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ontheedgeandscaredtodeath
Social climber
SLO, Ca
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 22, 2017 - 09:04am PT
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I was out at a local crag the other day. Place is sort of a regional destination, fun sport climbing. A big group shows up, kids, dogs, beginners, they were climbing on the one slab at crag and were having fun. Then one of their leaders starts pontificating about how that at "real" crags no one would be wearing helmets and that helmets are for gumbies.
Me and the guy I was with both were wearing helmets when we were leading so I'm not sure if her comments were directed at us (though my buddy crushes). I hardly ever did in the 80s and 90s unless climbing something that met my totally arbitrary definition of the type of climb that one should wear a helmet. Over the years, kids, mortgage, close calls, some big falls, I've trended toward thinking a helmet is generally a good idea. To each his own.
I was just surprised to hear some blow hard at the crag tell a group of beginners that helmets are for gumbies!!
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kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
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Aug 22, 2017 - 09:19am PT
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I agree with you completely on the necessity of helmets for preventing death and head injuries. But stuff like this, unfortunately, never surprises me. We live in a country with NOT a low percentage of fools..... rock climbers included.
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zip
Trad climber
pacific beach, ca
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Aug 22, 2017 - 09:29am PT
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Yep, after 45 years on the stone, I now wear a helmet.
Crashed on my beach cruiser last year, head injury, and now I wear a helmet on my bicycle too.
Trying to grow old gracefully, and keep the injuries down.
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Gunkie
Trad climber
Valles Marineris
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Aug 22, 2017 - 09:41am PT
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I am a gumby
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Batrock
Trad climber
Burbank
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Aug 22, 2017 - 09:42am PT
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Nobody needs a helmet until they do.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Aug 22, 2017 - 10:17am PT
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The other day I pulled up to my front door with my BD Vapor Helmut still on. It was so light weight and unobstrusive I forgot that I still had it on.
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AP
Trad climber
Calgary
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Aug 22, 2017 - 10:23am PT
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No excuse in this age of comfortable helmets.
I have always worn one in the CDn Rockies but used to go without one in California. Back in the late 80's I decided helmets were a good idea every time I roped up.
It is a personal decision but it is irresponsible to tell newbies that helmets are for gumbies.
Having said that I had a friend who died of a head injury while wearing a helmet. He took a long fall and hit a ledge. The contact point was just below the helmet brim.
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fear
Ice climber
hartford, ct
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Aug 22, 2017 - 10:31am PT
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People are generally stupid, helmets still don't fix that.
In a local practice ice climbing area with dead vertical pillar stuff up to only 30' or so there once was a visiting young couple from Colorado. They both wore helmets as was their little 2-year old girl. Problem was as Mom belayed Dad their toddler wandered to the base of the wall where stuff, sometimes HUGE, rained down constantly. We made comments to the mother who seemed oblivious only to get the response that she was wearing a helmet, so it's all good, plus they were 'experts' from Kolorado so.....
Finally an older guy next to them rapped down, picked up the little squirming girl from the death zone, deposited her at Mom's feet and proceeded to scream common sense in her face. Dad at this point was being lowered from trees above and proceeded to shove the old man and much frivolity ensued. Needless to say they likely headed back to Colorado. Wonder if that little girl is still alive.
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kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
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Aug 22, 2017 - 10:54am PT
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People are generally stupid, helmets still don't fix that.
+10
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Aug 22, 2017 - 10:55am PT
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There's a whole department of Neurosurgeons and Neurologists at UCLA who'd kill me if I messed up their fine work by whacking my head against a rock without a helmet on. I have a Petzl, it's super light and out of my field of vision. I've been laying low for a while, but I'll be getting out a lot more now, and that baby goes with no matter how much my buds make fun of it.
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Matt Sarad
climber
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Aug 22, 2017 - 11:21am PT
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I didn't wear a helmet in the 80s, 90s, and after a fractured skull and such a friend handed me one and said, " Don't ever climb without it."
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Scott McNamara
climber
Tucson, Arizona
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Aug 22, 2017 - 11:42am PT
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A helmet has saved my life twice.
1.) Rockfall;
2.) Ground fall.
Like everyone else, back in the dark ages, I almost never wore one.
Now I almost never climb without one.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Aug 22, 2017 - 01:40pm PT
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Here's one for you, from Nigeria. Definitely not for a gumby.
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clode
Trad climber
portland, or
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Aug 22, 2017 - 02:36pm PT
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Ever since I started climbing in 1970 at 15, I have always worn a helmet. I am also a year round bicycle commuter in Portland, OR. Again, I always wear a helmet. It kills me when I see Mom or Dad biking with their kid when the RESPONSIBLE adult is not wearing a helmet, and the kid is. I yell at them and say something like, "Hey Dad, where's your helmet?!" Most of the time they're response is defiant, rather than appreciative. They don't seem to understand that they are giving their child the unconscious message that once you become an adult, your head magically becomes harder than steel and concrete. Do they really want their child growing up with that concept of safety? Why do you think the flight attendant says put on your mask first, then help your child. You have to take care of yourself, before you can help your child. If you become disabled or dead, due to a head injury that a helmet could have prevented, and you can no longer care for your child, is it fair to the child?
Stoopid americans.
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Mike Honcho
Trad climber
Glenwood Springs, CO
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Aug 22, 2017 - 03:07pm PT
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Hilarious topic! Back in my more hardcore sport climbing and even trad days, NEVER a helmet. Now I'll be damned if I even walk up to a crag with nobody on it without the Wifey and I being helmeted up!
It used to be the other way. If you were wearing a helmet you looked goofy to a bunch of sport goobers, or whomever. Now, if you are climbing at any crag with no helmet, it just looks wrong, to me anyways.
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Alexey
climber
San Jose, CA
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Aug 22, 2017 - 03:08pm PT
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15 years ago when I started climbing and at the same time started browsing ST - I did not know what "Gumbie " mean.
So, racking up for Sacherer at the base of El Cap I asked my climbing friend - " Jim what is Gumbie ?"
-" Gumbie is climber who start one pitch climb with headlamp fixed on his helmet at 10am in the morning"- Jim answered ....
I still try to climb with headlamp fixed on my helmet due to superstition. Every time I forget to mount headlamp on my helmet - I had an epic with unplanned bivy. I never forget yet to put my helmet ..
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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Aug 22, 2017 - 03:21pm PT
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^^^^Save $$$$ at Camp Saver. Only $105 for the same helmet, lol! More power to that Amazon vender tho...
When I first started following my mentor up pitches, my wife said I had to get a helmet. Glad I did too, I lost count of all the wired nuts I got hit in the head with that first year.
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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Aug 22, 2017 - 03:30pm PT
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Whether it's right or not it's true, a lot more helmets at Holcomb and clark canyon than the gallery and rifle
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Aug 22, 2017 - 03:32pm PT
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I've never understood why someone wouldn't wear a helmet?
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