I love my helmet. Went out at Woodman's Point when it was belting 25-30 knots northerly the Saturday before last. At one point I was standing waist deep at beach 3 - having a pee, as you do - and a wave and the wind lifted my strapless North Whip and slammed the nose into just above my ear. There's a blue paint scrape on the helmet now.
Thanks for letting me know its strapless, now i know you are "one with nature" and have much greater board riding skill than everyone else.
I'm so good I wear a helmet..... strapless
I just balance it on my head all session long
I mentioned strapless because usually when I ride in wind that strong it's with the front strap, not only just to stay on, but also to have something extra to grip when I'm carrying the board across the beach in such gusty conditions. Nothing like having the front of the board flipped into your forehead while being jolted by the kite across to rock-strewn beach to remind you that however much of a c*ck others' may think you look by wearing a helmet, you can't see yourself and the helmet helps drown out their commentary.
How many people die per year kiting? There can be many I would imagine. Once again I assume but I would say if any they would be old guys stroking out/cardiac or drowning. I have only heard of one personally that died through blunt head trauma.
Not many people have died kitesurfing, Do you have stats on kitesurfing deaths and wind strengths?
How many people die per year? So far this year I believe we are up to 5 deaths world wide.
Do I have stats on deaths and wind strengths? No I do not keep a database of stats. But Rick Lossi in Florida does. He calls himself RickL on kiteforum. Probe him for details.
Not many people die from kitesurfing???? really. ?5 ytd not many? I bet if one of your buddies had been one of them the answer would be too many people die......
I don't compile and archive the facts. What I do is research each instance for a probably cause. The most common kitesurfing death goes like this.
Victim rigs up on a gusty wind shifting day a kite that is too big for the maximum gust of the day.
He/she then is looses control and is lofted/dragged and hits a hard object.
He/she typically is not wearing a helmet and dies due to head trauma/internal injuries or drowning due to being knocked out in the water.
Most accidents happen on or close to land during launch/landing.
Most often the wind is within what we consider a normal range. 15-30
Most instances the victim would have had a better chance of survival if he/she wore a helmet.
Of course there are deaths that occur that a helmet would not save you. One thing is certain. I helmet can save you in some instances. Most certainly it is more safer than not wearing one.
Is not wearing a helmet the number one cause of kitesurfing deaths? No. That would be incorrect kite selection.
This forum has been a little boring of late.
Lets spice it up with a lively debate on helmets.
As the title suggests. Stop being a dick and wear a helmet when kitesurfing.
If you wear a helmet. Good onya. Carry on.
Are you missing me guys!?
And even safer is not to kite at all...
It's all about managing reasonable risks and ultimately personal choice.
I've consider wearing a helmet many times, but ultimately haven't found any solid evidence they would have any significant benefit. I think I would wear an impact vest fist.
And even safer is not to kite at all...
It's all about managing reasonable risks and ultimately personal choice.
I've consider wearing a helmet many times, but ultimately haven't found any solid evidence they would have any significant benefit. I think I would wear an impact vest fist.
Wait, what?
You have not seen any solid evidence ?
What the?
What evidence do you need? people dieing not enough for you?
People dying is of course a really bad thing...
However, I don't think the risk of me dying kiting with a helmet, vs the risk of me dying kiting without a helmet are much different.
This is even before considering the potential risks of actually wearing a helmet. I know of at least one case of someone getting a serious neck injury due to the effects of the helmet while crashing in the water.
Like a said... it's personal preference... I decide not to wear a helmet.
Don't mind if you do or don't wear one.
I have a 10 year old Gath helmet, it's no bother to wear, haven't yet been in a situation where it saved me .... But I also wear a bicycle helmet when cycling and I have come down going into a wet corner, didn't even feel the front wheel slide out. Came to with the group around me and a completely destroyed helmet.... Bit concussed but ok.
kiting accidents not the same my point is sometimes **** happens before you even know it...
And even safer is not to kite at all...
It's all about managing reasonable risks and ultimately personal choice.
I've consider wearing a helmet many times, but ultimately haven't found any solid evidence they would have any significant benefit. I think I would wear an impact vest fist.
ultimately haven't found any solid evidence they would have any significant benefit.
