Jynxx 4 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I think it´s logical to assume: 1) Beginners in their first/second season 2) Intermediates (by the beginners´own assessment that thy are) who are getting too confident and pushing to ... getting out of control Would be the high injury risk groups. Well, nothing wrong with pushing it btw What should be informed to people is the type of injury that you are likely to sustain, and what one can do to reduce the risks. Snowboarders are likely to get wrist injury. Skiers probably knee/ ankle injury. - is that a fair assessment ? Basic right of way rules. etc. I broke my wrist on the 12 day (first season) and my elbow on the 12 day of second season. In both occations at the hospital waiting, I saw a lot of similar injuries as stated above. I had a wrist guard and still broke my wrist. Could have been worse without. When I did my elbow I forgot to wear an elbow guard. Left in the car. Imo, skiing is easier for a beginner. Snowboarding, I´d put it in a category of extreme sports. You are more likely to die from a skydiving accident, but you are more likely to break something from snowboarding (in my case) This Aussie snow industry bullshit is just focusing on helmet/ head injury and using it as a pubicity/marketing gimmick. Probably want to increase helmet sales. How dare they claim they are educating people and in the same sentence say - people are dumb so we are deciding for their own good what is best for them. This is insulting. Link to post Share on other sites
i2s the one 0 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I'm all for it not being manditory as many of you, because it's your own decision about taking a certain amount of risk. I'm just wondering what alot of you people (maybe especially Americans, with the sueing-culture and all) would do if you get injured by something thats not in your own hands, think about a loose ski or something. Would you still try and make a case out of it if your injury couldve been prevented by wearing protective gear. I think you'd have to include stuff like this in the risk you're taking as well. Link to post Share on other sites
beowulf 1 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I do not wear a helmet, but I do not really do anything that dangerous. I go off piste all the time, but I am more concerned with avalanches than things falling on my head or running into trees head first. I think people who do park should consider wearing a helmet, or anybody who does half-pipe. I mean it is pretty dangerous and skateboarders who do half-pipe always wear a helmet. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 If the Oz resorts enforce mandatory helmet wearing, does this mean they are accepting some sort of responsibility if and when head injuries occur? Link to post Share on other sites
gareth_oau 2 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Tubby, I asked the same yesterday afternoon. It could also be asked that if you don't wear a helmet, can you sue them for not having a duty of care and forcing you when you don't know better? LOL I do not believe that helmets should be mandatory, but I have no issues if it is. I do as lot of taekwondo and kickboxing, and some years ago, there were 4 deaths in less than a year in taekwondo comps from head kicks - now head guards are compulsory in comps. I'm sure there isn't anywhere near enough statistical evidence to support this, but anecdotally it makes sense. Bicycle helmets are now compulsory in Western Australia. As far as I am concerned, unless there is good evidence to suggest that helmets actually increase the risk of injury, then I am happy to wear one. I do believe there are still some rednecks in the USA who refuse to wear seatbelts.... Link to post Share on other sites
mpoulton 0 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I haven't worn a helmet since my mother stopped making me when I was a kid, however after a few close encounters with trees while off piste last season am thinking of getting one this year. Does your head get hot under them? Probably won't be a problem in Japan, but if I somehow find myself on the Australian slopes again (god forbid) I could imagine it getting pretty hot under there... Link to post Share on other sites
panhead_pete 27 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 My Smith has a heap of vents which I can open or close. Link to post Share on other sites
gozaimaas 61 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 I do believe there are still some rednecks in the USA who refuse to wear seatbelts.... I hear they are are a dying breed. Link to post Share on other sites
seemore 66 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 My head has never got hot. Although I have never been to OZ in saying that as long as your moving even with a Motorcycle helmet on 40deg you are ok. Seemore Link to post Share on other sites
Dominique 0 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 We both were helmets, here is OZ plus 2 trips to Canada and and 5 to Japan. Even in the tropical OZ winter, my head has never been hot, plenty of vents. The benifit for Dave is protecting his solar panels in his old age Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 No. No. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 For people with kids: Do your kids wear helmets? If so, why? If not, why not? Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 For people with kids: Do your kids wear helmets? If so, why? If not, why not? Yes. Cuz I say so. Link to post Share on other sites
bottomless 0 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Depends what I am doing I'd say half the time I do. On a cold day it keeps your bonce warm so just that is a reason to in peak season. Link to post Share on other sites
mals 0 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 I started wearing one when my kids started to ski as I wanted them to wear one. More concerned about them getting hit after they had hit the ground as I had never used one. Then the only doctor that I ski with started to wear a helmet and now a helmet is just part of the gear - bonus is it keeps your head warm but not too hot plus when you miss judge a tree branch they help. Link to post Share on other sites
