Ski helmet for skydiving?

[MooChooser 0]

I just got my A licence and am now looking at starting to get some gear together.
Sky diving helmets are to be fair, a total rip off. I've got my eye on this:
http://www.sportcatalog.ru/i/product/82/m/782689.jpg

Anyone got any experience with this kind of thing?

[cocheese 0]

It's your head. Wear what you want. But remember you usually get what you pay for. Paying for quality equipment is usually cheaper in the long run. I see 2 flaws in that helmet from here.

[MooChooser 0]

OK....thanks for your reply but would you care to share those flaws with me? the thing on the back is a rubber goggle holder and is removable. (if thats one of the two things.)


Also, what do you get from a $300 skydiving helmet that a $50 pro tec or $75 ski helmet doesnt provide?

[MB38 0]

Quote

Also, what are you getting from a $300 skydiving helmet that a $50 pro tec doesnt provide?

You're getting a really cool carbon fiber helmet with an audible pocket.

I jump a very similar helmet to the one that you have... use it for snowboarding. The only thing you have to be careful of is the goggle thing in the back. Put a lot of duct tape over it or remove it completely... if it catches a line, it's very bad news. I went the duct tape route for mine.

I really don't know what I'm talking about.

[ccowden 0]

Skydiving helmets are designed to fit snug and be sleek while offering some protection. But none of the modern skydiving helmets will protect you from much more than a minor mishap. The better ski helmets are designed to offer more protection while trying to keep them sleek, but they are really quite a bit larger and less sleek for skydiving use.

Plain and simple, you can't pack too much protection into a sleek form fitting helmet, and the more protection a helmet offers, the larger it will become. It really becomes a trade off. If you want great protection at a good cost, buy a ProTec. If you want good protection at a decent cost and aren't concerned about how it will perform in the air or how big it will be, go with the ski helmet. If you want a little protection in a form fitting sleek helmet that is designed for skydiving, go with a skydiving helmet.

It just comes down to what you want most. Protection, design, fit. Skydiving specific helmets try to combine these factors in the best possible designs for our sport. But there certainly are better protective helmets. You just start to sacrafice other things for that protection. It's really your call.

[Superman32 0]

There is a reason why Pro-Tecs are used in skydiving schools and ALWAYS recommended in these threads.

Inveniam Viam aut Faciam
I'm back biatches!

[ccowden 0]

Yup. ProTecs are absolutely the best protection you can buy for the money. There is one simple reason why most people won't wear one after student status: They aren't cool. Sad, but true. I am guilty myself.

However, I do have a ProTec halfshell that I try to wear when doing hop n pops for swooping. No helmet will protect you from a major swooping accident, but a ProTec will provide a great deal of protection in a pretty good tumble, where as a skydiving helmet will not.

If we all picked helmets for protection and cost, we would all be wearing ProTecs.

[mattmais 0]

I took 10 yrs off and just started jumping again. I'm glad to see that in the helmet arena we are getting safer and evolving from frap hats to hard helmets.

I kinda think that skydiving helmets are over priced also. (Maybe I will amend this sentence if one of the manufacturers provides me with a nice carbon fiber fullface)

I just recently purchased a like new Boeri Ski Helmet (13$ used) to use instead of my frap hat. Wondering what kind of reaction i will get at the DZ??. I made my decision based on what I thought was best for me.

There are several threads which will provide more info. Search "Ski Helmet" or "Boeri"

[headoverheels 291]

Ski helmets are fine. Just make sure that it fits, and remove or put gaffer's tape across points (google snap) that might snag lines. My Boeri has built-in "audible pockets," just by pulling the liner away from the shell by the ear.

[druvaughn 0]

With very few jumps, and all in a pro-tec, I had often wondered the same thing.

The cool factor is the downside of our culture, ask anyone whose had a real good concussion and most will likely ask for a safer helmet.

Having had 13 concussions, the look matters little to the safety of my brain, I thought about wearing a football helmet (extremely safe) but would most likely add more problems then solve (fairly heavy, not sleak, and lots of points on the face mask to get tanlged in lines).

I don't own any, and they would probably be more expensive than skydiving helmets, but would motorcycle helmets work?

Happy Holidays.

.

-
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"Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical."

[Superman32 0]

How did you get 13 concussions?

Motorcycle helmets are very heavy.

I personally think, that most Skydiving helmets are already pretty ugly. If you want protection, then buy a Protec. For the cool factor and Protecs you have 2 options:
1)Buy a black one and put cool/funny stickers
2)Embrace the ugly - buy something so hideous that it becomes cool, e.g., glow in the dark lime green, or if you're a big guy get a pink one, or...

Inveniam Viam aut Faciam
I'm back biatches!

[headoverheels 291]

Motorcycle helmets were the dominant type, when I started jumping 33 years ago. I don't think they really offer any advantage for skydiving over a Protec or a good quality ski helmet. Our student helmets at the time were football helmets, without face masks.

[tdog 0]

Quote

Ski helmets are fine. Just make sure that it fits, and remove or put gaffer's tape across points (google snap) that might snag lines. My Boeri has built-in "audible pockets," just by pulling the liner away from the shell by the ear.

