crash bang wallop

**grimble** · 06-10-2007 04:43 PM

i had a crash last weekend.
it was totally my fault.
i am absolutely fine now. i've had some pretty bad neckache and i had a sore head for a couple of days after.

i was wearing leathers (for the first time) and wearing a full face helmet (shiny icaro skyrunner bought from a paraglider off ebay for a geat price, lucky me).

i have spent some of this weekend reading up on what people have written about full face helmets on this forum... and in doing so i have identified the cause of my crash:
overconfidence.

helmet/first leathers/first mountain = Wahey aren't i great? SLAM! no.

i rode a long and steep 6km run. on the first proper turn i came howling round the corner, wide and fast (the surface was wet so carving speed off was not possible without risking sliding out this meant that my ride was particulary fast as i carve off speed at top whack better than i footbrake). i was having a blast. then i looked up to see a 4x4 in front of me. i ride my trucks nice and loose so i was round the intitial danger in a jiffy. but then, smash bang wallop!

i am not a particularly experienced downhiller, but i like to go fast.
we all know the wicked buzz of the speed as it takes hold of us and lifts us into the place where we want to be, the place that makes us skate fast. but there wass something that was missing for me on that run, i can't quite place it. i'd been away on holiday and had a couple of weeks break form my board, but that wasn't it either. i wasn't fully focussed. i was diconnected and that just doesn't work.

it's funny because usually i'm the sensible one.

anyway, i think that i'm posting this to just remind people to focus for the nitty gritty riding. also on wading through some of the older posts i've really been able to relate my experience to others, and that's been helpful too. there's ALOT of good info on this forum.

ride on ladies and gentlemen, ride on.

**leadfoot** · 06-10-2007 05:32 PM

Good to hear youre OK man.
4WDs are the scariest obstacles out there in my opinion.
I always try to keep my wits about me, when you enjoy riding it seems like you relax sometimes and that is when you get slapped back into reality.
I only fall off when Im thinking about something else other than concentrating on riding.

**simplysho** · 06-10-2007 05:47 PM

full face + leathers+ nice run= over confidence to even the most careful and sensible being... yup me too .. im outs with necksore and an ankle I cannot walk on..

**entereidolon** · 06-10-2007 06:28 PM

did you crash at gmr or something sho?

**grimble** · 06-11-2007 02:18 AM

Originally Posted by entereidolon

did you crash at gmr or something sho?

i'm going to say "no" to that because i don't know what gmr is (actually i don't know what sho is either!). oooop.

thanks for the kind words leadfoot. hope you're doing well.

cheers.

**leadfoot** · 06-11-2007 03:36 AM

Yeah Im not bad, havent seen you around much, but then again, I havent been around much either.
Man I wish I had an Icaro helmet. I sure wouldnt want to crash wearing one though, ...way too nice to scratch.

**grimble** · 06-11-2007 04:09 AM

good to hear you're well.
i've been here and there, lurking a bit. searching for some good info. getting confused by the abbrevations and 'code' that people use, i mean as if the internet isn't confusing enough already.

the weather's good now so i don't take solace in the site so much, i can actually ride more!
imagine that.

re. the helmet; i didn't want to crash at all! however the helmet did its thing.
i think i have learnt that for a more inexperienced rider something that will take the fall and not be too expensive to replace is a good thing. lets face it falling is part of it for most of us. i only bought the icaro because i got it at a bargain price (average dirtbike lid price), virtually unused still in the box etc etc... i'm definitely a tart for lightweight helmets now, but i think i'll look for something more substantial and upgrade when i spend more time on the board than off (i was all over the shop - superfun though!!).

**wombat boarder** · 06-11-2007 04:15 AM

hope your good man.
sounds like a fun run.
recommend you check your helmet, and might be worth getting your neck/head checked out- they can be the worst injurises if you just leave em be

**grimble** · 06-11-2007 04:37 AM

thanks for the good advice.
the helmet's a write off. i checked and checked again, and found the damage by applying pressure to the dome in different places. it wasn't so easy to spot. on top of that i really didn't want it to be buggered. but it is.

as for the run, it's mental.