Head trauma is among the most feared and catastrophic injuries in . So why aren’t more rock climbers wearing helmets?

By Dougald MacDonald Photography by Ben Fullerton ¬No-Brainer

40 | august 2013 climbing.com | 41 Beth Rodden didn’t expect trouble on the trad route, the long, easy east face of the is more dangerous: If you venture above mostly in the lower extremities. In 2009, Second Flatiron in Boulder, Colorado. base on Annapurna, you’ve got about the American Journal of Preventive Medi- Central Pillar of Frenzy Near the top, her partner asked if she’d a 1 in 25 chance of dying. By contrast, fa- cine published a study by Nicolas Nelson on Yosemite’s Middle like to lead a short step. Barnes fell part- talities in and are and Lara McKenzie of U.S. Consumer Prod- Cathedral Rock. After all, the 33-year-old way up the , popping out her naively very uncommon. Statistically, rock climbing uct Safety Commission data on climbers placed pro, and tumbled down the slab. is nowhere near as dangerous as the main- admitted to emergency rooms. Injuries to She sprained both ankles, strained a knee stream media (or your mom) would believe. the lower extremities accounted for nearly superstar had free climbed the and thumb, and chomped a big chunk out An average of about 30 climbers of all half of the climber ER visits between 1990 of her tongue. Before she came to a stop, disciplines die each year in the United and 2007, with ankles bearing the brunt of Nose of El Cap she smacked the side of her head just States, from falling, rockfall, or any other the damage. In the same study, head injuries and put up the Valley’s hardest crack climb, above her left ear against a big flake of cause—about the same number of ski- (including neck, face, eyes, ears, and mouth) conglomerate sandstone. ers and snowmobilers, combined, killed accounted for 12 percent of the total—an Barnes was in shock, but other climbers by avalanches annually in the U.S. Com- average of about 275 a year. (There was no the unrepeated 5.14c helped her get to the trail and walk down pare this with cycling, which kills 600 to data on who wore a helmet.) Other studies Meltdown. One of the the mountain to her car. She didn’t go to 800 riders a year and injures more than and surveys have shown a 4 to 8 percent rate best female rock climbers on the planet, the doctor right away, but then, a couple of 40,000 in the United States—a greater of head trauma among all climber injuries. days after the fall, a friend told her she was rate of deaths per participant than in The actual total of head injuries is likely acting “weird.” Barnes says, “I’ve never been climbing. A parent or nurse might argue considerably higher than these studies she had never been injured in a climbing fall. much of a crier, but I started randomly cry- that 30 deaths is still an unacceptably suggest. Some surveys included tendon- ing on my way to work.” A round of visits to large number, but compared to other itis and other non-emergency injuries, neurologists and other specialists soon be- sports perceived as less dangerous, rock and the Nelson-McKenzie study did not Rodden devoured routes like the gan. Though no evidence of injury showed climbing is statistically quite safe. account for injured climbers who saw a Central up on MRI or CT scans, Barnes began suf- In fact, the huge majority of climbing in- non-emergency physician (as Rodden and fering migraines. Her speech slowed, and juries are non-traumatic—finger and elbow Barnes did), nor did it track fatalities. We Pillar without breaking a sweat. her motor skills deteriorated. tendonitis, shoulder pain, and similar over- also do not know the numbers of unre- “If I was eating, my fork would just sit use injuries—or cuts, sprains, broken bones, ported head injuries—climbers who took there; I couldn’t bring it to my mouth,” she and other non-life-threatening injuries, a blow to the head but never saw a doctor. But this mega-popular 5.9 would serve as a reminder of one of climbing’s greatest risks— 5.8 in Eldorado Canyon, Colorado.) Many says. “And my legs would crumple beneath Meanwhile, there’s no doubt that head and also a leading appeal of the sport: that anything can happen, anywhere, anytime, without ice climbers forego their helmets while rock me while I was walking.” injuries, though relatively uncommon, warning, even on the most familiar terrain. Partway through the first pitch on the Central climbing. Some climbers wear a helmet to Barnes was diagnosed with post-con- often are radically different from other Pillar, Rodden’s foot slipped on polished granite, flipping her upside-down and into a freefall. one crag but not to another. Or they’ll wear cussive syndrome, a series of symptoms climbing maladies. Inflamed tendons are Twenty feet down, going approximately 23 mph, the back of her head slammed into rock. it while leading but not while . And associated with brain injuries, and five Heads Up! frustrating and painful, but they rarely At first, Rodden says, “I didn’t think I was hurt. We actually climbed the rest of the given the track record in cycling—around years later she’s still trying to find her How to handle a head injury require significant medical intervention; day. But the next night at dinner, I was having a really hard time concentrating. I could half of all cyclists still don’t always wear hel- way back to a full recovery. “My neurolo- broken bones seldom demand hospital Laceration see [people talking], but I couldn’t process what they were saying.” Another red flag: mets, despite a great toll of head injuries— gist put me on a seizure medication that > Signs and Symptoms (S/Sx) Cuts to the stays. By contrast, a quarter of the head in- Rodden’s forehead was sore, even though she’d hit the opposite side of her head. The this is not likely to change. Most climbers helped my migraines but made me act like scalp are the most common head injury. Bleed- juries in the 2009 survey—more than twice next day she went to her doctor, who explained that her brain had slammed forward will continue to make day-by-day decisions I was drunk. It was embarrassing,” Barnes ing can be profuse. > Treatment (Tx) Check for the rate for all climber ER visits—resulted against her skull upon impact with the rock face. Diagnosis: concussion. about their helmets. says. She tried craniosacral therapy and more serious injury (like fracture). Firmly apply a in hospitalization. And as Evie Barnes’ ex- bulky dressing. Consider tying the hair across the Concussion is only one of many serious head injuries a climber might suffer—others in- On the surface, this seems nuts. If hel- massage. “Life was doable, and I could perience shows, the consequences of head wound to act as a makeshift stitch. Apply ice to clude skull fractures and severe lacerations—but new awareness of concussions’ frequency mets prevent or mitigate head injuries, work a part-time job, but I never got the control swelling, if possible. > Evac? No impacts can stretch over years. and their potential long-term effects has caused consumers, manufacturers, and regula- shouldn’t a climber always wear one, from energy back that I used to have.” “Every single doctor said, ‘You should tors to re-examine many sports and their protective equipment. High-tech anti-concussion the second he arrives at the crag to the mo- Last fall, she banged her head against a Skull Fracture have worn a helmet,’” Barnes says now. helmets are making their way into the cycling and skiing markets, and President Obama ment he starts back to the car? Or low ceiling, and some symptoms returned. > S/Sx You find a depression or obvious crack, “They said I probably still would have discharge from the ears or nose, or black and blue recently declared that if he’d had a son, he might not allow him to play football because of is helmet use, like so many aspects of our (Victims of repeated concussions are par- around eyes or ears. > Tx Apply diffuse rather gotten a light concussion because I hit so the latest research on traumatic brain injuries. No data exists on the number of concussions sport, an issue that resists pat answers? ticularly vulnerable to long-term prob- than direct pressure to stop bleeding (flow hard, but they had no doubt that if I had a in climbing, but there is little doubt that Rodden’s experience could happen to anyone. lems.) Now she’s undergoing hyperbaric can relieve build-up and pressure in the skull). helmet, I would have been way better off.” Rodden says her recovery was slow, and she wonders if the concussion is to blame treatments, breathing 100 percent oxygen Stabilize spine and monitor airway, breathing, and circulation. Yes when she has trouble concentrating even today. The symptoms of traumatic brain injury in a chamber for 70 minutes a day. Un- > Evac? can last for weeks or months—and multiple concussions can cause years of problems. able to work full-time, she helps clean the Closed Head Injury The accident caused Rodden to rethink her stance on climbing helmets. “I hardly ever Head injuries, hyperbaric business to pay for treatments > S/Sx If trauma causes brain swelling inside the wore a helmet while climbing in Yosemite, but now I always try to wear one, even if the she can’t afford. But she’s begun climbing skull, the brain becomes compressed. Did your Rock climbers route is easy,” she says. though rare in again. “It took a lot of adjustment, because partner lose consciousness? Watch for headaches, personality changes, altered vision, and dizziness. wear helmets But sometimes, especially when the climbing is hard, Rodden chooses to leave her just like with the fork not being able to get > Tx Manage airway, breathing, and circula- helmet behind. When we spoke, she was in Spain for on overhanging climbing, are to my mouth, my hands didn’t want to tion. Wake up every few hours to assess level of limestone, and she hadn’t even packed a helmet for the trip. move to the next hold,” she says. “I’m defi- consciousness. > Evac? Yes in some settings When it comes to helmets and climbers, inconsistency is everywhere. Most ice climb- potentially nitely not as strong as I was before, and *In the days and weeks following head trauma, ers and mountaineers wear helmets, as do many traditional rock climbers. But far fewer I’m way more cautious. But I’m starting to but not others. catastrophic. watch for symptoms indicating concussion: rock climbers don lids for short climbs, especially sport routes. (Though you can’t rule it feel like I can actually train again.” concentration and memory trouble, irritability, Not long ago, very few climbers wore hel- out, you’re much less likely to smack your head or suffer rockfall on an overhanging 5.12 On a spring day in 2008, Evie Barnes, a Luckily for climbers, injuries like Barnes’ personality changes, light or noise sensitivity, mets, even in the most dangerous situa- sport climb, at the Red River Gorge, Kentucky, for example, than you are on a ledge-filled 21-year-old boulderer, started up her first are unusual. High-altitude problems sleeping, and depression. tions. Pioneering alpinist and gear maker

