Climbing.Com Helmets 317.Pdf
HEAD TRAUMA IS AMONG THE MOST FEARED AND CATASTROPHIC INJURIES IN CLIMBING. 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 camp 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 rock climbing and bouldering are and Lara McKenzie of U.S. Consumer Prod- catHedRal Rock. afteR all, tHe 33-yeaR-old way up the pitch, 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.
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