attribute much to safety and give people the confidence to do things wellll beyond their skill level. i can't imagine trying to wear one now, it's just something that never crosses my mind.
Mar 31 2011 4:29PM
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hanksy
Posts: 659 - Karma: 265
boom
Mar 31 2011 4:30PM
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.jesus.
Posts: 2288 - Karma: 22
it a persons right to chose whether or not to wear a helmet.
take that away we may as well be in fascist germany. taking away somebaodys right to choose how to handle their own body=fascism.
Mar 31 2011 4:38PM
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Ian.D
Posts: 1254 - Karma: 1,093
Personally I think that study is BS but if you want to slam your head without a helmet at 15+ mph because you think it doesn't make a difference be my guest.

The point is its everyones choice but denying the fact that they make a significant difference in preventing head injuries is just ignant
Mar 31 2011 4:44PM
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k-rob
Posts: 14217 - Karma: 2,891
i'm not wearing a helmet right now and i ain't dead yet.
Mar 31 2011 7:07PM
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popNfresh44
Posts: 3757 - Karma: 44
I dont see it as much of a problem, 99% of kids I see in the park are rocking lids
Mar 31 2011 7:12PM
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thesheik
Posts: 1488 - Karma: 18
i think people who are offended by this are forgetting that pro skiers are literally walking (or sliding) billboards. they're paid to make kids say "hey, i wanna be like that", not to "innovate" or "progress" the sport. i'd say there's a certain moral responsibility to encourage safety when you get paid trying to encourage kids to look/act/ski like you.
Mar 31 2011 7:29PM
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Ilovewhitestuff
Posts: 726 - Karma: 25
+k this is exactly what should happen, its stupid not to wear a helmet, there is actually no good reason not to.
Mar 31 2011 8:21PM
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JKill
Posts: 626 - Karma: 67
Hock line sinker.
Apr 1 2011 12:32PM
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KravtZ
Posts: 6637 - Karma: 2,629
ths bro needs to chill the fuck out...if you want to where a helmet? go ahead and do it no one is sotpping you. If you choose not to , who gives a shit. Pros have very little influence on skiers i feel like for the most part besides things such as skis and clothing and ways of skiing. People who are ingnorant enough to not where a helmet will never where a helmet so who caers
Apr 1 2011 2:13PM
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Fluttershy
Posts: 586 - Karma: 763
support
Apr 1 2011 2:59PM
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skibeest
Posts: 419 - Karma: 103
I agree. And then you can mount cool shit on it like go pros
Apr 1 2011 4:14PM
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tall_t
Posts: 1036 - Karma: 15

you could also rock your helmet with stickers. and karma to you sir

Apr 1 2011 4:18PM
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B-WASS
Posts: 805 - Karma: 285
skiers are role models if they want to be or not. and i dont think that we were talking about a rule per say but if it cam to a point where a rule was needed sponsors could just say that if the athletes are ever caught not wearing one they would lose money or their sponsorship
Apr 1 2011 4:27PM
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k-rob
Posts: 14217 - Karma: 2,891
athletes aren't role models.
Apr 1 2011 4:37PM
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dbchili
Posts: 2555 - Karma: 1,657

well said. Everyone who says it's someone's own choice as to whether you wear a helmet and would like to relinquish pros of all societal responsiblity are blind.

1. pros choose to be pros. They could just be really good at skiing, not attend competitions and just ride on their own time and get regular jobs, they choose to be in the public eye, and therefore choose to be a factor in peoples' decisions on what to or not to wear

2. Peoples' decisions are based on information. This includes seeing what all others participating in their activities are doing. "Others" who are watched, first and foremost includes professionals.

Apr 1 2011 4:54PM
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Thrash
Posts: 821 - Karma: 9
Stop blaming pros for the death of people who don't wear helmets. If you choose to not wear a helmet because your favorite pro doesn't, then you deserve to die.
Apr 1 2011 5:14PM
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doGelyst
Posts: 2492 - Karma: 509
Strongly disagree.

Take responsibility for your own actions and decisions, stop trying to shovel blame/responsibility on other people because you or someone you know deliberately chose to put themselves at risk and not wear a helmet.  Want to wear one? Great, go for it. Don't? Fine, go for it.


Apr 1 2011 7:01PM
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