42 | august 2013 climbing.com | 43 Yvon Chouinard climbed perilous ice and alpine routes with his head clad only in a After the fall yellow-and-purple knit hat. “When I start- The numbers behind climbing’s most common accident ed climbing 25 years ago, it wasn’t cool to wear a helmet,” says Dan Middleton, chief technical officer at the 65,000-member British Mountaineering Council (BMC), Head which has done extensive helmet research Trunk 12.2% 10.5% Most common injury: laceration and education. “You’d very rarely see peo- Most common ple [using them while] crag climbing. Now injury: not reported that’s changed.” Upper Extremities 29.2% The same story has played out in the Most common injury: dislocation U.S., where helmet sales are growing fast. According to Leisure Trends’ Outdoor Re- tailTRAK surveys, helmet sales have near- Diagnosis ly doubled since 2004, reaching 64,239 29% 28.6% units in 2012. That’s only a small percent- age of climbers, however. The Outdoor Industry Association estimates that 5.7 million people participated in rock climb- 17.1% ing, gym climbing, bouldering, or moun- 16.9% taineering in 2011. If this total is accurate, only about 1 percent of all types of climb- ers are buying a new helmet each year. The vast majority of ice climbers and 4.3% alpinists wear helmets. But among rock 3.1% climbers, helmet use varies widely de- pending on where and how you climb. In a survey of 1,887 rock climbers published Other in Journal of Trauma in 2006, 36 per- Fractures Fractures punctures

cent reported wearing helmets most or all Dislocations Sprains/strains

of the time, while 19 percent never wore and L acerations - abra Contusions, helmets; the rest sometimes or seldom hematomas sions, wore them. Another survey of 1,400 rock climbers, completed last year by Kevin So- Lower Extremities leil, then a master’s student at the Univer- 46.3% Most common injury: sity of Tennessee, Knoxville, found similar > Feet broken bone patterns. The percentage of respondents > Ankles sprain or strain who said they usually or always wore a > LegS laceration helmet was 49 percent among sport lead- ers, 53 percent for topropers, and 86 per- cent for leaders on traditional climbs. Age Sex Fall distance Look around a typical American crag, and Soleil’s numbers will likely seem high. (He cautions his results may be skewed 20–39: 56.1% Female: More than because he did not survey climbers under 28.2% 20 feet: 33.8% 18—the mean age in his survey was 36, and 19 and Less than younger climbers tend to wear helmets less under: Male: 71.8% 20 feet: 66.2% often than older ones.) Based on multiple 29.6% observations of sport and traditional crags in Colorado last spring, helmet usage was 40 and up: 14.3% Men suffer more lacerations and Falls account for more than three- lower across the board. In Boulder and fractures. Women, more sprains quarters of climber emergency Clear Creek canyons, at five mid-difficulty and strains. Men were more than room visits. twice as likely to be hospitalized. sport climbing crags, about 35 percent of leaders were wearing helmets. Less than 66 percent of leaders wore helmets, and 45 overhanging climbs are less vulnerable to 20 percent of belayers wore helmets, and percent of belayers were helmeted. rockfall and impacts with the rock. Chris only 10 percent of people standing or sit- Unsurprisingly, Soleil’s survey suggests Weidner, who says a helmet saved his life ting under climbs wore them. Down the that as climbs get steeper and the dif- after a 30-foot fall on a decade r n co road in Eldorado Canyon, a traditional area ficulty higher, especially on sport routes, ago, usually doesn’t wear one anymore for

s u p er known for loose rock and tricky protection, fewer people wear helmets. Generally, sport climbing. “I can’t think of anybody

