View Full Version : Helmets... Again..
So my friend was out riding New Years eve... She got in a huge accident and had to be airlifted to Albany.. I was not riding with her but I saw the chopper coming in and thought - "Man I hope thats not somebody I know" and then felt the sinking feeling of messing with karma...
I did remember seeing a friend on patrol high tailing it down with a sled when I was on the chair coming up for that run... And also thinking that somebody must be in bad shape and I'd ask him about it later...
Later on I found it was her.. She has a compound fracture in the forearm and a wrist fracture... Slightly fractured her back in a couple of places... Banged up her face on one side and .fractured her skull..
All day were trying to find out how this could happen.... She ALWAYS wears a helmet - it just didnt make sense...
We saw her tonight at the hospital - she got out of ICU last night... She's actually doing really well... High spirits... Etc.... Maybe it's the morphine...
Any rate...
I asked her about the helmet... One of the last things she remembers before waking up in the hosipital is making the descision to not wear it cause it was too hot out...
It's still a mystery exactly what happened... Or how it happened... I don't really press my friends on patrol for that type of detailed info too much..
But I passed along her thanks to ski patrol... And her apologies for screaming obsceneties at them on the entire sled ride down....
elwood
01-04-2005, 08:02 PM
Wow. Glad to hear she is ok.
Always wear your helmet.
Phew - very good to hear she is doing well.
First year I bougth my helmet I wore it everywhere except Tuckerman - I guess I was thinking the weight was an issue. My friend says, "You're crazy - this is the FIRST place I'd wear a helmet"
M@
cussing a blue streak is a sure sign somebody is alive...and has the gumption to stay that way. I bet those patrollers counted that as Good.
Best wishes for your friend's speedy recovery!
Bannick
01-05-2005, 09:11 AM
I was sledded out once...it is really spooky, on your back head pointed downhill, first behind a patroler then behind a skidoo. I cursed a blue streak too. They wrap uou up, tuck you and strap you in so that you have a tunnel vision thing happening. Glad she is doing better....morphine is a truly wonderful thing.
I have become so used to my helmet it is hard to remember when I didn't have it.
NtrentT
01-05-2005, 09:32 AM
Last year in in April when I went to tux I wore a helmet for the first time,
it was very cold that april 24th the bowl froze solid, and the wind kicked upwards of 60-70mph. Ouch
I was climbing the left gulley and a large piece of ice nailed me on the head, I was the leader making a boot ladder and when the wind kicked up I just held on tight and tucked my head in. The next thing I knew "WAMO" on the head.
The ice bounced off my head and cleared those behind me including my best friend.
if it wasnt for the helmet I would of been seriously hurt along with the others I would of taken out in my fall down to the rocks. I might not be here typing.
But I havent worn it sense, I havent skiied anything helmet worthy yet, No trees yet, no real steeps yet, and really no speed yet. The conditions here in NE suck a huge one.
But I am very thankfull I bought a helmet the day before I left.
Plus it kept my head very warm, that whole day it was freezing out and my head didnt get cold once.
But I havent worn it sense, I havent skiied anything helmet worthy yet, No trees yet, no real steeps yet, and really no speed yet.
Unfortunately,it's not always about trees, steeps, speed, or your ability level. I have seen people ("expert skiers/snowboarders) get seriously hurt on green trails or even just standing in the base area when someone blindsided them. It happens and when it does, you would be glad you had a helmet on.
I wasnt going to post this... but - my friend got creamed on a low intermediate trail...
Affix Snow
01-05-2005, 10:17 AM
Glad she is OK D.
Always wear it. Always.
Back in High School, i was on a trip @ Kmart in near whiteout conditions. It was great! 2.5' had fallen and was still comming. I was crusing the side of the trail off the Chair that goes up Superstar. All the sudden i was on the ground in a daze. Turns out i ran right into a huge peice of ice that had formed on a birch branch from a snow gun. Never saw it just cruising on a light trail....poor visiblity had alot to do with it, but i wasnt wearing a helmet back then and i payed for it on an easy trail...mind you i wasnt going down superstar YET when it happened.
I had a 3inch laceration on the top o' me noggin and needed stiches. They tried to put me in the sled but i cursed and refused. Finally the head ski dude said "i trust you and follow me down." Which meant that was a "challenge" and i raced him down superstar. He wasnt happy once he caught up at the base.
I spent 2 hours in the infirmary. Had i been wearing a helmet, i wouldnt have lost that time in 2.5 FEET off snow :doh: :doh: :doh:
surfy
01-05-2005, 10:43 AM
DMC,
Sorry to hear about your friend but glad that she is on the road to recovery.
As far as the helmet thingy, I put mine on getting out of the car. Never thought of it as protection to get to the lodge but just that it is one less thing to carry. Who would have thought that I was actually practicing safe walking.
