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Topic Date User

helmets - noddy or stormtrooper? 9-Dec-2010 At 10:11:13 AM voodoo

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On 9/12/2010 One Day Hero wrote:
>As climbing evolved to steep clean faces with no loose rock, lots of people
>stopped wearing helmets since they were no longer required.

I hope this sentiment was made in jest - otherwise the areas you climb are very different to mine!

Just a fortnight ago I copped a melon-sized lump of rock square in the top of my helmet while belaying on the ledge after P2 of Spartan. The leader had no idea it had been dislodged and I had no idea it was coming until I heard the clunk and saw it firing off into the distance. It was moving at speed and would have easily cracked my skull.

I would say that on average I see a rock falling incident (either a direct hit or a very near miss) happen to me, one of my party or someone in the immediate vicinity every 4 to 6 weeks. That's not exactly uncommon.

I find it interesting that most people here in the helmet debate obsess about the role of a helmet in a lead fall yet pay no lip service to its role in rockfall. This is odd because lead falls are something that you have at least some control over (ie you probably have some idea if a route is sketchy or stretching your abilities), but rockfall is completely out of your control. In this respect, a helmet is a pretty good mitigation strategy - and deserves its place on your head at the bottom of a cliffline just as much as it does as you're heading up it.