Helmet choices show brain's range

As a former member of the Mountain Rescue Council, thanks for the Sunday Viewpoints commentary, "Our conflicted brains." And even more thanks for the photographic illustration of such two aspects of our brains on the paper's front page. (Article, "Get outside.") Specifically, the "modern brains" of the mountain biker and kayakers choosing to wear hard-hat helmets for brain protection. Strikingly, in contrast, is the photo of 16-year-old rock climber, Sean Bailey, wearing no head protection as he exercises his "reptilian" brain of "confirmation bias" or simply put, dumbness.

Please see the picture in the link below of a rock climbing head injury that can occur even with a hard hat from rock fall (e.g., loosened by the belayer or climber above, a slip or catching of the belay rope on rock, or a slip by the climber himself). Please do not let your children be supervised by like-minded adults guiding this "reptilian" brain 16-year-old rock climber as it could result in brain damage or damage like the below picture. Better yet, consider mountain climbing training like with the Mountaineers to learn safety and appropriateness during climbing.

http://www.rockclimbing.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2428238

Norm Kosky
Camano Island