Source: “Rock Climbing Injuries Treated in Emergency Departments in the U.S., 1990–2007,” Nicolas G. Nelson, MPH, Lara B. McKenzie, M.A., Ph.D 44 | august 2013 NOTE: This study only looked at ER visits. Other studies show that overuse injuries to the arms, fingers, and shoulders are climbers’ most common injuries. climbing.com | 45 that sport climbs hard and wears a hel- a significant correlation between climbers eers, climbers as a group still don’t wear hel- What Climbers Say, part 1 met,” he says. Rodden said during her trip who don’t wear helmets and those who mets as often as participants in other head to Spain, “I haven’t seen a single person believe brain buckets “take away from injury–prone sports. After rapid growth in Hits and near misses here wearing a helmet.” the aesthetic look and feel of a climbing the 1980s, the number of cyclists wearing Five climbers learn from their closest calls. Virtually no one boulders with a helmet, scene,” or that they “reduce performance.” helmets leveled out at around 50 percent, despite the frequent bruising falls many Though it’s rare, there are cases where with the percentage rising as cyclists get old- Danika Gilbert The Takeaway I had a helmet on; it broke in routes, I made an impulse decision to try a trad boulderers take. One who does is the fa- a helmet negatively affects climbing per- er. The National Ski Areas Association re- Overlook Cliff, three places, and I really believe that it saved route to end the day. I fell, two pieces pulled out, ther of the bouldering V- and au- formance. Most trad climbers can recount ported that 61 percent of skiers and board- Ouray, CO my life. Other than pure sport climbing, I pretty and I landed on a ledge. I got two skull fractures, thor of the Hueco Tanks guidebook, John stories of removing a helmet to squeeze ers wore a helmet in the 2010/2011 season, much always wear a helmet. brain contusions, and a subdural hematoma. I always The Takeaway The doctors told me I might “Verm” Sherman, who has had multiple through a tight chimney. Helmets also can up from 25 percent in 2002/03. But among The Incident wear a helmet, but have survived because I wasn’t wearing a helmet, concussions and now sports a helmet on push your face away from the wall if you’re rock climbers, especially if you count be- one day I took it off Carol Kotchek as this allowed more swelling and relieved highballs and even some butt-draggers. In pulling in close for a delicate move. And layers, boulderers, and people hanging out between climbs and Bubble City, New pressure that otherwise could have resulted in a column at dpmclimbing.com, Sherman for climbers who count the ounces of their at the base of a cliff, fewer than half at any forgot to put it back River Gorge, WV termination. I always wonder what would have wrote, “These days, if I can’t find a legiti- and choose sub-9mm ropes given crag are likely to be wearing helmets. on when my boyfriend happened with a helmet. Maybe I wouldn’t be started leading. Thirty seconds later, a grape- The Incident I had here at all. Maybe it would have helped. I will mate reason not to wear a helmet, I wear for redpoints, even a 1/2-pound helmet fruit-sized rock careened down. I pressed against just started up a four- never know. one. Which is 98 percent of the time.” may be too much to bear. the cliff, and the rock grazed my skull, opening a star, 5.10 sport route You can also find rare instances of peo- “A risk-based approach to helmets is gash. A direct hit might have killed me. when my foot slipped Kelly Cordes ple climbing indoors with a helmet. Mark what we’re pushing,” says Dan Middleton The Takeaway Friends saw me covered and I flew straight back Wizard’s Gate, into a tree, spun around, Estes Park, CO Dixon, 55, is an emergency room doctor of the BMC. “We don’t want to just say, ‘Oh, Climbing helmets in blood that day, but many still don’t wear helmets at that crag, even though stuff comes and slammed the ground on my side. Most of the in Loveland, Colorado, and a 5.12 leader, you must wear a helmet.’ Climbing isn’t down regularly there. I’m not sure what the impact was absorbed by my leg, but I had a contu- The Incident I hopped and every time he ties in to lead a route about rules. We want people to think about are good at disconnect is. Rockfall is unpredictable. sion on my head too. The foam inside my helmet on a wildly overhanging at the Boulder Rock Club, he also straps the risks and make their own decisions.” detached from the outside plastic, so I know the 5.13a sport climb, and on his helmet. “I started wearing a hel- Soleil’s study concluded that rock climb- protecting against helmet absorbed some impact. I had a heel hook when The Takeaway When things go bad in climb- my forearms flamed met in the gym about a year ago,” he says. ers make some logical risk-based decisions: Chris Weidner some types of El Capitan, ing, it happens fast. I learned not to take sport out. My hands came “I was taking a lot of falls, and twice in a They tend to wear helmets more often when Yosemite, CA climbing too casually—I was heading up the off, my heel stayed on, and somehow I flipped week flipped upside down and whacked they perceive greater threat from rockfall or route with a gym mentality—and always to upside down, spun, and swung back into the my head. It was nothing serious, but I climbs are less steep (thus a climber is more impacts, but The Incident I was wear a helmet. rock headfirst. Leave it to me to take the safest form of climbing and make it as danger- thought, ‘This is stupid—I wear a helmet likely to impact something if he falls), and climbing the Salathé not others. Wall and was leading Reid Pletcher ous as possible. I got 13 staples in my skull—I biking, climbing outdoors, and caving; where