A post on another topic gave me the idea to bring up a topic that i know has been discussed numerous times here on DCski... do you or do you not wear a helmet?

... i want this to be a poll but for some reason when i create the poll it does not show up in my post. any ideas how to change this?... i know it has worked for others

Not yet....Would like to start this year though. If I can get some help from some DCSkiers then I just may get one this year...hint, hint: Please Help David Get A Helmet!! (sorry for the shameless plug)

Brain bucket all the way! Of course as a guy with a shaved head it help keep my dome warm!

I've worn a helmet since my second or third time skiing back in the late 90's when I rented 200+ straightline ski's at timberline and fell, bounced the back of my head off of ice on salamander and got a concussion. Personally if not for anything else, the WARMTH factor should be enough to get a person to wear one.

Yep, this will be my third season with a helmet. I got it when I started skiing a lot faster a couple years ago -- just seemed like a good idea. I'm glad to have it nowadays. The only time I don't wear it is in spring when it's warm out and I tend to ski a lot less aggressively. I just prefer a light hat or no hat in spring.

I have five helmets, one for each ski suit color. I'm getting partial to red nowadays, so if that's the case my next purchase will be red too.

Seventh season with a helmet.

Multiple years with a helmet. Thinking of getting a new one this year. Numerous times I have hit my head hard enough it would have caused considerable pain if not more while on the slopes...most of the time it has been things like getting slammed by the side of a chair twice at Canaan, etc.
Would not be without a helmet. Bought them for all my kids and grandkids. Wear mine during the entire ski season, just open the vents all the way in the spring.
The Colonel

I am formally boycotting this years incarnation of the helmet thread.

Seems to come up every year doesn't it? We haven't had a "Why do snowboarders make me mad and sit in the middle of the slopes" thread yet this year though. It may be time for one.....

After 40 yrs of slope riding I wore one on Sunday at Wisp for first time. It worked good in keeping the rain off the old noggin. They had used rental shop Giro helmets for sale at the Nat'l Ski Expo in Chantilly for $10 in Nov. Who knows if they still have their full integrity, but my son and I each picked out ones that seemed to look decent for that price.

I have always worn a helmet since 3 or 4 years ago when I had an experience like Brad's (sans concussion) at Canaan. Got in the backseat and then went over backwards and whacked my head good.

Not only is it warm, but I've lost count of the times that people have tried to bring the lift bar down too soon and thunked off the helmet - serious protection.

Unless the helment has a crack in either the shell or liner, it will have full protective value. A lot of people buy when styles change or when their old one becomes too scuffed. Damned vain people! People who race tend to go through more helments. My son went through two during his career. Both casulties of slalom gates.

I am on my nth helmet. I lost count of how many times my helmet get hit by anything you name it. i.e. A large icicle crashed on my helmet while walking to the entrance for the meal. I have been hit/slap by plankers and boards when weaving through crowded space. I 've witnessed my friend's helmet cracked when he didn't land properly and thank goodness he didn't crack his own skull but got headache.+
As for langleyskier being an instructor, I think it's great to show the students that it's cool to wear helmet all the time. I guess open faced helmet would be the one to wear so you can speak loud and clearly as oppose to the full face helmet (for racing etc).

Ya i am planning on wearing my helmet as much as possible while teaching both for the fact that it will be a positive model for my students and i fear beginners carrying skis. I have been wearing a helmet now for 4 years and love it for both the protection and warmth. Only time its a big disadvantage is talking to others on the lift (i have a closed ear helmet). I am thinking of buying a cheap open/soft ear helmet so that i can hear better while teaching but i am required to have a hard ear cover when racing so i i guess ill need to keep both on hand.

Helmet wearer too. One for each color ski suit - which would be 1 - basic black goes with everything Lou Giro Nine. Warm plus go with the tune-ups. Love Bob Marley while skiing in a snowstorm.

I guess I am in the shrinking minority. I don't wear a helmet. Every year I think about it for about 5 minutes but in the end I don't. In fact, I'm the idiot who rarely even wears a hat unless it is seriously cold (10-15 DegF) or windy. My tolerance for cold is legendary. Perhaps it's because I don't ski on weekends either. I might be more inclined to put on the bucket if I had to ski during rush hour. I'm easy to find...just look for the guy brushing the snowmaker induced icicles from what remains of his hair with his fingers.

We had a friend die by not wearing helmet. He would've lived had he had one on. Wearing a lid should not be an option - it should be required. But, there are people out there who want to tempt fate by not wearing one...skiiers, snowboarders, ATV riders, et. It's an age old argument since the motorcycle.

I guess the decision on wearing one depends on how much you have to live for.

Actually, the only reason for most folks not wearing one is vanity. Too many folks are too vain to be "caught dead" in one cuz it might mess up their hair. More likely to be "caught dead" w/o one. Wouldn't think of jumping into the trees w/o my brain bucket. Don't want a tree singing "I got you babe."

Thanks for opening my eyes... I didn't realize how vain I was and how little I had to live for.

I too have had someone I know die while skiing. Unfortunately, a helmet wouldn't have helped prevent the detached aorta he suffered when he hit that tree. Is one vain or self-destructive by venturing into trees without full body armor? Do you advocate removal of such "safety hazards" as trees, moguls, powder, corn, terrain parks etc.? Otherwise you best stay home...how much do you have to live for?