gareth_oau 2 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Nikki and I wear them, but the kids (youngest is 16) refuse to - its just not cool Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Wearing helmets is rreal cool. I have a real cool one that also keeps my head warm. I recently bought a PLA jetfighter pilot helmet with the dual visors and oxygen mask. It also has earphones and a mic. Not sure if I can take it to Japan though. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 I personally don't agree with blanket mandatory wearing but this article make you think:- Industry spokesperson Ms Julie Gourd said that the Australian snow sport industry was "excited about leading the world in this measure in a duty of care action for our customer base". When asked if they were expecting much backlash from patrons over this action Ms Gourd replied that she felt "the Australian public is responsible and mature enough to realise that this if for their own good." Ms Gourd also denied that it was the actions of a "nanny state mindset" claiming that it was "no such thing, rather a responsible action by a responsible industry". This is the kind of mentality I really detest. People like this is really dangerous. This kind of attitude leads to benevolent dictatorship . We cannot afford to have these kind of people in government, religion, industry ... I said in the past, I don´t mind a bit of nannying. Nanny is not mommy, and I say mind your own business. What´s it with Australia and NZ, where a small group of people claims they are THE industry I´d like to see them banning alcohol sale and breathalyzing people But then again, who wants to go on-piste in Australia. Bugger them. Really....did none of you think this was a tad suspicious and look at the date? It was an April Fools Joke. Aye! <shakes her head...in which brain function has been preserved due to wearing a helmet by choice> I voted yes always, despite once on a hot spring Aussie day trying it without a helmet. I wont likely do it again. I also voted that it should not be made compulsory. That is personal choice. As for my kids. Yep, compulsory...because I say so, and I am paying fr the ski trip, gear, lift tickets etc. My now 18yr old stopped wearing a helmet when he did almost the season in Niseko last year....he paid for it, he was living alone and he was learning to be a snowboard instructor. Now qualified I kinda think it is up to him to choose for himself. The 14 yr old would do anything to leave the skid lid at home, but until he is paying for his own trip, 18yrs old, or a qualified instructor...he can just forget that! Link to post Share on other sites
shadowtec 0 Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Yes Yes (at least for kids) As I said in another thread 'It won't make it safe. but it will make it safer' I used to rock climb and I heard so many stories where minor Injury have turned into major ones because the climber (or at the very least belayer was not wearing a helmet) but that is just my two cents. Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 As I said in another thread 'It won't make it safe. but it will make it safer' But so what? This is the crux of the nanny state way of thinking in my opinion. The idea that we should always try and make things safer and safer and safer. Well some of us just aren't interested in always being that safe or feel that the safer options out there detract from the experience we are looking for. The point is not whether you want to take a safer option yourself, the point is whether you then start enforcing your ideals of safety on others. I used to rock climb as well and had a good friend end up with brain damage that probably would have been avoided had she wore a helmet. Did it make me think I should always wear a helmet? Not at all. Link to post Share on other sites
gareth_oau 2 Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 the government thinking is that if it will improve safety, it will reduce the cost burden on society for hospitals etc. However, snow sports are a much smaller activity than say driving cars, so they focus and really pus car safety, whereas injuries from snowsports is still a relatively small cost to society Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 if thats the government thinking then why do they not ban the use of Trans-fatty acids and hydrogenated fats in food products?? these are 2 of the biggest causes of coronary disease in the developed world, they are in a lot of everyday products as I think they are preservatives, another big one is High Fructose Corn Syrup.......something that is in absolutely everything, they have no nutritional value and are known to be huge factor is the west7s increasing obesity rate......if they truly wanted to make their population safer and cut hospital costs, then its this type of action that would do it, not making a small percentage of their population wear helmets when out riding snow Link to post Share on other sites
hellyer 216 Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 TB I follow your reasoning on getting rid of Trans-fatty acids, High fructose corn syrup etc but.......................................................please don't cut the cheese Link to post Share on other sites
gareth_oau 2 Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 TB - lobbyists - whinging about how a ban on trans-fatty acids would increse production costs, make food to expensive for poor consumrs etc etc. Link to post Share on other sites
ippy 66 Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Took a serious tumble on friday on the skyline in nozawa. Caught my edge as i was transitioning to my toe edge. I was going full pelt at the time so went flying head first backwards and smacked my head really badly on the ground (came to a stop right at the SLOW sign which was a nice bit of cosmic humour). Im honestly glad i had a helmet for that one, it was easily the heaviest hit ive taken as far as my head goes. Would have definitely knocked me out for sure and possibly been a fracture or worse. It was a very very heavy hit. Link to post Share on other sites
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