WOW
I wear one and as a beginner had some spectacular crashes with no adverse effects due to wearing a helmet. All this talk about stats of how many people die each year doesnt matter - unless you are that 1 person that had an adverse event not wearing one. Yes, its all about makeing an informed choice and accepting the risk - thats life. Its like taking a quick ride on a motorbike without a helmet - great feeling of freedom - until you come off and suffer a preventable head injury. You also dont need high speeds for damage- the slower you go - the more chance for an isolated head injury (where there is no other factors contributing to your death), this is where helmets make a difference. I will continue to wear one
Never worn a helmet for anything other than speed kiting (doing >45kts tends to change the way water interacts with one's head). Always thought helmet wearers under average kiting conditions were just looking to impress themselves that they were doing an 'extreme' sport. However, after having a BCC (Basal Cell Carcenoma) cut out of my head I now wear a hat; which of course makes me look like the greatest dork in christendom. There doesn't seem to be a single surf hat maker capable of designing a surf hat that doesn't make you look totally unf@#kable to the opposite sex). Therefore, the helmet, just between high UV hours 11-3 might have to be the thing for protecting my noggin from the surgeon's scalpel.
Yep ! I always wear a Helmet course i though it would attract the ladies {Top Gun }
So far it has not worked, Emmm! Might be cause i'm a 77 y.o
This forum has been a little boring of late.
Lets spice it up with a lively debate on helmets.
As the title suggests. Stop being a dick and wear a helmet when kitesurfing.
If you wear a helmet. Good onya. Carry on.
Are you missing me guys!?
I've come off a raceboard , slalom board and foil board at high speed and copped a board in the back of the head . If i wasn't wearing a helmet it could have done some damage .
The one time i didn't wear a helmet while on the raceboard i came off and as i turned around the see where the board was i copped a hit on the temple. Almost knocked me out .
So helmet is always on , no matter what
I think, if you want to wear a helmet then you should - good on you & stuff what anyone else thinks.
Also if you don't want to wear a helmet, don't - we don't all have to look like girly boys.
People die every day, it's a fact.
I wear a Gath helmet. Yep it looks dicky, but I figure I probably need to be able to continue working to buy kite gear, which could be hard to do without a helmet, and from hospital.
Also people who don't wear helmets clearly aren't pushing themselves; we like to call these people lawnmower operators.
Its quite clear you all kite in nice warm climates
Next someone will be advocating not wearing wetsuit boots or having a wetsuit less than 5mm for the summer season.
Helmet in the summer for warmth. Neoprene hood under the helmet in winter when it gets cold.
I think, if you want to wear a helmet then you should - good on you & stuff what anyone else thinks.
Also if you don't want to wear a helmet, don't - we don't all have to look like girly boys.
People die every day, it's a fact.
I guess your right. Plus the bonus when the non helmet wearer kills himself he will improve the gene pool.
I had a bmx style helmut on while getting dragged underwater , I noticed my head getting pulled back more as the helmut caught the water pulling my head back ? ouch .
I used to barefoot waterski and have cartwheeled many a time at 55 mph. I would've hated to have a bucket on my head to catch the water at that speed.
Each to their own really. Some backside edges ive wished I was wearing a helmet though.
I used to barefoot waterski and have cartwheeled many a time at 55 mph. I would've hated to have a bucket on my head to catch the water at that speed.
Each to their own really. Some backside edges ive wished I was wearing a helmet though.
Would a helmet not make a backside edge worse? Wearing a helmet would result in the sudden stopping of your head when it makes contact with the water due to the greater surface area and buoyancy which would result in a greater chance of a head injury. That is my theory and maybe why you see no pro freestyle riders wearing helmets (plus maybe style as well lol).
I wear a bucket hat now looks stupid but the straps cover my ears and stop them getting slammed. for the time i missed on the water with a perfed eardrum its so worth looking like a kook. Personal preference wins this debate.
I wear a Gath Gedi. Always. It is an awesome helmet.
It's lightweight, your sunnies stay on, your eardrums stay intact when you slam into the water, in winter your head stays warm and in summer it doesn't get cooked.
