Long winded personal diatribe follows. I'm not interested in starting or participating in a debate on helmets, just giving my perspective on what seems to be a really bad summer of accidents.

 When I was 18, I was studying for my final HSC school exams. I was studying some chemistry, and I took a break from it all to 'clear my head'. I decided to go for a ride around the local streets. Since I wasn't going on any main roads, I figured I didn't need a helmet. So, I'm flying down a little hill, I glance at my little speedo thingy - 35kmh - and stand up out of the saddle to start climbing up the next hill. A few pedal strokes into it - hard pedal strokes - my chain snapped. I don't remember exactly what happened, only the sensation of a huge white flash going off inside my head. To curtail this story, I ended up with a fractured skull - a hairline crack in my left cheekbone - and some medium-term nerve damage to that side of my face. My head had been the first thing to hit the road. I hit it so suddenly, I didn't even have cuts on my palms, something I've suffered in every other accident.

 Since then, I can count on one hand the number of times I have ridden a bike without a helmet.

 Why then, is it do difficult for me to reconcile myself to wearing a hemet when I climb? I do sometimes. If it's a long route, or loose rock or high objective hazard, I'll pop on the Petzl. But on ten times as many occasions I'll find some reason not to. It's too hot, the route is bolted, the falls would be clean, the rock's bomber - whatever.

 11 years ago, I though that cycling on local streets was safe, and that no helmet was required. But something entirely unexpected happened.

 I wonder if the 21 year old in the article below had time to think 'damn, that was unexpected!', before he suffered fatal head injuries. Maybe it's time to get into the habit regardless of the route. There have been a few too many accidents in the last few years. I guess I'd like to be the person who gets the headline 'man in stable condition after avoiding nasty head smack'.

 I don't for a minute believe that a helmet is some kind of magical talisman that's going to keep me safe from all injury - any more than I'd believe that a seatbelt will beep me safe from a head-on with a semi. If I fall, cut the rope on a sharp flake and crater from 30 meters, all a helmet's going to do is make a nice scoop for the SES to scrape me up with. But just as a seatbelt can *reduce* the resk and the potential for injury, so undoubtedly can a helemet.

 Sorry to post such a downer, but I'm getting a little sick of the injury toll on the crags. And a little nervous about who's next.

 tim

 article below reproduced without AAP's permission. But I'm sure they won't mind.

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 English tourist dies after rock climbing fall

 Source: AAP | Published: Friday January 7, 12:34 PM

 A 21-year-old English tourist has died in hospital after falling 10 metres down a rock face at Mt Arapiles, in Victoria's west, on New Year's Eve.

 The man fell at the world-famous climbing venue when he lost his grip while 20 metres up a rock face known as Tiger Wall.

 His rope broke his fall and the State Emergency Services helped him to the ground within 45 minutes.

 The man had been climbing with four other tourists, including a
 23-year-old woman from Norway and a 25-year-old man from the US.

 No-one else was injured.

 The injured man was airlifted to Melbourne's Alfred Hospital suffering serious head injuries.

 A spokeswoman for the Alfred said the man had died on Wednesday.