Petzl Helmet Giveaway: Comment to Win!

I never used to wear a helmet rock climbing. I usually climb at the Red River Gorge, and many people that climb there don’t. My thought was if there was if there was a lot of overhang on the route, or when I start leading trad, then I would. But then something happened that changed my mind.

I took a trip out to Lander WY to climb at Wild Iris and The Sinks Canyon. It was my first time climbing out there and the varieties of rock amazed me. We were at Wild Iris, warming up on a 5.7. Warming up, I may not be the most skilled climber, but I have onsited, on lead, 5.9s and flashed 5.10s on top-rope outside. This was supposed to get my blood flowing.

Well, it certainly did that.

I took an unexpected fall at the second bolt. It scared the hell out of me, my belayer, and my kids, who were watching. Luckily I was fine, scraped my arms and legs up a bit (and it doesn’t appear that my kids are scarred for life.) Yet, it could’ve been much worse. After that, I picked up a helmet I had with me all along (for my kids) and proceeded to send, on lead, the 5.8 route next to the 5.7 just fine.

The moral?

You just don’t know.  I mean seriously, I displaced my ankle in 5 places coming off of a V1 bouldering problem in the gym. I didn’t slip, or fall. I jumped down, landed just fine, but my ankle buckled from underneath me. Things happen, why take the risk?

What is your opinion and experience with climbing with helmets? Do you wear one or not? Leave a comment below stating why and the awesome peeps at PEMBAserves will enter you into a drawing to win either a Petzl Elio or Elia helmet.  (And, if you already entered last week with Cragmama, you are still eligible to win this week!) The drawing will be Friday, October 14, 2011.

And the winner is…

Thank you everyone for entering my Facebook contest!

Enter to Win a $50 Gift Card to REI

Calling all rock climbers and outdoor enthusiasts!  I am hosting my first contest.  All you have to do to be eligible is to “Like” my Facebook fan page.  You can either click here, or click on my “Like” box in the right hand column of this page. I will send 1 lucky winner a $50 gift card to REI and donate $35 on their behalf to the Access Fund.  I chose the Access Fund because preserving open spaces to climb is something very important to me.

After you “Like” my Facebook page, it is very important that you come back here and leave a comment stating your first and last name (how it appears on Facebook) in the comment section of my Blog so I can keep track of all participants.  If you have liked my page in the past, no worries, you are still eligible, just be sure to leave a comment so I know you want to be entered.

I use my Facebook page to spread some of the latest news in the climbing community.  I also add links to new posts I have published.

I will run the contest until September 30, 2011.  After that day, I will write down everyone’s name on a slip of paper, place them into a hat and have one of my children choose a name. Very old school, I know, but believe me they will get a kick out of it.

Good luck, and thanks for playing 🙂

****The fine print**** This contest is not affiliated with or sponsored by REI or The Access Fund.