I know a few people that use them with great success... Just keep it tight (snug fitting)... I have seen some loose ones bounce around too...

If my head was about ready to hit something hard, I would take a ski helmet over a skydiving specific helmet any day....

[dbattman 0]

Pro-tecs are great helmets for full-contact RW skydiving. They're cheap, protective, and you can customize them with paint and stuff. My first helmet was a purple Pro-tec that I covered with several layers of black paint. I took a razor and cut out this crack pattern on the right forehead like I just slammed into something and covered it with clear acrylic.

If it wasn't stolen/lost with my luggage and paid for by Delta I'd still be jumping it. Fortunately my older brother bought me a 'pimp-daddy' Bonehead for Christmas, probably more for the fact it was called 'Bonehead' than any other reason.

[MB38 0]

I used to ground crew a lot for some BASE jumpers a few years back. They would actually wear open face motocross helmets with all snag points filed smooth and the brim removed.

Having a helmet this size meant getting smacked by the risers every time, but I witnessed the helmets prove their worth on two separate occations [asphalt+head and tree+head, both walked away].

I really don't know what I'm talking about.

[FrEaK_aCcIdEnT 0]

i had never put any thought into a ski helmet. now that i have that information i found a few on ebay i like. It makes things a lil more affordable

how about this? too bad its not my size

Leedom Helmet

ExPeCt ThE uNeXpEcTeD!
DoNt MiNd ThE tYpOs, Im LaZy On CoRrEcTiOnS!

[Eule 0]

Quote

Anyone got any experience with this kind of thing?

Just a couple of observations, coming from experience with motorsport
helmets.

I don't think I'd ever buy a used helmet for regular wear. You don't
know how hard it's already been smacked. I might do it under a
few conditions: if a new one was $500, there wasn't a dealer handy
where I could try one, and I could get a used one for $5, then I might
buy the used one just to test drive it. Then I would buy the new one
or not.

Racing helmets usually have a date-of-manufacture stamped on them,
and many racing bodies specify that your helmet shall be no more than
X years old. I think the idea is that exposure to fuel, oil, UV light,
champagne (if you win a lot), and cheap beer and barbecue sauce
(NASCAR only) may break down the helmet, particularly the energy-
absorbing (padding) bits.

Some links:
Snell issues a lot of helmet safety certifications.

I _think_ the Pro-Tec that is most commonly used by skydivers is the
"Ace Classic Fullcut" at http://www.pro-tec.net/water.html , but
I could be totally wrong.

Since I are a stoodent, I've only worn a Pro-Tec so far. I live in a
town that does a lot of aerospace and I know where to get sheets of
carbon fiber that have passed their "sell by" date. I have pondered
getting a Pro-Tec of my own and then baking one layer of carbon fiber
onto it, so I can be cool and go faster. The bake process runs around
180-200F (90C), though, and that might damage the helmet. But I'd
have the coolest Pro-Tec around. :)

Eule

PLF does not stand for Please Land on Face.

[shropshire 0]

I use my Snowboard/Ski helmet - I think that they offer more protection than the 'essentially' cosmetic sky-dive shells...
BUT
REMOVE THE CLIP AT THE BACK, THAT HOLDS THE GOGGLES.. you can get a line caught and that would be really bad
Make sure there are no other bits that can catch a line.

.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[SkyTango 0]

I use one and have no problems with it... Fits me better than most of the skydiving helmets I've tried and is actually stronger. (And yes remove the goggle clip...)

Keep in mind that you might want to fit a audible inside. That’s sometimes a bit of a challenge...

JC

If you woke up breathing, congratulations!
You get another chance.

[Zeemax 0]

wow... people really should check out pro tec's website. They've got some REALLY nice helmets on there
i never knew they did such a big range.

Phoenix Fly - High performance wingsuits for skydiving and BASE
Performance Designs - Simply brilliant canopies

[monkycndo 0]

Last time I was at Costco, they had a ski/snowboard helmet for around $40. I have a Pimpdaddy that I love, but if I was looking for my first, I would have got it.

50 donations so far. Give it a try.

You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[cocheese 0]

Ok i'm going back to the bon fire.I forgot I'm not rated to give advice. And i usually regret it here on dz.com.
Things i want in a helmet:
1) Form fitted internal or external audible pockets.
2) No or very few snag points
3) Peace and quiet (don't want it to sound like a wiffle ball)
4) Snug fit. Can i do a flip at 180mph ?
5) Sleek and light, with good visibility. I'm skydiving not riding a crotch rocket.
6) Full face is better, but not as "free" feeling and can't talk well in plane etc. or smile for the cam (which is important !)
7) Can i rip this thing off fast if needed ?
8) if it snags on my canopy that i'm cutting away, will the clip break instead of my neck ?
9) Does it have a good tightening system to keep it snug ?
10) Can i mount a camera to it very easily ?
But at least you're wearing a helmet. That's good.

[druvaughn 0]

13 Concussions...

12 Years of Football, Lacrosse, and Skiing

7 were minor, 6 major

2 Skiing
3 Lacrosse
8 Football

-
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"Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical."

[Andy9o8 0]

Good list. May I add another one:

#11 - Decent protection against head injury.

[simulacra 0]

You know, protec DOES make ski helmets...