# GoPro Camera Gone



## jamesdthomas2 (Nov 22, 2011)

I just got a gopro camera around Christmas. I installed the front helmet mount. I thought about putting a lanyard on it just in case. But, I made sure it was adhered by banging the bracket on the side of a table. It was solid. I used the helmet camera on two other occasions.

Today I went to keystone and the temps were kind of low and it was windy. I fell twice troughout the day and night. But the camera fell completely off. It's like I never had a sticky mount. This sucks for me but someone probably pick it up and is taking vids as I type. 

Has this happened to any of you? Also, If you have a gopro, make sure u lanyard this to you helmet in some fashion. Learn from my mistake.


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## Fredles (Jun 14, 2011)

jamesdthomas2 said:


> I just got a gopro camera around Christmas. I installed the front helmet mount. I thought about putting a lanyard on it just in case. But, I made sure it was adhered by banging the bracket on the side of a table. It was solid. I used the helmet camera on two other occasions.
> 
> Today I went to keystone and the temps were kind of low and it was windy. I fell twice troughout the day and night. But the camera fell completely off. It's like I never had a sticky mount. This sucks for me but someone probably pick it up and is taking vids as I type.
> 
> Has this happened to any of you? Also, If you have a gopro, make sure u lanyard this to you helmet in some fashion. Learn from my mistake.



my roommate lost my new hero 2 about a month and a half ago. fell in 3 feet of powder and it vanished, we dug for an hour. 

still hope to find it someday.


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## CJR (Jan 7, 2012)

The same thing happened to my friend on our last trip.

He took a hard fall, and by the time he got to the bottom he realized the camera wasn't on the helmet anymore. We went back up and did another run, and searched the area where he fell with no luck.

Got back down and talked to one of the lift attendants and someone ended up turning it in. When we got back to the hotel we plugged it in and took a look at the video. Camera was on the entire time, we have it all on video from the fall until we retrieved it. Was kinda cool.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

CJR said:


> The same thing happened to my friend on our last trip.
> 
> He took a hard fall, and by the time he got to the bottom he realized the camera wasn't on the helmet anymore. We went back up and did another run, and searched the area where he fell with no luck.
> 
> Got back down and talked to one of the lift attendants and someone ended up turning it in. When we got back to the hotel we plugged it in and took a look at the video. Camera was on the entire time, we have it all on video from the fall until we retrieved it. Was kinda cool.


Did it show the guy who turned it in for you?? You should almost post that video as a thanks to his honestly :thumbsup:


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## designfemme (Mar 12, 2010)

I wouldn't give up. My husband found someone's ID, cash, credit card, and subway pass in clear zipper pouch on the slopes. When we brought it to the service desk, the owner had already stopped by. Hopefully he thought about going back again at the end of the day.

We put a label with a phone number on our GoPro too.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Hmmm, with a gopro I could see it going either way. If I came upon one at the ski area, I would almost certainly drop it off at lost and found. 

For those of you who lose them in deep powder. Schedule a return trip in the summer to go hike around and look for it. We've had a few guys around here lose their gopros in powder. The went up to the area in the summer and found them. Managed to pull the footage off the of the camera and more importantly the camera still worked fine. So it's worth your time to go look for it.


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## legallyillegal (Oct 6, 2008)

reminds me of this


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## Casper (May 22, 2011)

Yep, a couple weeks ago I watched someone digging in the snow for their cam.

The exact reason I didn't buy a helmet cam. I know it would get ripped off one of the many times I take tumbles.

I was going to have a local shop order in the new LIC cam goggles with the 1080p 30fps / 720p 60fps. But they had last years model of 720p 30fps and they said they'd hook me up for $125.

I couldn't turn it down, I snagged them. This is less than I paid for my Electric goggles. 

Many people said they wouldn't get the LIC becuase how big they looked, but my Electric goggles are a little bigger than the LIC. 

I won't wear the LIC all the time, because I like the field of view from the Electric. 

Although I wish I would have had them when I watched one person not out of the way at top of the lift area, bent over strapping in, when someone getting off the lift fell cause it was icy, and plowed head first right up that guy's butt!

A literal head-butt.

That was good stuff and I missed capturing it on camera!


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## LuckyRVA (Jan 18, 2011)

Casper said:


> Yep, a couple weeks ago I watched someone digging in the snow for their cam.
> 
> The exact reason I didn't buy a helmet cam. I know it would get ripped off one of the many times I take tumbles.
> 
> ...


Do you by any chance have ADD? 