routes are longer, poorly protected, the pitch off Sous le Practice Rock, Boul- could have put a TCU in the gash—and 14 why not wear one here, too?’” or farther from medical care. However, the If every climber wore a helmet all the Toit Ledge. It starts der Canyon, CO stitches in my face. For many climbers, the decision wheth- survey also reveals that some climbers make time, some would avoid life-altering brain with a 5.6 ramp, then The Takeaway I tend to wear a helmet. er to wear helmets is not based on safety poorly reasoned decisions, including basing injuries. But others would still be killed or goes up a slightly overhanging crack. I clipped The Incident I always Though, as time wears on, I’ve gotten more into an old fixed , then back-cleaned the wear a helmet trad lax about it. If you say, “Always, always, disabled by head trauma. In early 2002, at all, but more around comfort and fash- their choice on what’s “cool.” And across all piece below me. Just as I was reaching up to climbing, but I left the always wear a helmet,” well, what about in the ion. Soleil’s survey found that trad climb- types of rock climbing, fewer survey respon- Rod Willard, an accomplished ice climb- place the next cam, the piton ripped out. I fell helmet in the car for a gym? You’ve got to be smart and look at ers were much more likely to say helmets dents wore helmets while belaying than er, was belaying behind the Fang in Vail, 30 feet, and landed headfirst on the ramp. day of sport. After five the probabilities. were comfortable and “acceptable fash- while leading or following—despite the Colorado, when a block of ice estimated at ion.” Sport climbers were more likely to fact that falling rocks and dropped gear are 400 pounds broke off and hit him in the say a helmet was “unaesthetic” or uncool. at least as likely to hit you below a pitch as head. He was wearing a helmet, but he (Typical negative comment: “I feel like I when you’re actually climbing it. died instantly. where helmets will increase your chance of could easily conclude these climbers would wearing a helmet—well, that’s a compel- stand out at the crag.”) Soleil also found If you count ice climbers and mountain- Rick Vance, technical information injury: For example, it’s possible you could be “dead for sure” if it weren’t for that trusty ling set of statistics. manager at America, explains that choke on the chinstrap if wedged into a lid. But would they? Would a helmet have In 2007, the British Mountaineer- climbing helmets are considered Category chimney or after a fall. Straps prevented Rodden or Barnes’ concussions? ing Council surveyed nearly 500 climb- 2 personal protective equipment, because on construction hard hats are designed “The answer is nobody knows,” says ers who had suffered head injuries, from they can’t guarantee protection against all to break for this reason, but climbing hel- Christopher Van Tilburg, a mountain res- minimal to severe. It concluded, “Wearing Who wears helmets* risks they’re designed for. “A helmet can mets are different—they have to stay on cue and wilderness medicine expert who a helmet significantly reduces the chances Brain-bucket use by climbing discipline protect you against a golf ball–sized fall- during a tumbling fall, and the straps are has worked for 14 years as a doctor at an of suffering a severe or major head injury: ing rock easily, but it cannot protect you tested under load not to slip or break. emergency clinic on Mt. Hood in Oregon. Non-helmet-wearers [were] more than Bouldering <1% from a microwave-sized block traveling A less obvious hazard is what’s called “And the reason nobody knows is we can’t twice as likely to suffer a severe head in- at terminal velocity,” Vance says. “They’re risk homeostasis, the theory that says hu- do a randomized, double-blind study on jury than helmet wearers.” Indoors <1% 35-50% called death blocks for a reason.” mans take more chances when they feel people wearing helmets.” “Helmets probably don’t prevent death Sport Smart climbers are aware of helmets’ more protected. If donning a helmet en- Numerous studies have shown that [among climbers],” says Dr. Van Tilburg. 45-55% Outdoor limits, and they focus more on avoiding tices you to attempt a 5.11 X face climb, ski and bike helmets reduce the severity “Rock climbers die when they take huge Toprope 65-85% blows to the head than fending them off are you really any safer? of injury in certain types of crashes. And falls and they have massive trauma. So Trad/Multi-Pitch/ with a thin skin of plastic and foam (See In fact, it’s very difficult to prove that though the data cannot prove that helmets the question is, are helmets useful for Big Wall 90% “Climb Smarter,” p.49). Simple steps like climbing helmets save lives at all, despite save cyclists’ lives—because it’s impossible preventing head injuries? I would say ab- Alpine/ >95% avoiding climbing under other parties many anecdotes suggesting they do. On to say with certainty that a person would solutely yes, they are. The bigger the fall, Mountaineering and placing protection frequently to avoid its website, Petzl has collected stories from not have lived if he didn’t have a helmet— the less the helmet is probably effective Ice long falls will do much more to prevent climbers who swear helmets saved their the fact that a very high percentage of fa- at preventing a concussion, and it doesn’t head injuries than any helmet can. lives. Reading these accounts, and looking tal cycling accidents involve head injuries, prevent what we call contrecoup injuries, 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% There are even a few rare instances at the photos of the busted helmets, you and that most of the cyclists killed are not where your brain moves inside your skull

