Helmets… when, where, and how?
A new backcountry skier asks about helmet use when touring. Here’s a take.
It’s that time again, the “take questions from a reader time.” The rules of engagement, although they are stated in the FAQs regarding comments: please be kind and don’t put others down. Pretty simple. And we bring that up since the Q&As from new backcountry tourists seem to generate comments.
That’s out of the way. Next up, helmets.
The question we have from a reader who is returning to backcountry endeavors after many years away is this:
“I would never ride my bike 20 feet without a helmet. I have always used a helmet at a ski area but never thought about it in the backcountry. What is the accepted practice—steep skiing, mountaineering only, tree skiing, always, only on the descent? Some skiers use a climbing helmet; it’s hard to imagine that someone doesn’t make a backcountry-specific helmet—light, well-vented, meant to be used but replaced in the event of an impact. The top-of-the-line Giro cycling helmet, with MIPS and additional technology, weighs 250 grams (road) and 340 grams (mountain). Not cheap, but designed to protect you in a 30+ mph crash on concrete.”
Helmets in General
Last season, we wrote about ski helmet certifications; here’s the link to read about them. We tried to clarify that helmet use is nuanced in the backcountry scene and that the best helmet for each individual is the helmet they are most likely to wear and carry. Otherwise, at least anecdotally, helmet use in the backcountry seems to be a personal choice. Most folks we see in the hills have a helmet, but not all folks.
Since this question comes from a dedicated cyclist who uses the cycling lens to eye helmet use, I chatted up my go-to ski partner and cyclist of all sorts, Barry Wicks.
Mr. Wicks—or Wicknasty—was a U.S. standout in the cross and MTB scenes for years, and he has some excellent hair to care for, which, needless to say, a helmet should accentuate, not blemish.
Wicks brought up some good points. First, he addressed the idea that the racing scene drives what recreationalists adopt as best practices.
“When Lance ‘won’ his first Tour in 1999, helmets were not required in the Tour, but in off-road racing, helmets have almost always been part of the equation. Helmet use has been mandatory for mountain bike racing since the First World Champs in 1991.”
By 2003, Tour organizers required helmets until the final climb. In 2005, that rule was scrapped, making helmet use mandatory for all Tour stages all the time. Wicks emphasized his point by discussing the time for certain practices to filter down and become adopted as de rigueur. Wicks claims he cannot recall a time when helmet use in the offroad scene wasn’t the rule, even for recreational, while the road cycling culture went through a period where helmet use slowly caught on as the pros began wearing them.
Taking Wicks’ observations and applying them to the backcountry world, let’s assume that as head trauma education increased and “pros” became more visible wearing helmets while touring, the rest of us followed suit. Certainly, helmet use has increased, but not all of us wear helmets while touring.
Wicks thinks there is more nuance regarding backcountry helmet use compared to cycling, where that culture dictates you always wear a helmet. “If you create this culture where the standard is you always wear a helmet, for backcountry touring, for example, it doesn’t leave any space for nuance, like when I am skiing low-angle powder in zero avalanche and overhead hazard. In that instance, I don’t think a helmet is necessary. And, in that case, I shouldn’t be shamed for not wearing a helmet.”
The key here might be what the accepted practice is. Let’s parse that out. With any overhead hazard, such as potential rock ice fall, wearing a helmet seems wise. This goes for ascending and descending. A helmet in potential avalanche terrain also seems wise, as there is a risk of trauma when caught in a slide—especially in forested terrain. For that matter, anytime there’s the potential to hit a tree or some other hard object while skiing/riding, you might consider helmeting up. Conversely, while skinning (certainly in warmer temps), and there’s no risk other than falling over in a tight kick turn, helmet use is discretional.
Folks like Wicks say it comes down to personal choice and common sense. In other words, it’s nuanced.
From a gear perspective, like cycling, there’s a wide spectrum of options. There are ski/ride helmets with MIPS. Are they light enough? The weight question seems to be personal, too. You’ll have to decide. Are there helmets with ample vents to keep the wearer cool and comfortable on the ascent and descent? That, again, is personal. Helmets are sort of like skis, boards, boots, bindings, and the costumes—we see a ton of variety out there, which means different gear for different folks.
But, protecting one’s brain is a whole other deal than looking fashionable or having skis with optimal float. So, it is essential for the end user to think about their preferences relative to comfort, helmet storage (while not wearing), and safety.
My practices are based on something I’ve written before—I bring the helmet I will most likely use. (And, for the cyclists out there, this goes for my mountain biking, too; I wear a road cycling helmet while mountain biking. Yikes, I know…less coverage in the ear and back of the head zone, but I don’t huck or descend with abandon. (I know, I know, shit still happens.))