That story is all over the place. :laugh:


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## sm0ke (Mar 21, 2011)

jamesdthomas2 said:


> I just got a gopro camera around Christmas. I installed the front helmet mount. I thought about putting a lanyard on it just in case. But, I made sure it was adhered by banging the bracket on the side of a table. It was solid. I used the helmet camera on two other occasions.
> 
> Today I went to keystone and the temps were kind of low and it was windy. I fell twice troughout the day and night. But the camera fell completely off. It's like I never had a sticky mount. This sucks for me but someone probably pick it up and is taking vids as I type.
> 
> Has this happened to any of you? Also, If you have a gopro, make sure u lanyard this to you helmet in some fashion. Learn from my mistake.


been there and done that - except mine was mounted on my board - my curved mounts have fallen off recently tho

http://www.snowboardingforum.com/sn...lost-gopro-hero2-durango-mountain-resort.html
http://www.snowboardingforum.com/sn.../44823-big-thanks-p-eyetexas-reunited-my.html


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## Leo (Nov 24, 2009)

Mine fell off after a branch snagged my cam. I'm thinking of using the included headband over the helmet now. I see a lot of people using it this way. I also have a front mount bar which I can adjust so it sits just above my goggles which will decrease likelihood of it snapping off, but I find it a PIA because I have to completely remove my goggle when I want to take my helmet off.


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## Chosen_OnE (Apr 3, 2011)

Maybe GoPro will learn a thing or two from these guys.

Insert Coin: UNRULY Headcase, wants to make your GoPro less 'so so' -- Engadget


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## Casper (May 22, 2011)

LuckyRVA said:


> Do you by any chance have ADD?
> 
> That story is all over the place. :laugh:



As a matter-of-fact, yes I do. But that is the only time I have posted seeing that. 

There was a whole bunch of people there to see it and everyone laughed their arse off. Maybe one of the others posted and since I don't spend much time on forums I haven't seen it posted? :dunno:


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## mojo maestro (Jan 6, 2009)

Bikin' at the resort a couple years back and spot a small digital camera off to the side of the trail. Stopped to grab it. The viewscreen on the back was broken and it looked pretty beat up. I try to turn it on and can't tell if it's working. Apparently I took a picture of myself while messin' with it. Turn it in to lost and found and think nothing of it. Fast forward a couple years and I'm walkin' through the base at the same resort during a festival. I notice this rather large gentleman making right for me. He looks "pissed" and starts tryin' to get my attention. I'm trying to remember what I could've done to aggravate, such a large individual. "Hey.... you found my camera!", he says. "I recognize you from the picture." Huh, I had totally forgotten about it. He introduces me to his wife and mother in law and offers to buy me a beer.


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## frozenhawaiian (Jan 21, 2012)

I've used gopro cameras in multiple sports for around 3 years and if there's one thing I've learned: ALWAYS use a lanyard. especially when you're using the adhesive mounts. in the winter they have a tendency to fail and either the mounts will fall off completely or the plastic will get brittle and crack. because they're so prone to failure I use the strap mount for my snowboard helmet. at least then I know the adhesive won't fail. really though the Achilles heel of the gopro cameras though is the mounts. I've cracked quite a number of the mounts and would have lost the camera had it not been for the lanyard. personal opinion is that gopro needs to start producing metal mounts. they'd be extremely easy to machine. 

here's the mount setup I have on my helmet. works great as ling as you have a helmet with vent holes. I like it a lot, give it a try, your mileage may vary but I'm happy with it. now I just need an HD gopro. 

the mount:

P3060033 by HawaiiNate, on Flickr

with the camera

P3060034 by HawaiiNate, on Flickr

that cord can save you quite a bit of money.

P3060035 by HawaiiNate, on Flickr


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## metoo (Mar 7, 2012)

frozenhawaiian,

With the strap tight it follows the contour of the helmet on the out side, but wouldn't the strap be straight across inside the helmet, making the helmet difficult if not impossible to wear? Obviously this isn't the case since you've been using it, so what's going on inside the helmet to allow the strap to be tight yet still fit your head?


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## Sick-Pow (May 5, 2008)

Holy shit there is some strange shit happening with mounts.

Stick it on and go. 

Once you stick it on, you cannot re-apply the mount once you have tried to stick t.

If the the mounts come unstuck, come off, it is application error, or running into a tree.


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## jamesdthomas2 (Nov 22, 2011)

Sick-pow: make sure u do a post when you loose your camera next year. In cold temps that sticker will fail.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

jamesdthomas2 said:


> Sick-pow: make sure u do a post when you loose your camera next year. In cold temps that sticker will fail.


I haven't had a contour mount come off yet, and I've got it snagged going under lines, hit trees, etc.

When applying the sticker, I cleaned the shit out of the helmet first. I didn't have an alcohol pad but even a little vodka will clean the plastic and take any oils out of it. Then pressed the stickers on HARD applying pressure for probably 10-15 seconds or so. Then I didn't use the mounts until at least the next day.

That said I always lanyard to something other than the mount, with my helmet I put half the lanyard through my goggle strap, and half through the camera. On my girlfriends I put one half through one of her vents, then the other on the camera. So far so good...

In her videos you can hear the lanyard hitting the helmet, but I think that's a small price to pay.


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## Matt578 (May 1, 2011)

Is there anything I can do about a Contour? They come with lanyards and holes in the camera, but they have clips on them, so I have no idea how they couldn't fail, and the holes are so tiny that a few of my lanyards are already stripped down to the plastic inside of the cord.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

Matt578 said:


> Is there anything I can do about a Contour? They come with lanyards and holes in the camera, but they have clips on them, so I have no idea how they couldn't fail, and the holes are so tiny that a few of my lanyards are already stripped down to the plastic inside of the cord.


