Off to Whistler tomorrow to do some snowboarding with Scooper. I figured it was time I invested in a helmet so I've just picked one up at Comor Sports, more about the helmet later.

Shopping for the helmet got me to thinking, about some of the contradictions I make when it comes to my personal safety. I would never, ever drive without my seatbelt and I always wear my helmet biking. But when it comes to paddling I hate to wear my lifejacket. I know I should and I do if the conditions are challenging but I hate to. Ang and I got taught a good lesson in the summer when we were up training in Bala one weekend. We thought that we were both strong enough swimmers and close enough at all times to shore that we could swim in if there was a problem but you just can't underestimate mother nature's strength. We encountered some really rough water going around an island and kept tipping. After a while we started to struggle with swimming through the rough water and collecting all of our lost gear and then righting the boat. We were never in danger of drowning but it certainly taught me that the conditions can turn on you and you might not be as safe as you initially thought. So..I'm going to really make an effort to wear my lifejacket going forward. Probably smart seeing as I'm in a whole new environment here and don't know what I'm in for.

Here's the helmet. Nothing special, kept with black so it goes with whatever outfit I'm wearing (kidding). All I need now is to replace my disco goggles but I'm in no hurry as I kind of like them :)