[shark]

Bouldering with a helmet, that's never a good sign.

Or it could be considered sensible to do most of the time.

Good article by John Sherman (don't know how old it is) but food for thought.

I usually wear a helmet when indulging in grit soloing.

I've never knocked my head bouldering though - anyone else ?

[tomtom]

Bouldering with a helmet, that's never a good sign.

Or it could be considered sensible to do most of the time.

Good article by John Sherman (don't know how old it is) but food for thought.

I usually wear a helmet when indulging in grit soloing.

I've never knocked my head bouldering though - anyone else ?

Only when handling a ladder :p

[slackline]

An article looking at helmet usage in a broader context.

[shark]

Another good article 

"Risk homeostasis" though. Interesting thought as a general concept but in this instance I think donning a helmet would more likely be a visceral reminder of the consequences of impact more than encourage taking greater risk.

[tomtom]

Yes - good article. The risk homeostasis is widely discussed in regard to cycling helmets - after an Australian study (kind of) showed that cyclists wearing helmets took more risks.

I'm surprised there isn't a 'bouldering and sport climbing' helmet that is designed to stop injury from your head hitting things rather than the mountaineering helmets which are more to stop objects falling splitting your noggin open. The article seems to say as much too (though not directly) and manufacturers say there is no standard for such helmets - so they wouldn't sell. Though I would have thought the same standard that apply to cycling/skateboarding and possibly ski-ing helmets would apply here.

[cheque]

The only time I've ever banged my head climbing was when bouldering. My hand slipped out of an unexpectedly damp jam but my foot, jammed in the same crack, stayed, leading to me falling backwards and cracking my head on my spotter's knee.

It didn't make me start wearing a helmet to boulder though- I'm just more careful with foot jams.

[slackline]

I'm surprised there isn't a 'bouldering and sport climbing' helmet that is designed to stop injury from your head hitting things rather than the mountaineering helmets which are more to stop objects falling splitting your noggin open. The article seems to say as much too (though not directly) and manufacturers say there is no standard for such helmets - so they wouldn't sell. Though I would have thought the same standard that apply to cycling/skateboarding and possibly ski-ing helmets would apply here.

In Shermans DPM article the first picture is captioned...

Verm with his modified youth skateboard helmet on the FA of My Bloody Valentine

I guess he chose it because of its design to protect against impacts when falling and hitting the ground with your head as you are suggesting.

[ducko]

the only helmet i equip when bouldering is the one in between my legs.

[Coops_13]

I'm surprised there isn't a 'bouldering and sport climbing' helmet that is designed to stop injury from your head hitting things rather than the mountaineering helmets which are more to stop objects falling splitting your noggin open.

I thought the petzl meteor expanded foam style helmets were designed with absorbing impact in mind rather than having a solid shell to stop falling rocks?

[shark]

Genius!



Previously linked by Slackers  

[fatboySlimfast]

A helmet .......

Bouldering............

Get a fucking grip......................

[duncan]

Helmets

I'm surprised there isn't a 'bouldering and sport climbing' helmet that is designed to stop injury from your head hitting things rather than the mountaineering helmets which are more to stop objects falling splitting your noggin open. The article seems to say as much too (though not directly) and manufacturers say there is no standard for such helmets - so they wouldn't sell.

The UIAA and, by extension, the BMC are 40 years behind the times here. The UIAA standard is useful for mountaineers encountering falling ice and rock but almost useless for 75% (guesstimate) of helmet users: rock climbers most concerned about protecting from blows to the side or back of the head. Nothing has changed since 2003 when I bought a Petzl Meteor because it was light and comfortable, I didn't look more of a twat wearing it than I do already, and Bentley had his picture taken on Equilibrium wearing one. I had no real idea if was going to be any good if I banged the side of my head lobbing off Moonwalk. 13 years later nothing has changed. Needing to replace the helmet, I have almost no useful information on which to judge my purchase. This is not good enough!

There has been no safety innovation since the Metor: helmets have got lighter, more colorful, and have magnetic buckles which don't work when they get grit in them. I'd pay £200 for something that was as light and comfortable as the Meteor and offered a demonstrable significant increase in side and rear blow protection. Currently, buying a skater's helmet looks the best option.

You can't blame the manufactures. As the Climbing article says, a manufacturer might aim to improve protection for the back of the head but a new standard, when it eventually arrives, might only test side impacts. Until we have agreed new international standards, helmet innovation will consist of cut-outs for pony-tails and changing the shade of orange.

[dave]

Are there any recorded instances of people sustaining head injuries when bouldering? I've never come across any.

[Lund]

If you're gonna wear a helmet bouldering, then surely you should wear one in the car too, in order to be consistent.

[shark]

Are there any recorded instances of people sustaining head injuries when bouldering? I've never come across any.

Apart from cheque above and John Sherman (7 times!) though you have to wonder whether the first one affected his judgement and / or balance.