*Sources: “Helmet Use Among Outdoor Recreational Rock Climbers Across Disciplines: 46 | august 2013 Factors of Use and Non-use,” by Kevin Henri Hogan Soleil, 2012; author field observation. climbing.com | 47 Climb Smarter The best way to prevent head injuries? Avoid getting clocked in the first place. and bounces against the opposite side. the head and neck. The UIAA standard are much more likely to have serious head But certainly, for a non-fatal fall, with a requires no more than 8kN of force trans- injuries than victims of falls. The Nelson- > Rockfall is much more likely after heavy rain, during medium degree of impact, the helmet ab- mitted; the CE maximum is 10kN. (In oth- McKenzie study concluded that being hit a freeze-thaw cycle, or when climbers or hikers are sorbs some impact.” er words, a UIAA label means the helmet by an object (compared to being injured overhead. Also: Beware of melting icicles on early-season climbs. Sometimes the best decision is to wait until condi- Climbing helmets might absorb even meets a stricter standard.) A second test by other mechanisms) was four times more tions improve and other climbers move on. more impact, and might do a better job of for penetration drops a 3-kilogram point- likely to injure a climber’s head than anoth- preventing injuries and saving lives, except ed cone 1 meter onto the helmet—to pass er part of the body, and three times more for two powerful and inter-related forces: the test, the cone can’t punch through the likely to result in hospitalization. The standards that guide helmet testing and helmet and reach the head form. The good news is that we already have manufacturing aren’t pushing helmet de- Tests for front, side, and rear impacts climbing helmets that are quite good at sign in that direction, and consumers—the were added later. The head form is tilted at preventing injuries from falling objects, climbing community—aren’t demanding it. a 60-degree angle so the 5-kilogram weight at least if they come at you from straight drops onto the sides of the helmet. But the overhead. The UIAA and CE standards drop is only 0.5 meters (a little more than are strictest for exactly this kind of protec- 1.5 feet), a standard 75 percent less strict, tion. The bad news is that accidents in- > Warn your belayer if you feel sketchy in part because your body can absorb more volving falls—versus falling objects—are (“Watch me!”) or start to slip (“Falling!”). Helmet testing impact from an angle than head-on. far more common. An attentive belayer should take up slack in It’s impossible to translate these numbers During the same 60-year period the rope to prevent long falls. doesn’t address to real-world situations and say that, for ex- (1952-2012), Accidents in North Ameri- ample, a locking dropped from 20 can Mountaineering reported more than > Keep the rope in the needs of feet will bounce harmlessly off your helmet, 5,400 incidents of falls on rock, snow, or front of you when but one that falls 1,000 feet on El Cap may ice—nearly seven times as many as acci- you’re leading. A modern rock break your skull. There are too many vari- dents involving falling objects. (“No hard rope behind the leg or ankles, as seen here, ables. Companies also don’t disclose wheth- hat” was listed as a contributing cause in > Yell “Rock!” loudly and can flip you into a climbers. er their helmets barely meet the standards 434 cases.) Falls also accounted for more repeatedly if you or anyone headfirst fall. Though they vary in design and construc- or if they significantly exceed them. But the than three-quarters of rock climber in- else drops a rock, stick, tion, all climbing helmets are compro- bottom line is that a helmet with a UIAA or juries in the Nelson-McKenzie study of gear, or any other object. mises. They are good at preventing scalp CE label is designed to standards that of- emergency room visits, where a cause wounds and skull fractures, especially fer considerably more overhead protection was known, while getting hit by an object from falling objects, but are not nearly as than side, front, or rear. caused only six percent of the ER visits. > Don’t run it out just effective at preventing concussions and Moreover, these standards don’t cover The problem is that helmets’ protective because you’re past the crux and the climbing other brain injuries from front, rear, or side blows far down the sides of your head— benefits are much less certain for climb- is easy. Falling climbers impacts. The ideal climbing helmet would like the knock on the temple you might ing falls than they are for falling objects, are 10 times more likely protect equally on all sides, and would be well experience in a fall, or the blow to the because the official standards for front, to be hospitalized after just as effective at preventing or mitigating back of your head when you duck to avoid rear, and side impacts are lower, and the falls of 20 feet or more concussions as it is for deflecting falling a falling rock. A standard of amount of side-impact pro- > Rappel routes than in shorter falls. rocks. This helmet does not exist. 60 degrees off-vertical “isn’t tection built into helmets are notorious rockfall zones. Why not? Despite increasing awareness what other helmet standards The ideal varies widely. Meanwhile, of the consequences of traumatic brain in- (rescue, for example) would helmet makers still have to jury, the standards by which helmets are de- consider true side impact,” make sure they meet the signed and tested have not changed signifi- says Petzl’s Vance. “I’m en- helmet UIAA and CE crown-impact cantly in more than 30 years. The original visioning an impact perpen- and penetration standards, standards were designed to protect climbers dicular to your ear, forehead, would even though many rock against falling rocks and chunks of ice in the or back of the skull. There climbers might care far more Alps, and this is essentially the same today. is no [such] standard for protect about protection in falls. In Most manufacturers design their hel- climbing helmets. I realize this way, the standards lock mets to pass tests developed about 35 this may sound a little silly, equally manufacturers into a set of > Don’t hike, belay, or hang out below years ago by the International Mountain- but without a performance design compromises that do other climbers without a helmet. > If you climb below Rockfall is just as likely on the ground eering and Climbing Federation (UIAA). standard to design to, we as not serve all climbers equally other people, place on all as it is mid-route. Find a sheltered plenty of protection, These were later adopted and slightly manufacturers are left to de- well. But the manufacturers stance whenever possible. belay under overhangs modified by the European Committee for cide for ourselves what the sides. accept this situation—and > Beware of ledges or or trees, and wear a Standardization (CEN); the CE label you acceptable minimum level participate in the standards’ corners you might hit if helmet. see on climbing equipment is required for of protection might be.” development—in part to gain you fall. Place enough many types of gear to be sold in the Euro- Of the thousands of inci- This valuable protection in anoth- pro to keep you from pean Union. In one helmet test, a 5-kilo- dents reported in Accidents er realm: the courtroom. hitting anything in case of a fall—or back down if gram (ca. 11-pound) weight is dropped 2 in North American Moun- helmet “The standards are the you’re sketching. meters, or about 6.5 feet, onto the crown taineering between 1952 and backbone of [product-liabil- of a helmet mounted on a head form, 2012, about 800 resulted does not ity] defense,” says Doug Phil- which in turn is connected to a device that from falling rock, ice, or oth- lips, founder and president r n co measures the amount of force absorbed by er objects. And such victims of Metolius Climbing. “The exist. s u p er

