Hi Brian,

I knew the group that was paddling with Lucas, and was really saddened to
hear about his death five years ago. He died in a rapid that is one of the
biggest 'mainstream' Class Vs in the world, and one that I have always
carried.

It's unfortunate that you're insulting his dad. I've talked in the past
about how whitewater helmets need to be improved, but though I do possess
the technical ability to do such a project, I haven't. I'm glad to see Gil
doing it. Looks to me from the pictures on the website that he's addressed
major areas of concern that I have-- notably full protection for the base of
the brain that's lacking on almost all of the current crop.

Chuck

http://www.wildcountry.info

in article , Brian Nystrom at
wrote on 9/2/03 4:30 AM:

This is apparently nothing but one man's crusade against Pro-Tec. I'm
sorry his son was killed, but the fact that he chose a helmet that didn't
fit his head properly doesn't make the product defective. I have one that
stays on and in place just fine. As Mary points out, people's heads are
shaped differently and no single helmet is going to fit everyone
perfectly. Apparently, the two college kids who designed this new helmet
didn't reseach that aspect very thoroughly. Billing this unavailable
product as the "World's Safest Whitewater Helmet" is a bad joke, bordering
on disingenuous. The psuedo-official sounding business name "Whitewater
Research & Safety Institute, Inc." and the BS about issuing a "Voluntary
Recall Demand" is even more misleading.

If the product comes to market and it provides good protection for the
people it fits, so much the better. However, this marketing strategy isn't
fooling anyone and Mr. Turner would do well to consider a different
approach.

I truly hope Mr. Turner isn't going to become the Tim Ingram of helmets.