Maybe fishing line?


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

poutanen said:


> I haven't had a contour mount come off yet, and I've got it snagged going under lines, hit trees, etc.


Same here, and I fall a lot. Mine's lanyarded to the goggle clip though.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

Donutz said:


> Same here, and I fall a lot. Mine's lanyarded to the goggle clip though.


Yeah I've got the mount stuck on the helmet just above the goggle strap, and then half of the lanyard I open up and pass the goggle strap through it. I figure if the camera or mount comes off it'll pull my goggles down and I'll feel it or the camera flopping around on my cheek. 

I've got one of the contour vented helmet mounts too, but I find it doesn't hold it nearly as steady as the regular mounts. Going to use the vented one for kayaking methinks...


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## Sick-Pow (May 5, 2008)

jamesdthomas2 said:


> Sick-pow: make sure u do a post when you loose your camera next year. In cold temps that sticker will fail.



Maybe certain helmets are more prone for stickability than others as the mount may not fully bond with certain plastic finishes . I bet money a good portion, over 50%, are applying the mount improperly, or some interaction with the plastic.

I have seen the flat mount stuck on curved surfaces more often than not.


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## AIRider (Dec 25, 2010)

POV footage is boring as hell . why even stick it on.


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## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

Have to say I agree with AI rider here. It can be nice footage if someone wearing one is riding behind their buddy, but even sick pow lines look pretty dull to me in helmet cam mode. 

Maybe a few seconds here and there like in TAO Flight but long runs are dull and you don't get a feel for how that person really rides.

Each to their own I guess.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

AIRider said:


> POV footage is boring as hell . why even stick it on.


Agree, I've used mine to follow my GF and vise versa. Actually getting her comments on camera are probably the funniest part of it!

I'd like to find a collapseable poll mount one of these days. For the kayak in the summer I think I'm going to mount it to either the tip or tail of the kayak, and use the helmet mount for the occasional POV shot.


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## Nefarious (Dec 26, 2010)

haha awesome! She's a sailor on a snowboard. Or at least she swears like one. :thumbsup::laugh:


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## JDMITRB18CR (Mar 16, 2012)

Nefarious said:


> haha awesome! She's a sailor on a snowboard. Or at least she swears like one. :thumbsup::laugh:


+1 on that


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

JDMITRB18CR said:


> +1 on that


Yeah I should have warned about the swearing! :laugh:

She used to slam her fists into the snow and swear when she fell, so this is an improvement!


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## Kapn.K (Jan 8, 2009)

I never mounted mine because I tend to land on my head more than others. I took a lanyard/wrist strap from an old point&shoot and looped it through the mounting ears on the case. I just hold it with the strap around my wrist.


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## jojotherider (Mar 17, 2011)

poutanen said:


> Agree, I've used mine to follow my GF and vise versa. Actually getting her comments on camera are probably the funniest part of it!
> 
> I'd like to find a collapseable poll mount one of these days. For the kayak in the summer I think I'm going to mount it to either the tip or tail of the kayak, and use the helmet mount for the occasional POV shot.


I picked up one of these at the end of last year. Its nice to collapse it down, but still somewhat awkward in the pocket (its either banging at my knee in my cargo pocket or poking my ribs in a jacket pocket. However, way less awkward than a fullsize pole.

Xshot Pocket Telescoping Camera Extender - Free Shipping at REI.com

Also, here's somthing I did for mounting my contour last year. Instead of using the 3m adhesive, I peeled that off and put this stuff on the mount and then also the helmet (obviously cut to the size of the mount:
Dual Lock Reclosable Fastener :3M US

It doesn't help with losing the camera, you still need a lanyard of sorts. However, I only bring it up in case yours does get knocked off and you're fortunate to find it. My contour got knocked off last year on the first run of the day. I couldn't put it back on so I was done with POV footage for the day. With this, if it gets knocked off, I just pop it back on and go my merry way. However, I did notice that it never got knocked off afterwards.

In case someone wasn't aware, if you're going to use the adhesive, do it at room temperature at least the night before. That way the adhesive has more time to cure and form a better bond. 

I recently bought a gopro hero3 black edition. You can bet i'm going to find a good way to secure it if the mount fails. I'm quite scared to lose a $400 toy. :s

-joel


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## herzogone (Oct 19, 2010)

Yeah, I was glad I had a lanyard on mine last season when I did this:

50-50 to concussion

In my case, the adhesive mount tore the finish off the helmet, so I couldn't blame the adhesive. :laugh:

Sorry to hear you lost yours, OP.


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Sick-Pow said:


> Maybe certain helmets are more prone for stickability than others as the mount may not fully bond with certain plastic finishes . I bet money a good portion, over 50%, are applying the mount improperly, or some interaction with the plastic.


Or a good slam. I broke my mount right off my helmet yesterday at Seymour. There was a somersault involved, I guess that did it. :dizzy:


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## jojotherider (Mar 17, 2011)

I also found this for another option of securing your gopro:
Adding A Securing Loop: GoPro Mounting Tips & Tricks - YouTube

-joel


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