[Hoseyb]

For the lone boulderer with limited pads, I can see a place, if only psychological.  However,  most of us just scrounge more pads. In terms of helmet innovation the petzl sirocco is as close as it gets to cutting edge in climbing helmets and will be my replacement.

[Monolith]

 :goodidea:I climb with several helmets on occassion. Usually when bouldering with Fatneck and Richie Crouch.

[Drew]

I put a helmet on for spotting once.

Went out searching for undiscovered boulders in North Wales.danny was trying this arete when he suddenly pinged off towards me. Diligent spotter that I am I protected him from the nearby pointy boulder, however came close to snacking the back of my head against it. Next time he went up I was sporting his helmet (more for comedy value than genuine concern).

[Offwidth]

I often wear a lid when bouldering on my own. I started after banging my head after a 'slip, off-balance landing and stumble' checking stuff in a fairly wild place where few climbers go and wondering about the consequencies of concussion in such situations. As discussed above, I'd love to see a lightweight climbing helmet properly designed for side impacts. I also tripped over and banged my head once, stupidly celebrating, by dancing along a kerb with hands in pockets, after a good local ice climbing forecast in Fort Bill: I was admitted for 2 days for obs, with a suspect radial skull fracture. The forces just from tripping and cracking ones head on hard things can and do kill people; add a few metres of extra potential energy and I think more people should be wearing lids when on their own.


http://scienceblogs.com/whitecoatunderground/2009/03/18/a-simple-bump-on-the-head-can/

http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/nov/06/deaths-mortality-rates-cause-death-2011

The Verm is in a different category... the boulder problems he was usually involved with would be considered routes in the UK.

[BAndy]

I reckon aligning helmet use with particular disciplines of climbing is often the problem when choosing whether or not to wear one. I always wear a helmet when winter, trad or sport climbing. However, I try to assess each situation on its own even though I know I'll come to the same conclusion in those disciplines now. I used to sport climb without one, but having flipped myself on a slab (and climbed on Peak limestone!), I now wear a helmet on every sport climb I do. Equally, I can understand when people wear a helmet on certain trad or sport climbs but not on others.

By the same logic, I wouldn't avoid wearing a helmet on a particular boulder problem simply because it's an apparently safer discipline in which I don't usually wear one. I sometimes wear one on a highball. I also agree that it might be a good idea to wear one when on your own, particularly if there's a risk of head injury. The important thing is to manage the risk on each climb, whatever category it may be in.

Despite thinking more people should wear helmets, I guess I have to reluctantly conclude that everyone has their own opinion on them. As Brian Butterfield says, "It's up to you!".

[Will Hunt]

Anybody wearing a helmet on every boulder problem they do is a fool (or at least, so overly cautious that they are unlikely to be out bouldering in the first place).

Anybody who says they wouldn't wear a helmet on any boulder problem out of sheer principle is equally foolish.

If there's a reasonable chance you could smack your head on a rock with even the most modest amount of force, and a suitable (foam structure) helmet was available, you should consider wearing it. Head injuries are no joke.

[Wil]

You can't blame the manufacturers.

You can partly blame them - standard safety tests come about via manufacturers as well as other sources. If they devised (collectively or individually) a new test on side and rear impacts there's nothing stopping them submitting it to be a recognised standard.

I spoke at some length to a manufacturer about this, when they brought out some very good looking new helmets. The excuses given were cost, the fact that getting it recognised in different countries wasn't straightforward and that the current tests are tricky to reproduce consistently already (with examples of some helmets on the market which meet the standard, but not really the spirit of the standard). I felt like the real fear was they'd create a standard which their current range didn't meet.

[shark]

Head injuries are no joke.

Really? I hate concussion, it does my head in

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

In a crossover with the gooDADvice thread, when my two boys ride or scoot to the park then play on the frames etc they tend to keep their helmets on, more out of not wanting to forget them than being wary of injury. The other day this approach saved my eldest from a nasty bump as he slipped off one of the angled spinny things, he whacked the side of his head on the hard plastic from being stood up, it could have been nasty without a helmet. As it was he walked away and suppressed any tears (his mum wasn't around and some older boys were!  )

Whereas helmet wearing for snow sports has pretty much become the norm on the continent, when it does snow in the UK I'm always amazed the risks people take on sledges with helmets rarely used.

Whilst cycling I now feel naked without a helmet, however when in Belgium recently we were the obvious non-locals as we were pretty much the only ones wearing them. I now understand why this is the norm. In Belgium etc cycling is not a 'dangerous' activity, the terrain, infrastructure and attitude of other traffic all means it is very safe. I always wear a helmet on a bike, but also defend the choice of those who choose not to.

Would you wear a helmet to go for a walk along the top of Stanage? Even though there is a tiny risk of tripping and cracking your head on a rock, few people would consider this a risk worth wearing a helmet to prevent.

With bouldering I think there are plenty of high-balls or problems with dodgy landings where a lid would make a lot of sense, but for many other problems it may hinder more than it helps. Keep one in the car and use your judgement if it's worth taking.

[SA Chris]

The Scousers all climb with lids.