Ski masks (Balaklavas)

From here:

What kind of impromptu photo shoot? Did Lambert pose as a robber, which would reasonably lead a passerby to assume he had just robbed a liquor store? Or would a reasonable person assume that most robbers wouldn’t hang around to have his picture taken, or at least have noticed that the robber wasn’t brandishing a weapon (I assume) for his publicity photo? Lambert’s website is www.crazyskimask.com There’s an image of a newspaper article that says he ‘ran’ from the store. Someone must have been pretty quick on the phone if they decided it was a robbery and dialed 9-1-1 before Lambert stopped running.

I’m reminded of a cartoon I saw in the late-1970s or early-1980s. It’s a street scene, and one character is portrayed as wearing a balaklava. The caption was: ‘Little do they know that I’m not wearing a ski mask. I’m an alien, and this is my real face!’ The other characters in the cartoon payed no attention to the alien, so it seems that 30 years ago people could still wear ski masks in public.

I’m a SoCal native. I did have a balaklava for skiing, but I found that it tickled my nose so I didn’t wear it. I’m thinking they may be, or may have been, more popular in places like Minnesota. I’m thinking I might pick up an Outdoor Research Option Balaclava to wear under my motorcycle helmet. It’s more stylish than the oversized bandana I wear bandit-style to keep the chill of my neck. Having an open face instead of the traditional three-hole style, visibility is improved and it won’t tickle my nose.

But would I wear it – or a traditional balaklava – just walking around the street? Not here in NoWA. It doesn’t get that cold. Maybe if I was working outside. (Last year we were shooting a film, and it was a bit brisk and I could have used one.)

The article also says that bystanders took down the license plate number. I assume that is how they were apprehended.

I have a black balaklava that I only wear when I am ice fishing.

…or pretending to be a ninja