Kiteforum.com

abel wrote:Hey Sid,

I like your posts very much.

My kid had a yard sale and got the gliding board hard on the upper jaw.
He had a helmet so nothing happend to him. True story.
And mmmm..... yeah he looks a bit chum inside the silly helmet.

Would you suggest me to tell him not to ware it anymore?

Be honest, OK?

My answer: Do what you want. Really! However I would advise him: If you don't want to look like a chump, ditch the lid. If you want to live, fly a foil*.

Am I honest? Well, my favorite kiteboarder in the entire Universe (Me), who is also a person I care very deeply about, got nailed in the head with his board.

My head was cut open, and there was blood. A little pressure, a LOT of hydrogen peroxide, and 2 a week sabbatical & all is well. Not suprising, as I have an item called a 'skull' (I grew it myself!) and it protects all those piano lessons.

Do I wear a helmet now? Nope.

Does that mean I have learned my lesson? Yes!

I have learned from all the errors I made on that day which contributed to my laceration. Those lessons are far more valuable to my safety and well-being than a helmet.

abel wrote:In the most spectacular pics and videos one finds on the internet no one is seen wearing a helmet not even in commercials involving kitesurfers....no wonder no one wears a helmet.

That's because helmets are for chumps, not pimps going hard.

abel wrote:In other sports like rafting, cycling, mountain biking, roller blades, bmx, skateboard,snowboards etc. everyone is wearing a helmet, especially douring competitions and events.

That's because the ground, ice, and pointy rocks are a bit less forgiving than the water.

FACT: People have actually dove into water (From a height of many, many stories) head first, yet somehow lived.


Sid sends

* Kiting deaths for foil flyers? ZERO

I sent some email to the guys at gratefull heads a couple of years ago asking about their helmets and kitesurfing and didn't get any replay.

Maybe Rick could talk to these guys. It sounds like they could make something custom just for kitesurfing.

David

Sid,

I think the issue is that most people launch their kites from land and then walk over that land and then get in the water and when they come in they again walk over the land.

Correct me if i am wrong but people are dying and getting serious head injuries on land. That is the place with the hard surfaces. Throw in the occasional loose board or shallow rock, errant kite bar there are things that can hit you.

I think that wearing a helmet is a personal decision but you should do it aware of the risks. Most of the excuses i have seen not to wear a helmet are pretty lame, they don't look good, i am too cool, it won't happen to me, etc.

Personally i don't really care about how someone looks on the water, as long as they have a smile. That seems to be the best accessory and fashion statement.

Face up to it, you are taking more risk to be injured without a helmet. That is your decision.

David

Who cares how soft the water is - I'm not worried about that. Rocks, there's something to think about. Our local launch is not sand, it's a breakwater constructed out of debris blasted from a mountainside and then piled into the ocean - you could fracture your skull just falling over there. Of course, you'd have to be pretty lame to fall over, but hey, stuff happens around big kites.

Actually, I don't really care who wears a helmet or not; I think Sid is just being contrary. Yeah, if you never crash on land, you'll likely never need a helmet. 'Course, yesterday my board fell off during a raley, and I cratered from about 15 feet up and I impacted right beside my board. Missed it by a foot. I saw it as I was coming down too - it was laying there fins up, just waiting to slice my ass. I suppose I could kite so conservatively that I'd never crash, but that doesn't sound like fun. I'd rather ride balls out and take the occasional chaotic beating.

I've already had multiple concussions from all the other silly things I've done, including a significant bout of brain hemorrhage induced amnesia. Personally, I don't need any more brain damage, so I wear a helmet. I've actually got lots of helmets - motorcycle, climbing, paragliding, biking, and my fav, kayaking. Some of them look pretty dumb. Some are pretty cool though; kevlar and flames and whatnot. I think I'll stop by FnA helmets soon and see if they'll do a custom aramid lid for kiting - that'd be cool.

You know what makes me laugh? The dudes too cool to wear helmets that wear kitepants over their full wetsuits. All I can figure is that they're afraid someone'll see how small their unit is in the frigid Canadian waters. :") It's hard enough to move in a 4/3 steamer, don't know why these guys need to restrict their movement further. Fashion victims, I guess.

Wade