Helmet still good after hard fall? - Snowboarding Forum

02-25-2009, 06:10 PM

Had a pretty nasty fall today, was carving on a pretty steep slope, just cruising, and I turned my shoulders behind me to see where my buddy was. Dumb Idea. Caught a heel side edge, totally caught me off guard, tumbled over a couple times downhill and on my last tumble, slammed my head pretty hard against the ground. Had a pretty bad headache after and felt mildly dizzy.

Anyway, I read that helmets are only designed for one hard crash. What do I need to look for in the helmet to see if I can still use it?

also, helmets ftw!

sedition · 02-25-2009, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrickadizzle

...just cruising, and I turned my shoulders behind me to see where my buddy was...

Yeah, I can't even tell you how many times that one has bitten me. Anyway, it depends on the helemt's specs. Your best bet is to check the manufactures web site, or even call them, and see what they say. I know my motorcycle helemt is only good for one crash. Like, if you even drop it from waist height, it's done for. I really don't know much about the longevity of snowboard helmets.

02-25-2009, 06:37 PM

Yeah, most helmets nowadays are only good for one fall. If it's a really really bad bail then I would check to see if it needs to be replaced.

But in my personal opinion if you didn't hit your head too hard and you see no visible cracks I would wear it, because really who likes spending money?

02-25-2009, 07:06 PM

The exact same thing happened to me. My helmet has a now has a small crater and my helmet was new

.I think your helmet is okay for 2-3 falless years, but if you fall you should check for major damage and just use good judgement. But if the fall is really bad supposedly they will have to carry you down so you will know you have to get a new helmet. If you drop your helmet I think it will be okay but I'm not sure. I think you need to look for cracks. How deep is the damage anyway? If It is more than 3 or 4 mm down I guess you need to replace it.

sedition · 02-25-2009, 07:14 PM

FYI the cracks arn't what you really need to be worried about, it's the inner core. The core is often designed to collapse on impact, and these are the parts of the helmet that REALLY protect your head, not the outer shell. Again though, it really depends on what kind of helmet you have, and how they are manufactured. In short, your helmet may have no crack in it at all, but at the same time be totally worthless for any substantive protection.

02-25-2009, 08:23 PM

Doh! I hope my helmet's okay.

02-25-2009, 06:10 PM	#1 (permalink)
Patrickadizzle Guest Posts: n/a	Helmet still good after hard fall? Had a pretty nasty fall today, was carving on a pretty steep slope, just cruising, and I turned my shoulders behind me to see where my buddy was. Dumb Idea. Caught a heel side edge, totally caught me off guard, tumbled over a couple times downhill and on my last tumble, slammed my head pretty hard against the ground. Had a pretty bad headache after and felt mildly dizzy. Anyway, I read that helmets are only designed for one hard crash. What do I need to look for in the helmet to see if I can still use it? also, helmets ftw!

02-25-2009, 07:06 PM	#4 (permalink)
fuzzysnowboard Guest Posts: n/a	The exact same thing happened to me. My helmet has a now has a small crater and my helmet was new.I think your helmet is okay for 2-3 falless years, but if you fall you should check for major damage and just use good judgement. But if the fall is really bad supposedly they will have to carry you down so you will know you have to get a new helmet. If you drop your helmet I think it will be okay but I'm not sure. I think you need to look for cracks. How deep is the damage anyway? If It is more than 3 or 4 mm down I guess you need to replace it.

02-25-2009, 07:14 PM	#5 (permalink)
sedition -LIFETIME MEMBER- Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 2,744	FYI the cracks arn't what you really need to be worried about, it's the inner core. The core is often designed to collapse on impact, and these are the parts of the helmet that REALLY protect your head, not the outer shell. Again though, it really depends on what kind of helmet you have, and how they are manufactured. In short, your helmet may have no crack in it at all, but at the same time be totally worthless for any substantive protection. __________________ "Nancy Ninja Nabs Nefarious Nymph. Pays Price Per Pissed Pants!" -Flick "Up, up, my people, let smoke and flame be our sign!" -The White Rose Society

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02-25-2009, 06:37 PM	#3 (permalink)
Moskau Guest Posts: n/a	Yeah, most helmets nowadays are only good for one fall. If it's a really really bad bail then I would check to see if it needs to be replaced. But in my personal opinion if you didn't hit your head too hard and you see no visible cracks I would wear it, because really who likes spending money?

02-25-2009, 08:23 PM	#6 (permalink)
fuzzysnowboard Guest Posts: n/a	Doh! I hope my helmet's okay.