especially for those who really dont think a helmet is needed. 2 guys showed up towards the end of the outlaw last sunday and jestah gave them a word or 2 about safety. they didnt listen and carried on gambling their life away on the hill. i guess people never learn.

the attitude that "you get a helmet when you really get into the sport" is the fastest way to get your self killed! When you start you should wear at LEAST glove and a lid, knee and elbows will save more skin but the first two will save your life... Getting a lid when you get good is not good enough! Dont be half way into a crash (and trust me when you are about to crash hard time slowwwwws down and you will have time to think this) and think "man wish i had got that safety gear yesterday"

if that dont scare you enough how about the idea of having some one have to wipe your ass, feed you and all the other small things we 100% functioning people take for granted?

Ollie i was stoked you had a kept your lid for the ride after we left but that thing is worth nothing in a crash, please please please look into a decent, safety rated lid with good thick foam. I have 3 Different lids that have been blown apart from different sports to prove how they do make a HUGE difference!

This was as much a wake up call for me cause I tend not to wear a lid in 'low speed' stuff, or things I thought the risk was low...I am as much at fault for not caring or measuring the risk.

Come on this guy Jeremy did a Ollie on the spot and is messed up, Im not saying we have to go around like weirdos cause you could slip on a crack and get messed up...

I do think as soon as you start moving, around cars, bikes and stuff the risk goes up, into high speed when if you fall off the risk is high, if you fall you will get injured.

I feel like I'm preaching but this has freaked me out having mates being put in this situation, on the same hill I skated the first time bombing...with out a helmet. Who cares about what the wife says, my full face is too big for cruzing, I'm buying a skid lid for the car parks and general fun

Unless you are just out for a flat land cruz, gloves and helmets are a must. I strongly urge all NNO members to wear helmets at all times and refuse to ride with people who don't.It as simple as walking away from a session where people aren't wearing lids.I hit my head hard at rollercoaster and broke my helmet, translation: an impact that prob would have landed me in a&e with serious melon damage!

ride hard, ride fast, ride safe!!
but don't shred without a lid!!!

There is definately not enough awareness around about head injuries these days. There's been a few in my family so I've learnt the easy way. Had a crash about 5 weeks ago when downhilling, was doin about 60km and collided with another boarder. I got pretty nicely injured, broke a rib and had massive grazing down my back. Luckily i was wearing a helmet and gloves, otherwise I would have been very messed up. I looked at the crash site afterwards and there was a massive black line about 2 meters long on the road from my helmet, it definately saved my life.

we need to keep this on the front page so people keep reading it. maybe add a bad photos of busted brains or something. its so hard to get through the young ones about safety but something visual might work since they're too cool to read.

with some brains spewing out if you can

not longboarding related, but shows how fragile we are...

omar hassan, downtown showdown '07...low-hanging piece of structure caused this. 27 staples. ouch!

So sad...

It's such a simple thing to just put a lid on when you walk out the door too.
Makes me nervous seeing people skate with out one. And you don't need to be going fast, or be 'serious' into the sport.

I have broken a couple of helmets. Both were cheap Warehouse ones. I was going about 30k slipped on some loose gravel and fell backwards. Thankfully the helmet took the impact. It split cleanly in two. I have since been using a Bell, which is wayyy better.

Here's two for a little over $50

http://www.torpedo7.co.nz/products/66HLKN8DL/title/661-Dirt-Lid-Helmet-%...
http://www.torpedo7.co.nz/products/PTHLMW8CL/title/PRO-TEC-Classic-Bike-...

www.sugarboards.co.nz

Check out coast longboarding's page on safety:

http://coastlongboarding.com/safety.cfm

I got the image from there.

and if that isn't enough encouragement to wear a bucket check this out as well.

http://wipeout.knowledgenetwork.ca/wipeout.html

wearing a helmet doesn't make you any less cool, so just put the fuck buckets on your heads people.

Well there's two brothers Richard and Thomas, it was Thomas. So a naming mistake but most of you wont care you don't know them anyway.

He was released from hospital in the weekend so about 2 weeks in bed. With a 6 week recovery program ahead for the skull fracture to heal. I haven't had a chance to visit him we're only allowed a few people at a time in the room cause he's still confused and can't remember things or some people etc, and I don't want to get in the way of his extended family who no doubt want to visit him a few times over the next few weeks.

After browsing youtube for nz longboard videos I think I might finally coment on this.

I think helmets are the bees knees and have saved my head on different occasions.

In saying that its is a personal choice to wear one and some people value looking cool over staying alive. This attitude will not change no matter what anyone else does. It will only happen when something bad happens that effects them personally.
This is the case with numerous things in life.