48 | august 2013 *See our own [mostly unscientific, fairly messy] helmet tests and more atclimbing.com/helmetfail or on the iPad. climbing.com | 49 What Climbers Say, part 2 UIAA Safety Commission is a collection of met design, yet it’s mostly aimed Buy It Right, Use It Right equipment makers, climbers (each country Helmet or at ever-lighter helmets, which will How to find the best helmet for you—and make it last has a representative), and test houses, and meet UIAA standards but aren’t de- we all agree on what a helmet should be No Helmet?* signed for maximum protection. Shop For Comfort And Style and do, and that makes it hard to sue for The top factors influencing As a result, many companies fig- a head injury when the helmet meets the climbers’ decisions ure they can protect more climbers, Guiding principle: Only buy Get the right fit: Make sure you may wear a hat underneath— the fit by snugging up the headband standard.” and sell more helmets, if they pro- a helmet that’s comfortable to it sits horizontally across your always choose a low-volume hat and shaking your head with the Phillips adds: “We [at Metolius] would YOU’RE MORE LIKELY TO duce a model that might get non- wear—and that you’re comfortable forehead, just above your eyebrows. without any “button” on top). chinstrap unbuckled. The helmet like to get a bouldering helmet going, but WEAR A HELMET IF traditional helmet users to wear one wearing. If you hate your helmet Those cute kids with their helmets Adjust the chinstrap and headband should stay put. Before buying, without a solid standard in place, it is all Peers wear helmets and encourage… more often—or to start wearing one because it has too much or too little tilted back over gap-toothed grins so the helmet is centered on your wear it with your pack on—make but suicidal from the manufacturing per- their use. at all. ventilation, pinches your sunglass might as well have targets painted head and won’t shift backward sure you can still look up comfort- t influential stems, or you feel like a dork with it on their foreheads. Try on multiple (exposing your forehead) or side to ably. See p. 52 for a visual guide to spective. The standard builds a box, and You believe helmets are comfortable. “Now that there are more choices, on, you’ll never use it. sizes for the best fit (keep in mind side (exposing the temples). Test how to wear your helmet. as long as you stay in the box, you are Mos pretty much all the mountaineers and Your favorite crags have loose rock. relatively safe. Moving outside the box— ice climbers wear helmets, but that sin- building a helmet that is not covered by You believe helmets are acceptable fashion. gle-pitch cragging market has eluded Choose the helmet that’s best for the climbing you do most standards—is very risky.” You stick to grades you can onsight all of us,” says Bill Belcourt, the director According to several members of the without falling. of climbing products at Black Diamond All brain buckets “manage,” or slow FOAM. Like bicycle helmets, tection on the sides they’re workhorses. They’ll survive UIAA Safety Commission, no changes Equipment. “We have yet to come up and weaken, the energy created these have one or more layers of Cons: Easily damaged, “one minor impacts (such as falling ice) You are older and have more climbing when an object strikes your head— foam—usually expanded polysty- and done” and continue to protect. to the helmet standards are currently in experience. with a helmet of any design that people whether a rock falls from above or rene (EPS)—that crush or break to Best for: Shorter rock climbs Pros: Most durable, can handle the works or were discussed at the com- will wear [in large numbers] at the crag.” You believe helmets are effective at your noggin hits a ledge. But the absorb energy upon impact. Usually multiple minor impacts mission’s spring meeting in Chamonix, Black Diamond’s latest attempt, the reducing head injuries. helmet’s unique design can make it covered with a thin plastic shell. HARD SHELL. Rigid outer shell Cons: Heavy, less off-center France, in late May. Nor has the CEN Vapor, uses large ventilation gaps and better suited for some applications Must be retired after any significant and a webbing suspension, similar protection implemented any significant changes re- You have witnessed a major injury at a layers of Kevlar and carbon rods over a than others. Here are the three impact or if cracked and damaged. to a construction hard hat. Hard Best for: , multi-day . main types of helmets. Pros: Very lightweight, more pro- shells are heavier than foam, but mountaineering, schools, and cently. Once proposed, any new standard foam lining to reduce the helmet’s pro- outdoor groups would take years to develop and imple- file and cut the weight to under seven ment. And even if climbing manufactur- YOU’RE Less LIKELY TO ounces. Getting the Vapor certified was HYBRID HELMET. Combines a ers and the other players could agree on a challenge. The testing organization hard outer shell with a foam lining, WEAR A HELMET If… both of varying dimensions. More new standards for climbing helmets that You believe that helmet use reduces in Europe “took issue with the number durable than all-foam helmets, but would serve rock climbers better, there’s performance. of ventilation holes,” Belcourt says. “In lighter than the classic hard shell. t influential reason to believe the climbing public— You climb 5.12 or harder. their opinion, a helmet should have fewer Pros: Lightweight, low-profile, that’s you and me—might not buy it. Mos holes and be more protective. And my fashion forward, more durable than You believe helmets “take away from retort was, ‘Right now, the whole indus- pure foam the aesthetic look and feel of a climbing Cons: Many have less side protec- scene.” try makes the helmets you describe, and tion than foam helmets there’s a whole user group that’s refusing Best for: All-around use, multi- You frequently climb overhanging routes. to use them.’” pitch rock, mountaineering, and ice The market You believe helmets are too expensive. If the industry and the UIAA adopted climbing tougher helmet standards, Belcourt ar- You learned to climb indoors. demands helmets gues, it would be possible to build a helmet You believe the rock is solid at your “that’s more robust than probably anything Check your head that are lighter, favorite crags. Many things can weaken your helmet—do you know them all? we have right now. [But] what you would get is something like a ski helmet, and 1. Helmets don’t work when it’s too _____ . 5. Attaching a POV camera to your not safer. dards are set up for rockfall protection. that’s not going to fly with the cragger.” A. Hot B. Rainy C. Cold D. Overcast helmet will make you... Metolius is a company that has built its What you have to do is protect against Moreover, even a climbing helmet de- A. A YouTube sensation reputation in part on products that maxi- both, and that tends to make the helmet signed to maximize side protection might B. Off-balance mize climbing safety, like its beefy Safe heavier and bigger than a rock climber not do much to prevent concussions—at 2. True or false: Stickers make your helmet weaker. C. A gaper Tech harnesses with double belay loops, wants to wear.” least using current climbing helmet tech- D. More likely to get injured than you are strength-rated gear loops, and other re- Indeed, the general trend in helmet de- using a helmet with no camera nology. Though the exact causes of concus- 3. Sitting on a helmet is fine as 4. Which of the following are signs dundant and extra-strong components. sign is in the opposite direction from the sions aren’t fully understood, researchers long as… you need to retire your helmet? About a decade ago, Metolius started Safe Tech or the 360, a hel- believe they result from the brain rotat- A. You weigh less than A. It’s a different color than when you developing a Safe Tech helmet specifi- met introduced in 2009 that has gener- ing or shaking inside the skull, strain- 175 pounds. bought it. 6. True or false: A helmet cally designed for maximum protection, ous foam lining and other features giving ing nerves. And as recent headlines have B. It’s on soft ground. B. The foam lining is cracked. is the perfect place to but after less than four years of selling the “more or less the same levels of protection shown, even the $400 helmets worn by C. You pad it with a jacket. C. It’s dented. new helmet, the company pulled it from all around the head, rather than just at professional football players are no guar- D. All of the above D. It’s 10 years old. store an emergency space shelves last year. It was heavier than most one specified, super-strong test point at antee against the concussive impact of re-

