Helmet dilemma - what would you choose?

[James]

I moved to POC who understand better the fact that helmets are worn while skiing not when attending a funeral

Not getting it.
i refused for years to even consider Poc because they were too stupid, lazy, or stubborn to put in a decent goggle strap retainer.

 

[VladSki]

Interesting... I've never seen that with other brands. And I don't see it on the Salomon website. Can you literally buy the same model in 2 fits? Or are they different models?

EDIT: I do see on the website in descriptions of the model it will either say "round fit" or "oval fit"... so I guess they are different models; You can't pick a model and then pick either fit. And no, I have still not seen that with other brands - and don't seem to see it for Smith or Giro at least.

Smith does offer two fits for some of their models, e.g.:

Smith Maze Helmet - Ski

Buy the Smith Maze Helmet online or shop all Ski from Backcountry.com.

www.backcountry.com

Smith Maze Round Contour Fit Helmet 2023

Get ready to hit the slopes with the morning checklist: boots, helmet, goggles, gloves, and pass. The Smith Maze ski and snowboard helmet ensures you have the most up-to-date safety advancements, including MIPS™, for a full mountain exploration. Its lightweight design, combined with...

comorsports.com

 

[raytseng]

There are so many other modes of injury that you are over focusing on the tech of just the helmet. If safety is your concern you need to strap on more gear, not the best of just 1 piece of gear.

Like no snowsports rated helmet will protect you if you slam with your face or if you land on your spine. It is really disingenuous the need to differentiate the "best". I have feelings on that Virginia techs lab and the industry sales motives, but I've stated my opinion before in other helmet threads.

 

[VladSki]

Well thanks everyone for chiming in with their advice.

After my 10-yr old Lange helmet decided it was time to retire and quietly separated from my backpack on the skin track (unnoticed by me), I tried on a few dozen buckets (Giro, Smith, Oakley, POC, Sweet Protection...), and found two different non-MIPS models from K2 and Rossi to fit best, closely followed by a MIPS couple from POC and Smith.

This is limited data in terms of models/brands, but Virginia Tech has done a lot of helmet testing across many sports, including snow sports. MIPS is shown to be helpful, but there are low rated helmets that include MIPS, and high rated helmets that don't.

That VT rankings is gold! Oddly enough they missed on some high end best sellers like Smith Vantage.

 

[cantunamunch]

There are so many other modes of injury

Even when looking at just helmet impacts.

. It is really disingenuous the need to differentiate the "best".

Absolutely agreed.

 

[dbostedo]

Smith does offer two fits for some of their models, e.g.:

Smith Maze Helmet - Ski

Buy the Smith Maze Helmet online or shop all Ski from Backcountry.com.

www.backcountry.com

Smith Maze Round Contour Fit Helmet 2023

Get ready to hit the slopes with the morning checklist: boots, helmet, goggles, gloves, and pass. The Smith Maze ski and snowboard helmet ensures you have the most up-to-date safety advancements, including MIPS™, for a full mountain exploration. Its lightweight design, combined with...

comorsports.com

Thanks for that... that made me go get the complete list from the Smith website, and I do see a couple of models that are "round contour fit" in the model name - 5 of them in fact. Like Salomon, they seem to be unique model names... it's not like there's a Vantage, and and a "Vantage round".

 

[dbostedo]

I have feelings on that Virginia techs lab and the industry sales motives, but I've stated my opinion before in other helmet threads.

That VT rankings is gold! Oddly enough they missed on some high end best sellers like Smith Vantage.

There's a thread for that more general discussion here:

Snowsports helmet safety ratings

Virginia Tech has been doing extensive testing and rating various helmets over the years. It was originally driven by the concussion issues in football, and started with football helmets. But they've expanded over the years to include hockey and bicycle helmets. And more recently they've added...

www.skitalk.com

 

[Tony Storaro]

Not getting it.
i refused for years to even consider Poc because they were too stupid, lazy, or stubborn to put in a decent goggle strap retainer.

I have Dura X and Meninx, both are fine. A bit heavy tho compared to Quantum and Vantage.

 

[Tony Storaro]

Depends on your mind.
If you’re going to constantly worry that your non mips helmet is unsafe and you’re about to die- get the mips and suffer the fit.