And I wouldn't ski without my helmet as it has probably saved my life. I actually broke my helmet in a fall on KT-22 at Squaw. Took a bit of a header into some rocks and literally split it in half. Granted my head is probably harder than a helmet anyway, but the only damage that I took was a ringing in my ears for a couple days. Sounded like a bomb went off when I made contact. Oh, and I skied straight down to the ski shop, bought another helmet and kept on skiing. The guy in the ski shop thought that I must have been practicing for one of the X-Games events.
surfy (still skiing head first)
djangoski
01-05-2005, 10:54 AM
Unfortunately,it's not always about trees, steeps, speed, or your ability level. I have seen people ("expert skiers/snowboarders) get seriously hurt on green trails or even just standing in the base area when someone blindsided them. It happens and when it does, you would be glad you had a helmet on.
My thoughts exactly. Not to mention I've been pratically nocked off lifts when people quickly put the bar down, smashing it into the back of my head. Helmets can help you when you least expect it, like when some idiot is walking with their skis on their shoulder, turns around and smashes you in the side of the head. Every time one of these events happens, I wonder how I ever survived without one. They'll always invent a better idiot.
They'll always invent a better idiot.
BA HA HA!!!! Excellent!!!
PWDR8S
01-05-2005, 11:04 AM
OK - that's it! I'm sold! Now to find a good deal on a decent helmet........
Many people I know now wear them except me. :(
I'm please to hear the injured lady voiced her displeasure on her impromptu ride down to the airmeatwagon... As a former patroller, the shouting and cursing IS really a good sign the person isn't going into shock or near it. I am glad to her that she will be recovering well and soon.
It really doesn't take much to crack your nut these days. What with more random collisions than ever before and more people visiting the trees.
I like the practising safe walking idea..... those in ski boots walking across icy parking lots with armloads of ski stuff can agree with that.
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/542/5Frankie_1-med.jpg
My buddy Frankie in the hospital yesterday...
Her skull fracture is on the top right of her head... The left side took a beating too...
I'm please to hear the injured lady voiced her displeasure on her impromptu ride down to the airmeatwagon... As a former patroller, the shouting and cursing IS really a good sign the person isn't going into shock or near it. I am glad to her that she will be recovering well and soon.
thats what my friends on Patrol said... It's was comforting that she was calling them "Brutal scum nazi SOBS" on the ride down..
PWDR8S
01-05-2005, 11:31 AM
My buddy Frankie in the hospital yesterday...
Her skull fracture is on the top right of her head... The left side took a beating too...
OUCH! Looks like she had a run in with an ill tempered Yeti!
You can call her frankie-stein now - she should get some bolts in her neck.
I would hate to get airlifted - it'd be my first ride in a helicopter and I would't be able to enjoy it.
M@
OUCH! Looks like she had a run in with an ill tempered Yeti!
Check out the compund fracture scars..... YIKES!!! I guess a helmet wouldnt help that...
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/542/5Frankie_2-med.jpg
She's a trooper!!! She hopes to be back on the snow by March...
I would hate to get airlifted - it'd be my first ride in a helicopter and I would't be able to enjoy it.
All she remembers from being airlifted is being in a tight space... nothing more..
wild stuff...
PWDR8S
01-05-2005, 11:43 AM
YEOW!
Note to self: Do NOT mess with Yeti.
djangoski
01-05-2005, 11:51 AM
Note to self: Try to avoid compound fractures
Bannick
01-05-2005, 12:04 PM
Jess' arm hardware. Broken in eight places from a fall on hardpack at whislter 4 years ago.
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/521/1078Jess_arm1.jpg
Affix Snow
01-05-2005, 12:07 PM
Jess' arm hardware. Broken in eight places from a fall on hardpack at whislter 4 years ago.
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/521/1078Jess_arm.jpg
I just got really uneasy.........
djangoski
01-05-2005, 12:21 PM
So did I... there are some things that look seriously wrong about the angles of that arm.
PWDR8S
01-05-2005, 12:29 PM
Jess' arm hardware. Broken in eight places from a fall on hardpack at whislter 4 years ago.
http://timefortuckerman.com/photopost/data/521/1078Jess_arm.jpg
That almost looks like the ultimate drummers arm..... rubber band like... no pun intended! http://www.timefortuckerman.com/forums/images/smilies/tongue.gif
I thought of PlasticMan...
Bannick
01-05-2005, 02:16 PM
I guess when your wrist as been crushed to pate it tends to make things a tad bendy. The bummer (well other than the breaks) was that she did not keep the harware.
Note to self: Do NOT mess with Yeti.
http://www.kindernetz.de/thema/berge/pics/yeti.gif
THAT"S RIGHT!
BUT YETI DOESNT BELIEVE IN SNOW IN NEW YORK SO THIS TIME IT WASNT ME.
PWDR8S
01-05-2005, 05:36 PM
Heh heh heh....... You big loveable furball! http://www.timefortuckerman.com/forums/images/smilies/tongue.gif
Ispoiler
01-05-2005, 08:06 PM
I hope she makes a speedy recovery DMC. I am a recent convert to helmets, I picked up a Gyro 9 and forgot I was wearing it halfway down on my 1st run. Tucks and helmets, a climbing or ski lid?