Yes, your hearing is impaired but if I burst my eardrum my hearing will be impaired 24/7. It's a no-brainer for me.
There doesn't seem to be a single surf hat maker capable of designing a surf hat that doesn't make you look totally unf@#kable to the opposite sex
That shouldn't be an issue, really. Kitesurfing is the biggest sausage-fest known to man and when it's blowing 20+ there is typically no-one on the beach worth of attracting.
I used to barefoot waterski and have cartwheeled many a time at 55 mph. I would've hated to have a bucket on my head to catch the water at that speed.
Each to their own really. Some backside edges ive wished I was wearing a helmet though.
barefoot waterski'ing with nothing to come and smack you in the head is totally different to having a missile attached to your feet .
Kiting in front of my kids = helmet, to be an example
Onshore wind with dodgy launch and landing = helmet
Kiting around rocks with big surf and isolated = helmet + shoes. A bad cut puts an quick end to a kiting holiday
Sometimes concerned about my ears = helmet with sides
As soon as I feel confortable with conditions and surrounds, helmet stays in the bag - where its an excellent surfboard nose protector.
Would rather not wear it, but should something happen without it, I couldnt look my kids or wife in the face.
I wear a helmet because I do ****up, and it has made the difference between being out there again tomorrow, or being injured in the past. I've also seen it make the same difference for others.
My thoughts are if I'm wearing a helmet, a knock to the head shouldn't stun me enough to NOT pull my safety. As well as give me a small amount of protection from events beyond my control - ****ups of others etc.
I believe that people should wear helmets, or at least encourages newbs to do so, since 90% of the ****ups where a helmet would help occur to those in their first season or so.
There doesn't seem to be a single surf hat maker capable of designing a surf hat that doesn't make you look totally unf@#kable to the opposite sex
As to the way it makes you look - If your stomping big jumps, doing great tricks or slicing a wave up like a boss, then come in and can't step to a chic feeling like a ****ing BOSS, a helmet won't make a ****ing difference to you.
and lastly,
Kiting in front of my kids = helmet, to be an example
...
This hypocritical logic always baffles me.
It implies when your kids aren't around, you don't care what example you set to other kids. They're not yours so who cares.
And it also teaches your kids to only do the right thing when people are watching. I'm sure you don't intentionally mean to do this, but that is what you are unwittingly teaching them.
Tbh think we are way over 5 deaths globally this year .. theres been at least that in Europe alone.
I know of 3 or 4 guys locally who have been knocked out Kiting , all of who had least 3-4 year minimum under their belts on the water.
As far as kiting fatalities goes basically everyone has a initial impact or incident that results in the kiter becoming unconscious and unable to use the release and ends in a second impact or drowning , its simple to understand that wearing a helmet drastically reduces the likelyhood of being knocked unconscious and therefore is a potential life saver.
I wear a helmet because I work for a local kite school ... but the real reason i wear a helmet is because I had a baby girl last year and I want her to grow up enjoying the water and the outdoors with her Dad.
For sure helmets have there place and can offer excellent protection, no question about that.
If you are kiting, and are likely to hit the beach, rocks, other people, your own board, or the Whitfords sea rescue boat, its a no brainer.
However IMHO there is more to it than that. Most of the reasons for wearing a helmet focus around being knocked out, and if you hit something hard or sharp, then for sure it will help, but it will only help, it will not always prevent an injury, and certainly wont always prevent a KO.
I've knocked myself out twice now, not something I'm proud of, but it happened. Both times were from hitting the water too hard and fast, I didn't hit anything else.
From what I understand, I knocked myself out because my head was stopped quickly by the water and my tiny brain hit the inside of by skull too hard and coursed the trauma. Interestingly enough, one time I was wearing a helmet and one time I wasn't. The time I was wearing the helmet, took longer to recover from and I had more whip lash. So I suppose there is the argument that my head stopped quicker after impacting the water with a helmet, coursing more trauma to my tiny brain and neck muscles.
At the end of the day, to each their own on this one, we are all responsible for our own actions, and if a bit of plastic on Plummets head gives him that bit of extra confidence to try something new, it got to be a good thing.
However as I'm sure Phillip Hughes family will testify, helmets will not always give you the protection they should.