One of the best cycling helmets -Kask Protone has no MIPS whatsoever.

 

[cantunamunch]

One of the best cycling helmets -Kask Protone has no MIPS whatsoever.

This relates to an issue I never actually worked around to in @dbostedo's thread -

One task I would consider essential of testing a tech-equipped piece of gear is to devise scenarios in which that tech can be circumvented.

Like MIPS. If Virginia Tech doesn't do it, who will? It's completely against the self-interest of the helmet makers. It's trivially easy to gaslight individual users whose MIPS never deployed.

 

[dbostedo]

One task I would consider essential of testing a tech-equipped piece of gear is to devise scenarios in which that tech can be circumvented.

Sure... but that's testing something different than what VT is testing. They're assuming helmets are worn and used properly, and testing how effective they are when they come into play in a standard way.

They DO test the helmets differently based on sport though. The ski helmets are crashed into wedges that simulate two different slope steepnesses and are tested in different orientations and directions to the "slope".

 

[Eric@ict]

Interesting... I've never seen that with other brands. And I don't see it on the Salomon website. Can you literally buy the same model in 2 fits? Or are they different models?

EDIT: I do see on the website in descriptions of the model it will either say "round fit" or "oval fit"... so I guess they are different models; You can't pick a model and then pick either fit. And no, I have still not seen that with other brands - and don't seem to see it for Smith or Giro at least.

The Smith Vantage comes in round and oval.

 

[Tony Storaro]

This relates to an issue I never actually worked around to in @dbostedo's thread -

One task I would consider essential of testing a tech-equipped piece of gear is to devise scenarios in which that tech can be circumvented.

Like MIPS. If Virginia Tech doesn't do it, who will? It's completely against the self-interest of the helmet makers. It's trivially easy to gaslight individual users whose MIPS never deployed.

Tell you the truth in cycling helmets, MIPS or no MIPS makes not one iota of difference. Thats IMHO of course. The GIro tech tho may indeed be helpful-the double shell. For ski helmets, especially the race ones that may be different. I am yet to really test the POC Dura X.

 

[cantunamunch]

Sure... but that's testing something different than what VT is testing.

Yes. Which speaks directly to @raytseng 's point above.

There are so many modes of failure and neither VT nor anyone else chooses to even begin to survey them.

Tell you the truth in cycling helmets, MIPS or no MIPS makes not one iota of difference. Thats IMHO of course. The GIro tech tho may indeed be helpful-the double shell.

I have strong personal experience reasons to agree with you.

 

[dbostedo]

The Smith Vantage comes in round and oval.

You are correct, and that's even more confusing. Why just that one model in both, where others have unique model names? Odd.

 

[KingGrump]

And no, I have still not seen that with other brands - and don't seem to see it for Smith or Giro at least.

it's not like there's a Vantage, and and a "Vantage round".

You are correct, and that's even more confusing. Why just that one model in both, where others have unique model names? Odd.

Few seasons back, brought a Vantage Asian fit. They used a different descriptor now. I believe it wasn't a politically correct term. Much like Asian fit goggles. They are called low bridge models instead.

 

[Eric@ict]

You are correct, and that's even more confusing. Why just that one model in both, where others have unique model names? Odd.

I wondered that when I bought it. Seems to be only in the more expensive models. Drive the dollars to a better fit?

 

[scott43]

The Smith Vantage comes in round and oval.

In motorcycles, used to be you were an Arai head or a Shoei head. Arai were more oval, Shoei more round. You KNEW which one you were!

 

[cantunamunch]

In motorcycles, used to be you were an Arai head or a Shoei head. Arai were more oval, Shoei more round. You KNEW which one you were!

If we were still primarily using full coverage helmets, this would be true of skiing as well.

Half-helmets and tensioned cradles are masking us from true helmet shape.

<-definitely NOT a Briko, Carrera, Marker, Uvex, Shred or Sweet head.

 

[jt10000]

i refused for years to even consider Poc because they were too stupid, lazy, or stubborn to put in a decent goggle strap retainer.

This is funny. We're on our second Poc ski helmet for my boy. Nicely made overall, but each had had flawed goggle strap retainers - each bad in a different way. The first had some kind of QA issue so it took a lot of work on my part to have it stay closed. His current helmet has one that works great but seems really really fragile.