Rider.Steve
01-05-2005, 10:30 PM
Heh heh heh....... You big loveable furball! http://www.timefortuckerman.com/forums/images/smilies/tongue.gif
Yeti Rock!
Head Bang and Compound Flacture - Way Bad Ruck!
Teve
Rider.Steve
01-11-2005, 01:31 AM
Saw this ditty while browsing rec.alpine.ski.snowboard:
http://www.cpsc.gov/library/skihelm.pdf
Interesting government study on helmet use and injury risk.
Word is that people still die with helmets on (duh) but fewer than without them (double-duh).
I just picked up a Giro 9 on ebay to replace my Boeri Shorty for B.C. riding - psyched! Shorty still rules on-piste!
Steve
BladeGirl
01-11-2005, 09:10 AM
http://www.cpsc.gov/library/skihelm.pdf
I just picked up a Giro 9 on ebay to replace my Boeri Shorty for B.C. riding - psyched! Shorty till rules on-piste!
Interesting study indeed, thanks for posting.
Have you actually tried the Giro 9 yet (on or off piste)? If so, why do you prefer the Shorty?
-BG
An update...
My friend is out of the hospital and home now...
She's doing great!!!
Rider.Steve
01-11-2005, 10:22 AM
An update...
My friend is out of the hospital and home now...
She's doing great!!!
Tough lady! Fabulous Frankie!
Hope she's out there with you soon!
Steve
PWDR8S
01-11-2005, 10:26 AM
Excellent! We need more good ews like that! I mean NEWS.
quote=phish:
I love you honey oh yes I do.
You know that's true of course.
And If you dog or cat ever dies, I'll buy you a ewe.
---
Glad to hear Frankenstein is out and about. When will she jump back on the horse and get on the slopes again?
M@
Rider.Steve
01-11-2005, 10:35 AM
Interesting study indeed, thanks for posting.
Have you actually tried the Giro 9 yet (on or off piste)? If so, why do you prefer the Shorty?
-BG
Haven't ridden with the Giro yet, but it's only 12 ounces and extremely well vented, so I'm really looking forward to using it BC. I perspire more than a two-bit criminal on a poygraph exam, so the venting potential and the low weight will matter when I earn turns. I've read that users of this helmet forget that they're wearing it, a very good sign.
As for my old Boeri, I'm just fond of it for on-piste, perhaps because its pretty no-tech. At this point it's like a familiar friend and the old-school tank style helps me fantasize that I'm cruising on a chopped Harley when I'm riding. Kinda heavy, but on-piste the lift is doing most of the work anyway. There are very nice-looking new versions of the Shorty that are somewhat lighter, but they are also essentially unvented, so no reason for me to go there really.
Steve
An update...
My friend is out of the hospital and home now...
She's doing great!!!Fantastic....
About the Giro9.9: All grins here!
Glad to hear Frankenstein is out and about. When will she jump back on the horse and get on the slopes again?
M@
As soon as the DOC clears her - she's back... I think the arm/wrist injury is the big thing now
Rider.Steve
01-11-2005, 11:01 AM
Interesting study indeed, thanks for posting.
-BG
Report summary findings:
Between 1993 and 1997 ski injuries requiring medical attention went down from 114,400 to 84,200 , but head injuries increased to 15% of total injuries. Snowboarding head injuries in 1997 were 13.8% of 37600 total injuries.
.................................................. ....
Has the number of skier-hours decreased? Maybe, but my guess is that improvements in ski equipment technology have resulted in fewer leg injuries to skiers as well (ACL tears, etc.). Why do snowboarders show fewer head injuries - statistical anomoly, more riders wearing helmets, less speed on average, or more control/skill ;) ? Hard to know.
I bet that the recent rise in helmet use will result in a decrease in head injuries in future reports. Well, it's a hope anyway.
Steve
I find most of my falls snowboarding are backwards slide out falls... When I fall line ski - like in bumps - I almost always fall forward...
Rider.Steve
01-11-2005, 11:27 AM
I find most of my falls snowboarding are backwards slide out falls... When I fall line ski - like in bumps - I almost always fall forward...
Makes my shoulders and wrists hurt thinking about it.
We must remember that bumps are created by skiers and for skiers. Riders in bumps are destined for suffering, but when I'm feeling strong I'm all in for it, come what may.
On the other hand, my 10 year old rider considers a bump run to be a terrain park. Kills me - I hate the little sucker.
Steve
...On the other hand, my 10 year old rider considers a bump run to be a terrain park. Kills me - I hate the little sucker. ...Steve Well, we can't catch them on the slopes...but the wise angler(parent) baits the hook with PB&J or Burgers!
We go to the Warehouse markets (BJ's, Costco, etc) we buy by the case and at the end of a weekend with the posse, we have to go back for more.....
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