For me personally I have had enough of telling people to ride wearing a helmet as this doesn't work. An example of this from is a couple of people have ridden at the luge and worn a helmet and the next time they go out they don't at an even gnarly place.

From now on I don't care if you wear one or not but if you turn up to skate with me and don't have one I'm am going to be pretty blunt and not ride with you.
I am also going to stop posting the actual spots I am going to skate on this site as it seems I find spots people come and skate with us then later go skate it without helmets (as seen on youtube).
I don't want my spots that I have gone out and looked for been blown because someone didn't wear a helmet.
I will keep posting session's just the meeting place will be away from the actual spot.

This way when that bad thing happens to you I'm nowhere near you and don't have to deal with the crap that comes along with it.

On a brighter note in the past week I have found about 5 new spots to skate and one that keeps tormenting me (I can see it but cant find out how to get to it).
Also Brad I hope your mate is getting better and hopefully seen you out in Auckland again soon.

no really i think that your last post was pure gnar wickedness!

what about flat land pushing on not roads... lids a must?

Say a mission bay or Wellington sound system skate no problem unless you are just learning.
Practicing stand-ups or terrorizing pedestrian's on a busy walkway where you may have to curb-hop to miss people a helmet is needed.
Also any flatland activity where you will get quite fatigued say an ultra skate or a long distance pump wear a helmet

I think its safe to say that i would be one of the top ranked skaters when it comes to crashing. I feel safe to say that if there was a comp i would not only be holding the fastest/gnarlyist fall, 80km when after gettin wheel rub with Blake Startup bombing Mt Symore in Van, i would also have the award for most crashes per session!

Crashing is a very important part of skating, get good at it and you will have the skills to slide out a crash BUT only if you have the appropriate gear.

It all starts at a good set of gloves, this should be the first thing that touches the ground, when they can slide you deflect the fall forwards and can prep to either star fish if your in leathers or roll/rock star knee side if you got pads on. Gloves are also good for you brain as if your hands dont BITE the ground and slingshot your head over (how most slow no gloves crashes go) then you have already soften the landing so your helmet has less work to do.

Next is a good lid, bike helmets are ok if you have nothing else but they can sit very high at the back of the head. i have a few deep scratches in both my half bucket and fullface that prove that its good to have protection there. Some guys wear paragliding lids... also a bad idea IMHO as they can not deal with you striking a parked car at speed INVEST in a good skate lid that's rated, hd mountain biking (light, good vision and safety tested) or for max protection a good motorcycle lid.

I NEVER ride with out kneepads, crashing is just like you see vert riders who bail from many m high as you fall to your knees and gloves and get some doggie style no board slide action... looks stupid but i have been seen doing this at the corner of Bulcot and willis lights after having my line shut down at about 50km that i managed to keep flowing with the cars enough so they had turned rather than me slamming and going under the font of the car that was up my wazoo.

Leathers are sooo fun... as i said i was pulled down and while i didnt walk away from that crash i was walking in 3 or so day later, riding the same highway in 5! Leathers are a must if you want to learn how to control your self at high speeds. Soon you will take some falls and get a feel for how they work and that you can control the crash so you stop worrying about falling. This leaves yoru mind free to get your tuck tight, get ready to go hot into a corner, drift late, find the draft of the rider in front, find traction on the inside line and then exit out ahead... sound more fun than to me than the pre-leathers" oh... *&%^ corner.... %+&$ dont fall... dont fall... dont fall... ahhhhhh.

any way enough ranting about safety from a guy with a busted leg :S

Wow huge wake up call for me.

figured better be safe then sorry...

full face helmet 60 bucks off trade me well worth it. and now i don't have to be seen with the shitty bike helmet around wellington

I'm glad that other people think its a good idea to wear a helmet!

I hate it how somewhere along the line, in the early 90s perhaps, it became cool not to.

If you look back at 80s skating, they were all wearing helmets etc.

Well good news he is up walking, and is basically fine. All though he gets head achs in crowded places and flashing lights stressing his brain. So alot of people are happy.

hey that is really good to hear. With injuries like that tho, he will probably get recurring headaches etc for the rest of his life. So he will probably have to be on painkillers or something. :( Poor dude.

Thats been the case, doctors said with a small bump or too much stress or even randomly he could haemorrhage and anything can happen. So I dont think he will be doing anything relativly dangerous if he's learnd his lesson

http://www.vimeo.com/5764889

Ive only watched up to just after he crashed. Very graphic video.
The dudes fine 20 odd stiches on the face but thanking he had a half bucket on and some good mates who knew what to do.
Definitely a reason to put a lid on if your not already