Living at the beach, I am pretty active outdoors. Today I was out in the bay by my house with my best friend and noticed all the people riding back from the beach on their beach cruisers. I saw some groms riding with their surfboards in tow and noticed that they were wearing helmets. Now you would think a kid on a bike wearing a helmet is a normal occurrence, but the reason it stuck out to me was its not normal around here, especially at the beach. I wear a helmet when I am out on my mountain bike, but not on my cruiser, and probably would never think to do so.

The helmet got me thinking though, about how we do and do not protect ourselves when we are out being active and enjoying the great outdoors. Whether we are cruising on the boardwalk on our bikes or taking more adventurous trips down a mountain we don’t think of anything really happening to us. The whole point I guess, is that it made me think of getting a helmet to ride in. Now I have never worn a helmet up on the mountain, simply because I feel I don’t need to. Snowboarding to me is a sport of skill and sometimes limitations, by which I mean you are limited by your skills. Personally I trust myself and my skill level and really don’t try to do things beyond what is comfortable. But it’s not only your skill level that puts you at risk, it’s the elements and those invisible elements around you that could end up laying you out.

Maybe it’s because I am getting older and am starting to understand the importance of things like a helmet that made me have this epiphany. When I stop and think about it, the last time I rode, every other kid in the park had a helmet on. This could be because their parents made them put one on or even better, it could be a trickledown effect from the pro-circuit where everyone wears a helmet (congrats to the sponsors for actually affecting the kids watching their favorite athletes on TV-if that is the case). The sport of snowboarding isn’t just about looking cool for your friends anymore, well for most it’s not - it’s about being outdoors and enjoying your time in the crisp mountain air and marveling at the thrill of life you get when you are standing on top of that peak about to drop in.

I have been getting ready for the snow season, as a lot of you are too, and am sure that you, like me, are getting all your trips and what not planned. So I know it may not be something that was on your packing list, but just consider what a helmet could do for you this season. Before you head out, stop and think about a few things, like what makes you want to ride? What drives you to work harder and try new things? Why do you get up after you have fallen down? What could save your life if you do fall down? All I know is that my pride is not worth more than my love for the mountain, and thus, my head will be in a helmet come winter.

Tags: Snowboarding