"not a good enough reason"

[mfalco]

kingpatzer, I'll grant you that. That's why I get mad at people who ride motorcycles without helmets. The cost of taking care of their vegetative selves after their accidents generally comes out of other people's pockets.

But diving accidents are usually fatal . . .

I've lost 3 friends to motorcycle accidents. All of them were wearing helmets. If you hit your head that hard, and the helmet actually protects you from a head injury, you will probably have a neck injury. The DOT regulation for a motorcycle helmet states that it has to protect your skull from an impact of 15mph. If you fall of a stopped motorcycle, your head will probably hit the pavement harder than that.

 

[raymond phule]

So this is your source !!! I wouldnt put too much stock in Wikipedia. IF you climb, I would like to think that you have a copy of the Freedom of the Hills or On Rope. Why not look it up there. I am not going to hijack this post anymore

I looked it up and you are incorrect as expected. It is also very convienient that you can read the book on the internet.

from page 209 in that book.

Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills

"Free climbing is simply climbing using your own physical ability to move over the rock via handholds and footholds, with the rope and protection used only for safety."

"Solo climbing is, of course, climbing by yourself, but it usually refers to unroped climbing, though you can also rope-solo a route, using gear, ..."

 

[battles2a5]

I've lost 3 friends to motorcycle accidents. All of them were wearing helmets. If you hit your head that hard, and the helmet actually protects you from a head injury, you will probably have a neck injury. The DOT regulation for a motorcycle helmet states that it has to protect your skull from an impact of 15mph. If you fall of a stopped motorcycle, your head will probably hit the pavement harder than that.

Helmets mitigate risk, they don't eliminate them. In the DOT accident reports, roughly 50% of motorcycle-related fatalities were not wearing helmets. 50% were alcohol impaired. And another large majority are young and inexperienced. If you don't drink and ride, wear a helmet, and get through your first few years unscathed (or at least not scathed too badly) you beat the largest part of the curve. I've lost friends that were wearing helmets and I've also watched helmets save people first hand. Motorcycling is a lot like diving in some ways; you see a lot of cowboys that you will have their ticket punched and it's just a matter of time. And you also have the guys that play by the rules, exercise safe riding habits, and still go down. It just happens. The best we can do, in either case, is to get the best training, play it safe, use your head, and keep your fingers crossed.

 

[TSandM]

The best we can do, in either case, is to get the best training, play it safe, use your head, and keep your fingers crossed.

Sounds like diving a bit, doesn't it?

 

[RJP]

....."why do you want to go deeper?"........Don't complicate this question, the answer is "to see things"...

When people ask why I dive deep I tell them "Because that's where the bottom is."

Not a lot of wrecks in mid-water!

 

[peterbj7]

I've lost 3 friends to motorcycle accidents

If these were separate incidents then you are indeed unlucky (though not as unlucky as they were). I've motorcycled for over 40 years, ride big bikes generally pretty fast (by American standards), have raced sidecars, and have never so far had a serious accident. I've had friends have accidents, some pretty bad, but no-one's died. The trick is proper bike maintenance, good reading of the road, and defensive riding. Common sense in other words, something that works for all activities.

I've often free climbed, but I wouldn't even attempt anything as dangerous as el Cap. You need the technique to be able to do it, plus the sense to know when not to do it.

 

[redrover]

I like the hijack better. So what was it when Messner soloed Everest in 1980?