For touring, I still use a lighter-weight climbing-oriented helmet. My old Petzl Sirocco was recently misplaced, and I replaced it with a new Sirocco. There were some great options at a local store, but I kept on returning to my nuanced rule, “what am I likely to wear most of the
Time?” Which, BTW, makes me think my friend who posed the helmet question up top, might be trolling me when he stated “hard to imagine that someone doesn’t make a backcountry specific helmet—light, well vented, meant to be used but replaced in the event of an impact.”
Wicknasty, for example, rocks a robust Salomon MTN helmet. As noted, Wicks has some thick and long hair. I often see him skinning in the helmet, even in low-hazard situations. He must run cooler than me because, in those same conditions, I’m way too hot, even with my well-ventilated Sirocco. He is also fitter and, by default, likely exerting little effort.
Now, considering uphilling at the local resort, keep the reality of being hit by a downhill skier front and center. On crowded days, while uphilling, I wear the helmet while skinning. On days with less traffic, the helmet remains in my pack.
I figure if I can bike uphill with a helmet in summer, I can ski uphill with one in winter without dying from heatstroke. For me the biggest benefit of not wearing one, especially on the climb, is ease of temperature adjustment.
So I often leave it off when ascending.
I wear it on the uphill if:
-here’s overhead hazard
-It’s short laps (saves time transitioning)
-there’s a risk of a long slide (spring) if I slip and fall while skinning
Interestingly my ski touring book from the German Alpine Club claims head injuries are a quite small % of total ski touring book injuries. However, source is cited for this, and one can argue that head injuries are more serious than many other injuries. Also, this is likely for the Alps, where above treeline skiing is much more common than here in North America.
“it’s hard to imagine that someone doesn’t make a backcountry-specific helmet—light, well-vented, meant to be used but replaced in the event of an impact. ”
Wick says he might be getting trolled over this phrase in the reader’s question. Hopefully he is as, AGAIN !!!!!, a simple google search will show that the options available for backcountry specific helmets is very large and there are some very excellent options that are light, and well vented.
If there was no trolling intended , I virtually shake my head in disbelief at the question…but nicely in a kind hearted grandfatherly way.
For the last 25 years I never wore a helmet for either resort or BC skiing but with an increasing interest in ski mountaineering objectives, I decided to get with the program.
Being a gear whore I now have two. The Petzl Sirocco that I wear on long BC tours and when I want to channel my man crush Vivian Bruchez and a fancy skimo style Atomic MIPS one I wear in the resort and for side country that always invokes comment ( Is that a bike helmet? to which I reply ..no its a Skimo helmet ! and that usually results in a bewildered look and then they bugger off and leave me alone)
I put them on at the car and wear them uphill all the time and never feel overheated. I even wear them upfilling in the resort when its closed, wink, wink!
An important-and often overlooked- part of helmets in general is fit and coverage. Many climbing helmets have limited adjustability and even actual shell protection. I don’t doubt their quality. However, I recently had a near miss in technical terrain wherein I ducked to avoid a large falling block of ice, my helmet (a beloved Petzl Sirocco) shifted, and the ice hit me directly in the base of the skull. Some helmets fail to cinch to an appropriate level-especially UL climbing helmets-and we all are hesitant to constrict our craniums! I turned around and purchased a helmet with better coverage, but also a better adjustment suite inside the helmet. Further, I often see people touring with hats under their helmets. The helmets are usually flopping from side to side. Long story short, a helmet is marginally effective if it’s not fitting properly on a given day!
Nearly every person I know and myself included always wears a baseball cap under their skimo helmet. Not only does it keep the snow of my sunglasses /goggles but it is fact the height of fashion and looking “fly” is job one in the BC.
I wear a lightweight running cap and find it indispensable. In fact and it direct opposition to Mr Hatchers’ hypothesis on floppiness, I find I get a better fit with my cap beneath my helmet .
I have seen the same floppiness that Mr Hatcher has seen and its horrific.
Its not due to the hat underneath but user error( ill fitting helmet, straps not adjusted properly) akin to the people that allow the dreaded goggle gap to exist.
The Petzl Sirocco does have coverage limitations and it requires careful adjustment of the straps ( especially the horizontal section that goes behind the base of your skull ) but I’ve never had it shift. Thank God they updated the design. I still have friends that insist upon wearing the first generation orange Siroccos that made you look like Dan Aykroyd in the ” We come from France” SNL sketch. I pretend I don’t know them and make sarcastic remarks about ” mass consumption”.