There is the third type:
* The people who have a functioning brain that can assess and prioritise the risk vs other unavoidable risks inherent to the sport.
There is no point of wearing a helmet if you are doing other irresponsible things which would dwarf the risks of not protecting your head. First of all by ignoring the laws of nature (the very basics of meteorology and aerology). You want the complete list of how to smash yourself into bits whilst "protected" by a helmet? Wearing a helmet doesn't prevent anyone from being a cretin.
I would be a complete idiot to wear a helmet on my huge deserted beach, in the prevailing weak conditions, with the sort of riding I do (anything but extreme), and in this heat. And don't you ever suspect me for trying to look cool; I am way past that stage. FYI, I do own a helmet and I will definitely wear it when the conditions command it.
This thread is boring. I am tired of all those patronising dogooders who are putting all the helmet-less heads in the dummy category.

No. The fact that you are exposing yourself to risks other than head injury does not lower the value of wearing a helmet. If there's a risk of head injury, wearing a helmet has a point.

But:

Now there's an honest, rational reason to go without... although your implication that anyone who wears a helmet in similar conditions is "a complete idiot" is perhaps a little unreasonable.

If you feel that the benefits of wearing a helmet do not outweigh the downside - including physical or psychological comfort, which will impact your enjoyment of your time on the water - then don't wear a helmet. If you always put safety over enjoyment, you wouldn't kite at all.

Here is a long, fairly recent report on head injury, helmets in various sports prepared by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS). Folks bizarrely keep asking for statistics, our sport is so small as to barely come to the notice of the medical professional as a whole. Wait another 15 to 20 years and if the sport grows they may get around to putting some together for you, or not. Sometimes, you have to do some research and use your head, for whichever choice you make. Anyway, there are lots of stats in this summary dealing with many activities in which helmets are common today although at one time were not. Many like skiing/snowboarding have shown some major growth in the use of lids in the last ten years.

http://www.aans.org/Patient%20Information/Conditions%20and%20Treatments/Sports-Related%20Head%20Injury.aspx?p=1

Helmet keeps the top of my head from getting sunburnt. Either that or a baseball cap, and it's hard to keep a cap on your head when you're upside down. Helmet also helps keep the sunglasses on your head. Helmet also makes me ride harder by giving a false sense of safety. I know this is supposed to be the safety topic but I think riding hard is good as long as you don't actually die, riding harder is better.

Helmet does a lot of nice things. Someday helmet will be cool.

Michigan just repealed the helmet law by the way, everyone quit wearing motorcycle helmets. I think they look very fashionable.

I'm not a fashion guy tho. Maybe that's why I like helmet, it's anti-fashion just the way I like it.

this is getting really annoying! no need to make this topic "epic kites 20...."

if you don't want to wear helmet just don't! stop inventing excuses to not to wear it!

but when you die or get some serious head injury please do not be surprised reading comments like "wear helmet, idiots"!

I've no opinion on helmet use, do whatever you'd like...

Certainly if you die (helmet-less) you'll not forfeit any of the platitudes of a beautiful kitesurf death...

You will have died a free spirit:

Doing something you love, and that's something no one will take away from you..

No worries...no pressure
You're rock solid
Best Regards
fokiten

No. In the way and conditions I ride, it doesn't make more sense as wearing it to get across the street. I hate to be told be less experienced where the boundary of reason lies.
When I walk in the street: no helmet.
In an elevator (and generally, in public places): no helmet
Whilst sleeping: no helmet (even when staying in earthquake prone areas).
Riding a motorcycle: helmet.
Skiing: no helmet, although it's the rule nowadays. The only times I did was when I was racing downhill.
Hang-gliding and paragliding: helmet (and chute!).
Airplane (as a pilot or as passenger): no helmet, no chute.
Glider: chute, but no helmet.
Kiting: no helmet, because I CHOSE safer places and conditions, and am unable to do risky moves.
Before a helmet, in order to minimise overall risk, I should reasonably take a floating vest, a whistle, and other props to make me visible if ever I go adrift, a greater risk IMHO than smashing my head on driftwood. I ride foils since 9 years and I've been told they don't relaunch ! So just in case it was true!

PS: In my area the only fatality I heard of is a rider who went off one afternoon and never returned.
In Mauritius, several riders got caught by currents and were never seen again.

Isn't this fixation on helmets as the ultimate risk prevention weird?

anyone pointed out all the pros who do awesome videos etc. while not wearing a helmet , yes there are pro's but people look up to them in a sense ... maybe pressure should be put on them to wear helmets etc. before the average rider

.
I have posted the below several times but no one has EVER commented on the fact that a helmet can PREVENT an accident and also thereby PROTECT OTHER PEOPLE.

Although I do not believe in a regulation requiring kiters to wear a helmet, the fact is that you can make a better case for kitesurfers being required to wear a helmet than any other sport for the following reasons:

In ALL OTHER sports (motorcycle riding included):

1. The MAIN purpose of a helmet is to protect the participant by keeping his/her brains in their head as well as preventing or at least minimizing a participant's less severe head injury DURING an accident. And in water sports, also to prevent drowning by becoming unconscious or severely stunned when hit hard.

It never PREVENTS an accident from occurring.

2. Virtually the ENTIRE benefit of the helmet accrues ONLY to the wearer.
(Whatever societal benefits there are in the respect that society has to spend less resources dealing with head injured people are comparatively minor.)

The DIFFERENCE is that in kiteboarding, BESIDES having the same purpose as #1 above:

3. Wearing a helmet CAN PREVENT a serious accident. Helmets can do this because a relatively minor head bonk without a helmet could stun someone enough so that they lose control of their kite and end up in the deep doo doo. You could get tapped by your board or dragged into a trash can etc. A helmet could be the difference between losing control of your kite or not.

And/or could be the difference between being able to activate your quick releases or not.

4. Because of the foregoing, a helmet can ALSO PROTECT OTHER PEOPLE since it is obvious that out of control kites are potentially dangerous to others as well as the unlucky kiter.

And Alexrider’s alleged reason that a helmet would be too HOT seems ridiculous. I have kited at lakes where it was over 100 F and although I got hot enough to periodically fall to cool off, my head was never especially hot.

Richard M.
Malibu Kitesurfing - since 2002
(310) - 430 - KITE (5483)
http://www.MalibuKitesurfing.NET
kfRichard@MalibuKitesurfing.NET

[quote="RichardM"].
I have posted the below several times but no one has EVER commented on [quote]

of course no one comments, they can not get to the message because of the way you write/present it

you come off like a total wanker
just sayin