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ChrisFromOC

ChrisFromOC

Putting on skis
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While you may dea with it every day, the statement of helmets do not provide protection is false!!!

The helmet takes the first line of abuse. If you shattered your helmet you likely shatter your skull if you’re not wearing it. The idea is that a helmet provides an initial protection, is it the do all end all of protection NO!, however without one, same fall same conditions you will definitely have worse injuries as your head is what absorbs the impact directly no cushion, no extra shell to protect what’s valuable inside.

As to other protections helmets provide or offer, they help how much who knows but some is better than none!

As to brain injuries, we know that if you don’t cause it any harm, likely none happen, we also know that if you completely destroy it, it definitely causes harm! Anything else in between is a guess as to the outcome.

So, helmets protect pure and simple. The only guarantee that they offer is that without one it would be a lot worse.

Protect the head, protect the brain, avoid the headache!

BTW I deal with my sons brain injury daily (19-1/2 years and counting) so I may know just as much as you, though not by choice, the only difference I’m not a licensed medical professional.
Sorry to hear the circumstances by which you’ve developed some expertise. I really agree that the helmet is the first line of defense to take an impact or a poke from a tree branch, etc.. None of my girls are particularly aggressive skiers, but they do spend a lot of time in the trees and you just never know when you might catch a ski and go down or have a branch that you misjudged a bit. Hopefully in these instances the helmet can take the brunt of the impact.
 

oldschoolskier

Making fresh tracks
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Ontario Canada
Sorry to hear the circumstances by which you’ve developed some expertise. I really agree that the helmet is the first line of defense to take an impact or a poke from a tree branch, etc.. None of my girls are particularly aggressive skiers, but they do spend a lot of time in the trees and you just never know when you might catch a ski and go down or have a branch that you misjudged a bit. Hopefully in these instances the helmet can take the brunt of the impact.
Thank you, I could go off thread here but I won’t.

MIPS haven’t personally used it so I can’t comment on how good it is or isn’t.

IMHO any helmet that fits and is used is better than any helmet that has the best protection but isn’t. If you believe in a feature it works for you, if because of that and wear the protection it’s done it’s job.

Little off topic, for me the next protection I am looking at is the spinal pads, funny as it sounds a little extra padding here couldn’t hurt if comfortable.

One other important comment. Extra protection should not change your risk assessment of what you can do because if it does you will painfully discover your body’s next weakest (likely least protected issue).
 

Primoz

Skiing the powder
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Nov 8, 2016
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2,483
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Slovenia, Europe
I'm going to expose my ass here..and say MIPS probably won't help as much as most think. Spend money on a well made, good fitting helmet whether it's MIPS or not. And wear it properly!
I'm completely with you on this one.

Recent evidence indicates that rotational force is a much greater contributor to MTBI (concussion) in falls than straight on impact.
While I totally agree with you on this, I honestly doubt MIPS system does much, or anything at all reducing these forces, especially when talking about about skiing helmets. While helmets are helmets, surface where you hit with head is not always same, which means asphalt or snow can't really be compared. I'm not talking about how hard each is, but sliding on snow or asphalt is "a bit" different. Another thing is how much rotation MIPS can take, and it's not all that much.
So for skiing, I would personally rather take helmet which passes FIS regulations (that's non-MIPS, as I don't think there's any MIPS helmet fitting FIS regulations) and fits good, then helmet with all marketing whistles and bells.
 

Magi

Instructor
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Apr 8, 2017
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404
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Winter Park, Colorado
So for skiing, I would personally rather take helmet which passes FIS regulations (that's non-MIPS, as I don't think there's any MIPS helmet fitting FIS regulations) and fits good, then helmet with all marketing whistles and bells.

POC's FIS rated helmet has an anti-rotational energy layer (SPIN) in it, I believe that Briko's FIS helmets also have a proprietary system (Fluid?) for rotational force dissipation. The tech is real, the tech works. Less impulse is better than more impulse in a crash. Full stop. If the MIPS pin shears in your helmet (as designed) then less energy went into your brain than if the pin hadn't been there.

I don't care if you buy MIPS or SPIN, or Flabba-Whammy-DeRotationator technology. I'm advocating buy a good helmet that fits well, that has rotational force dissipating tech in it if you want the best protection currently available. (And preferrably buy an anti-rotation tech that has data and studies to back it up).
 

otisshirley

Booting up
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Apr 25, 2017
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29
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Western Massachusetts
I have worn MIPS helmets for years for the reasons discussed above: upside, no apparent downside. I had one fall at about 45 mph two years ago. (There was a roller and I didn’t make a clear decision about whether to jump or absorb.) I fell on my shoulder, head more or less pointing downhill, and then my head slammed back against the snow. The only concussion symptom I had was slight sensitivity to bright light for a couple of days, and otherwise everything was fine. I’m pretty sure the helmet saved me from injury, and I suspect the MIPS helped prevent a more serious concussion; I’ve known people who had much worse concussions from impacts at much lower speeds. But obviously every fall is different, so that can’t be proven.
 
Thread Starter
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ChrisFromOC

ChrisFromOC

Putting on skis
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Joined
Jan 14, 2017
Posts
149
Location
So Cal
I have worn MIPS helmets for years for the reasons discussed above: upside, no apparent downside. I had one fall at about 45 mph two years ago. (There was a roller and I didn’t make a clear decision about whether to jump or absorb.) I fell on my shoulder, head more or less pointing downhill, and then my head slammed back against the snow. The only concussion symptom I had was slight sensitivity to bright light for a couple of days, and otherwise everything was fine. I’m pretty sure the helmet saved me from injury, and I suspect the MIPS helped prevent a more serious concussion; I’ve known people who had much worse concussions from impacts at much lower speeds. But obviously every fall is different, so that can’t be proven.

Thanks for sharing this info, and glad to hear that the outcome was not worse.
 

albertanskigirl

aka Sabrina
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Mar 28, 2017
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319
Location
Calgary, AB
Nothing to add - but a super informative thread. I've been wondering whether to get one or not. SO has one, a Giro with MIPS - he doesn't really know what to make of it either, but it's a really good fit.
 

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