E. None of the above E. All of the above blanket while climbing. modern helmets, and neither the compa- the top of the head,” explains Wild Coun- peated blows to the head.

magazine) have recommended stowing emergency gear between the harness and shell of a hard-shell helmet, filling this gap transmits more force to your skull. skull. your to force more transmits gap this filling helmet, hard-shell a of shell and harness the between gear emergency stowing recommended have magazine) ny nor climbers loved the design. try spokesman Richie Patterson. Radical- But research into helmets for cyclists—

6) hough many sources (including this this (including sources many hough T False.

structural component if you must. Never drill a hole. Also, unscientific observation suggests only bad things happen with a POV cam on board. board. on cam POV a with happen things bad only suggests observation unscientific Also, hole. a drill Never must. you if component structural a snid er (B Uy r i g h t) “We were never able to make the hel- ly lightweight new models like the Black who are at least as ventilation-, weight-,

a helmet older than 10 years. 5) D. (and perhaps A or C.) Helmet makers say the adhesives attachment for helmet cams could weaken the plastic. Attach it to a headlamp clip or other non- other or clip headlamp a to it Attach plastic. the weaken could cams helmet for attachment adhesives the say makers Helmet C.) or A perhaps (and D. 5) years. 10 than older helmet a ur

V damage. Never use use Never damage. V U indicating changes color for watch and sunlight, of out them plastics—store helmet weaken can also light ltraviolet U

deeper than 1mm or 2mm in the foam or shell. shell. or foam the in 2mm or 1mm than deeper met that we wanted to make,” Phillips Diamond Vapor and Petzl Sirocco (both and fashion-conscious as climbers—shows

4) . Any helmet must be retired if it has cracks, dents, or gouges gouges or dents, cracks, has it if retired be must helmet Any . E

Sitting on helmets—or sitting on a pack with a helmet stowed inside—is the No. 1 destroyer of foam and hybrid helmets. helmets. hybrid and foam of destroyer 1 No. the inside—is stowed helmet a with pack a on sitting helmets—or on Sitting says. “The rock climber of today needs reviewed in Climbing’s 2013 Gear Guide) promising developments that might some- 3) . . E wheelchair.” a in you put what was sticker Boobies I or R PB that if suck would it But don’t. Some materials. shell helmet used commonly most the degrade adhesives “Some says, 

2) 1) ick Vance, technical information manager of Petzl America, America, Petzl of manager information technical Vance, ick R true. be Could A and C. Some become brittle below –4°F. Some companies warn against use in temps higher than 95ºF. 95ºF. than higher temps in use against warn companies Some –4°F. below brittle become Some C. and A side-impact protection, and the stan- show innovation is alive and well in hel- day help prevent or mitigate injuries like l a by T ext

*Source: “Helmet Use Among Outdoor Recreational Rock Climbers Across Disciplines: Factors of Use and Non-use,” by Kevin Henri Hogan Soleil, 2012 50 | august 2013 Note: Differences and ranking among some factors not statistically significant climbing.com | 51 A Visu A helmet isal designed Guide to to protect Proper your head Helmet from falling Use objects—which it can’t do if you fall prey to these common brain-bucket misapplications.

those suffered by Beth Rodden and Evie Barnes. Though their effectiveness isn’t proven, these helmets use new materials respond, and others may have held back and suspension systems to delay the trans- information for competitive reasons.) mission of force to the skull—by slowing Ultimately, whether consumers de- she wears a helmet. No one calls down- and weakening the energy impacting your mand more protective helmets will be hill mountain biking champ Aaron Gwin head, the theory goes, you get less rotation influenced not just by safety and cost dorky because he protects his head. Why and rattling of your brain. The Swedish-de- considerations, but even more by the deci- should climbing be different? veloped the Multidirectional Impact Pro- sions of other climbers. According to So- Of all the helmet-makers we contact- tection System (MIPS), a modular “helmet leil’s research, the single biggest thing in- ed, Edelrid was the only one that said it inside a helmet” that moves independently fluencing whether climbers wear helmets “instructs…photographers to show rock to absorb some of the rotational force of an is their friends and other climbers. “Peer climbers wearing a helmet.” The major- impact. Another new system, dubbed An- helmet use had the largest correlation ity responded something like Black Dia- gular Impact Mitigation (AIM), from an to helmet use of any factor in the study,” mond’s Belcourt, who said, “Climbing has Oregon company, uses a lightweight hon- Soleil wrote. In other words, if the people a long history of being non-conformist and eycomb of aluminum, like a car’s “crumple you climb with wear helmets, you’re more anti-establishment, so we don’t want to tell zone,” to absorb more energy than the ex- likely to. If they don’t, you won’t, either. people what they should or shouldn’t do panded polystyrene (EPS) foam in most Magazines and other media also have when it comes to a choice like this. Our job Ad modern climbing helmets. a huge influence. Climbing occasionally is to make a helmet that climbers will want The latest models using MIPS technol- gets letters from readers, like this one to take, not try to make them take one.” ogy are comparable in weight and profile from New Jersey: “I like your magazine, to traditional cycling helmets. And though but it is very troubling that so many of the the retail price of such helmets is bound to photos depict climbers without helmets be steep, if there’s a market for the $140 on. Does your organization recommend minimalist Vapor helmet, isn’t there likely climbing without proper head gear?” It’s a no-brainer. to be another segment of the climbing The easy and obvious answer is that, no, When I began researching this article, I market that would pay just as much or Climbing doesn’t promote helmet-free expected to reach a simple conclusion: Hel- more for maximum protection? climbing. Instead, the magazine’s photos mets can prevent or mitigate life-changing Some companies have already im- reflect the current state of helmet use by or life-ending head injuries, so more climb- proved their helmets’ level of protection by climbers—Climbing shows the sport as it’s ers should wear them. But what I discovered using dual-density foams, as in boulder- practiced today. (See the editor’s note on was a complex landscape of product tech- ing crashpads—the softer foam absorbs p.6 for more about Climbing’s positions nology, regulations, and climber psychology. impact, and the harder foam helps spread on helmets, testing standards, and the Helmets, I found, don’t protect particularly it out. Dave Furman, hardgoods category media.) In advertisements and videos, the well against certain head injuries, includ- manager for , said vast majority of sponsored sport climbers ing concussions. The certification tests do the company’s internal tests show signifi- and boulderers rarely wear a helmet. But not specifically target the kinds of climbing cant benefits in the dual-density foam ver- imagine if showed up in the that most people do today. And the design sus the single-layer foam linings in earlier next Reel Rock film slaying 5.15 routes trend—propelled by consumer demand—is generations of Mammut helmets. At pres- in Catalunya with dirty-blond locks pok- toward lighter and smaller helmets that are ent, though, no companies we contacted ing out from under the plastic brim of his arguably less protective, not more. In such said they were developing helmets spe- helmet. Helmet use among sport climbers a landscape, I realized, the safest climber is cifically designed to be more concussion- would skyrocket. No one says badass free- not the one who reflexively dons any old hel- r n co resistant. (Some helmet-makers did not style skier Kaya Turski isn’t cool because met for protection, but the one who uses his s u p er

