UKC

wear a helmet when sport climbing

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 kevin stephens 17 Jul 2011
OK so there may be too many "helmet threads" on UKC. This is just my personal experience; make of it what you will.

I've got lots of helmets and always wear them for trad climbing, winter climbing, skiing and cycling. But not many of us wear them for sports climbing, including me until now. I guess this is faily typical of us trying to operate in the low 7s. After all we all know not to get the rope caught behind our legs or other schoolboy errors.....don't we? Or can avoid flipping over falling off slippy mantleshelves with high footholds?

Last Sunday I was trying to retpoint "The Bloods" and despite best efforts fell awkwardly and inverted slamming back of head into the the rock, alarming my belayer by losing conciousness for maybe 20 seconds. A quick check up at casualty and all seemed clear, but a few days later a return to hospital and CT scan found a minor bleed. Thankfully no lasting damage after a night in hospital and I feel lots better. A fall from a little higher may have been a lot more serious!

For me now a good modern helmet with good back of head protection is now a no brainer.



 stonemaster 17 Jul 2011
In reply to kevin stephens: Whew! Glad you got off lightly.
 Mike Nolan 17 Jul 2011
In reply to kevin stephens: Perhaps helmets are even more sensible when sport climbing than trad climbing because for the average climber, falls are more likely when sport climbing?
 Mike Nolan 17 Jul 2011
In reply to Mike Nolan: Glad you're ok by the way!
 Marcus Buckley 17 Jul 2011
In reply to Mike Nolan:

Heard the whack and glanced over from Conner's Folly where I was belaying to see Kevin upside down and immobile, I thought he was dead!

I think he was out for longer than 20 seconds.
 Dave 88 17 Jul 2011
In reply to kevin stephens:

Glad you are ok. I always wear a lid, mainly cos I sunburn easily and think if I'm going to wear a hat, it may aswell be one that will protect my bonce.
 gethin_allen 17 Jul 2011
In reply to kevin stephens:
The only place I've ever been sport climbing is Horseshoe quarry and because I'm still onthe easy stuff it's all loose as hell so I always wear a helmet.
I don't find it irritating so I can't see any reason why not.
personal choice and all that, you live/don't live with the consequences.
 Franco Cookson 18 Jul 2011
In reply to kevin stephens:
>
> For me now a good modern helmet with good back of head protection is now a no brainer.

Good job it's a no brainer- I'll still be able to make the decision after a horrendous sport climbing accident...
 Monk 18 Jul 2011
In reply to kevin stephens:

I have to admit, that I will often (but not always) wear a helmet sport climbing. A couple of years ago I was belaying someone when they took a fall whilst clipping. The rope wasn't behind his leg, but his hands popped and his feet stayed on (it was slightly on the slabby side of vertical) and he ended up inverting in the fall. There was so much rope out and such a gap between bolts that it was damn close to being a groundfall. I took in as much as I could and sat down, but it was a big fall and he ended eye-to-eye with me with a big blow to his back and head. Fortunately, he'd put his helmet on for that route (after not wearing one all day), so he was ok. Certainly brings the possibilities home a little.
 Jon Greengrass 18 Jul 2011
In reply to kevin stephens: seconded, especially at Portland
 Bulls Crack 18 Jul 2011
In reply to kevin stephens:

I wear one for sport (and trad) - the rock and the ground are just as hard and you can't always predict how you will fall. And if you operate and easier UK sport it's de rigeur!

I've seen a few head injuries incurred whilst sport climbing
 philmorris 18 Jul 2011
In reply to kevin stephens:

As my father in law said not long back "maybe you should give up climbing at your age".
Helmets are on the shopping list while we're in France over the next week or three. I always wore them as a youth (that's what you did then) but stopped in the 80's for reasons I don't remember. Recently we got some cheap ones for via ferattas as there is a high probability of stuff being knocked off from above.
Glad the damage isn't too serious but look after your head, you can't live without it.
Phil
 Twisty 18 Jul 2011
In reply to kevin stephens:

I did some research into this for my dissertation a while back.

Statistically, on single pitch routes climbers are more likely to wear helmets when climbing trad. The reason for this, is 'to protect their head from falling objects' (which are rare on single pitch crags, and much more likely in a mountain environment).

The fact is, that most impacts to helmets are caused by falling, not by falling objects. Sport climbers are inherrently more likely to fall than their trad counterparts, as the very nature of sport climbing is closer to the limit of the climber.

This is why helmets with good all round protection (foam style as opposed to ecrin roc style) are better for sport climbing, as they are much better at absorbing impacts in areas other than just the crown of the helmet.

Unfortunately, there are few helmets which offer such good all round protection, because the british standard around which all helmets are designed is too generic and 'mountaineering' orientated.

Good to hear you're ok though!
 Tom Last 18 Jul 2011
In reply to kevin stephens:

"a no brainer."

Good one.

Glad you're OK
 Chris Harris 18 Jul 2011
In reply to kevin stephens:

A "sport" fall documented here on UKC a while back:

Climber got to the third clip, pulled through all the required slack & fell off just before making the clip.

On the way down they tried to grab the second clip, and accidentally unclipped it in the process.

Next stop, ground floor.

The were lucky. The had a lid on, but still sustained quite a nasty head wound. Without it, who knows?
 chris wyatt 18 Jul 2011
In reply to kevin stephens:

Just as a matter of interest I usually where a helmet bouldering as well (on my own).I've popped off a number of times and rolled backwards in the fall. Ince I rolled onto a sharp spike just off my mat. No damage but made me think.
 caradoc 18 Jul 2011
In reply to kevin stephens: It's worth wearing one while belaying too, plenty of stuff gets knocked off in limestone quarries.
 SFM 18 Jul 2011
In reply to Twisty:

I came to similar conclusions a couple of years ago and now wear a foamy type helmet cragging and an Elios for the mountains and bigger routes.
 winhill 18 Jul 2011
In reply to kevin stephens: wasn't there a brief report of an indoors accident (MK Wall IIRC) where the climber contacted the slab wall with her head after peeling off a couple of weeks ago?

You do see some youth groups helmeted up for indoor stuff, I wonder if it will become the norm?
 andyb211 18 Jul 2011
In reply to chris wyatt: Good call, so do I when bouldering out on my own, makes sense when there isn't a spotter.
 Dave 88 18 Jul 2011
In reply to kevin stephens:

Regarding foam helmets, here is a pretty scary story. Not sure how rare the type of fall was but the photo is pretty horrific.

http://www.chockstone.org/Forum/Forum.asp?Action=Display&ForumID=5&...
 deepstar 18 Jul 2011
In reply to kevin stephens: Living close to Cheddar I spend a lot of time watching the sports climbers without helmets seemingly obliveous to the trundling goats above them.
 Twisty 19 Jul 2011
In reply to Dave 88:

It would be interesting to know what helmet that was. I know the first meteor helmets had really good protection (or at least appear to) but more recent itterations have been less protective for impacts such as that (with much thinner foam in such areas).

The foam in the crown of the helmet however, is locally thickened to allow the BS test specifications to be met.

WC 360 looks like it does what it says on the tin, as they have gone beyond the BS.
 Dave 88 19 Jul 2011
In reply to Twisty:

I think it's a Meteor III they're on about. I prefer a plastic lid myself but then I'm too much of a punter for the weight difference to matter!
 Chris Sansum 19 Jul 2011
In reply to kevin stephens:

Minor injury, but this was a wake up call for wearing a helmet on sport routes for me:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10150095941645042&set=t.66382...

Could have ended a lot worse, and a helmet would have made a difference here.

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