52 | august 2013 climbing.com | 53 What Climbers Say, part 3 The state of helmet use We asked a range of climbers why they do or don’t wear a helmet.

The consequences head. I had dislodged A couple of pitches I wear one on ice, in helmets were par for I do not climb with of a single accident a bowling ball of ice up, a rock the size of the alpine, or anytime the course, I would helmets because I without a helmet out- with the ropes, and it a bus broke from the someone is above me. wear one. do not need them in weigh any annoyance. shattered my helmet wall and crashed into Other than that, no. —Angie Payne the style of climbing The least we can do into a dozen pieces. I the snowfield. The —Jess Roskelley (Colorado boulderer) that I practice. If I for those who love us always wear a helmet. funny part is that we (Washington alpinist) were doing adventure and for those we love —Ben Erdmann rappelled and then I rarely wear hel- multi-pitch climbing, is to try to make it as (Alaska alpinist and returned with our hard A friend of mine died mets—only in the where the poten- safe as possible. big-wall climber) hats, but of course no sport climbing a alpine and for extreme tial of rockfall was —Michael Feldman helmet would have few years back after single-pitch trad. hazardous, I would (New Jersey climber) I used to be lazy about helped us had we been falling and smacking Head injuries during wear one. In boulder- helmet wearing. I under such a falling the back of his head sport climbing are ing, you want to be Can’t think of a single thought they were rock. But those bullets on rock. It made me low compared with as light as possible, reason not to wear only for leading. Then and marble-sized mis- think about how most ankle, leg, and other so a helmet would one 100 percent of one day, out of the siles that often whiz people don’t wear injuries. I don’t know interfere with perfor- the time outdoors. blue, while belaying by are good reason to helmets while sport anyone who wears a mance. This is just They are so light and my husband on a have a helmet on this climbing or boulder- helmet regularly while my personal choice. well ventilated now sport route, a chunk part of the east face. ing, but the potential sport climbing. I also If a helmet gives you that there’s really no of the climb exploded. — obviously exists in don’t like the feeling extra confidence, downside. I caught him while (Colorado legend) both disciplines for of wearing a helmet. though, all the power —Kevin Craig many large rocks head injuries result- It doesn’t necessarily to you. (Colorado climber) whizzed past my head. My rules: Always in ing in death. Person- inhibit performance, —Daniel Woods Had one of them hit the mountains on rock ally, I have never but it’s one more (Colorado climber) Several winters ago me, I would be dead. and ice, almost always considered wearing a thing to carry, and we were in the Eklutna Helmets forever. at the crags, but not helmet bouldering. It it’s quite dorky. Dorky Helmets make me Valley of Alaska, 15 —Betsy Gelvin on steep, closely would definitely get because the risk is so feel more encum- miles from the nearest (Washington climber) bolted sport routes in the way. Also, the low, while showing bered and inhibit the road. Rapping off at with no rockfall dan- peer aspect of helmet up at the base of the free feeling of rock the end of a big-wall When Larry Dalke and ger. That is managed use is huge—when I Diamond with a climbing. They suck ice day, I was halfway I attempted The Di- risk, but still risk. began bouldering, no helmet is not dorky— to wear. But at least down when it felt like agonal on , —Mark Kroese one wore helmets, it’s smart. they look stupid. a baseball bat col- we left our helmets ( and I just followed —Jonathan Siegrist —Nik Berry lided top-center of my in a meadow below. president) suit. I’m sure if (Colorado climber) (Utah climber)

head to assess the risks and climb smarter. helmets could be made stronger and safer, Every time we tie in, we make dozens of Ultimately, it and although I understand it might not choices that could have serious consequenc- save my life, I always wear a helmet while es: Should I try this route? Do I trust this comes down to leading, whether sport or trad. I am cer- belayer or spotter? Can we finish the climb tain that I climb better with a helmet, with before it rains? Decision-making is integral this: there are more confidence. And though I frequently to climbing’s appeal, and helmet-wearing is don’t wear one for toproping or belaying, just one fraught choice in a long chain. that’s changing, too. Some accidents in I believe if they thought seriously about rarely good climbing are completely out of our control, the risks and benefits, more climbers but wearing a helmet is one easy thing I would wear helmets. Someday, I believe, arguments for can do to gain a little power over my fate, helmets will be a lot more effective than without any special skills or effort. And they are today. Meanwhile, like so many not wearing one. I couldn’t face my wife if I chose to climb choices in climbing, helmet use comes without a helmet, and then a falling rock or down to very personal calculations. Here’s into a milk crate full of holds. I ended up a tumble made me unable to earn a living, how I’ve made mine. with nine stitches in my scalp. If I’d hit the or talk to her, or feed myself. In more than 30 years of climbing, I’ve rigid corner of the crate, I might be dead. Ultimately, it comes down to this: been hit in the head multiple times, usu- I can still feel the scar in the back of my There are many climbs for which it’s per- ally while belaying ice climbs. Once I was head eight years later. fectly reasonable to argue a helmet is not dropped from the ceiling of my local gym, After that accident, I didn’t go full Mark really necessary, but there are rarely good falling about 30 feet to the mat, where I Dixon and start sporting a helmet in the enough arguments for not wearing one. rolled backward and smashed my head gym. But today, even though I know that And so, more and more, I do.

54 | august 2013 climbing.com | 55