Helmet - Hard vs Soft Side

[skix]

So I guess this guy knows what's what when it comes to skiing headwear.

You're kidding right?

 

[DoryBreaux]

I'm thinking of switching to an all soft helmet. I was talking to a cowboy hat fitter at the rodeo this summer. He was saying on of the big benefits to cowboys wearing cowboy hats is the stiff brim is a very very good shock dissipator. He said that some testing had shown it to be just as effective as the hard helmets that hunter/jumpers wear. So I guess this guy knows what's what when it comes to skiing headwear.

 

[SShore]

You're kidding right?

Who am I to argue with Billy Kid????

 

[EricG]

For a recreational skier the goal should be a comfortable & proper fitting helmet. If the hard side fits better than the soft side, roll with it. If it doesn’t fit well, your not going to wear it. In college I wore a hard side on the course, but it was uncomfortable and I hated it. I wore a Bern softside the rest of the time. It didn’t breathe all that well, but it was warm and comfy. Now I wear a Smith Vantage, it fits me just right and offers great ventilation. My wife still wears her Avon snowboard helmet since it fits just right.

 

[NE1]

Hard-sided. Much warmer, and I've lost enough brain cells as it is. ☺

 

[wutangclan]

What I find more interesting is that most ski helmets don't have full, rigid chin guards anymore -- like they did back in the 80s/90s. Even current SL chin guards are just a loop of wire to deflect a gate. In my recent motorcycle course, they showed us a helmet marked with the impact statistics on all the different parts of the head/face. The chin was by far the highest risk, and the top/sides of the head were lower. And you might know from boxing / martial arts that a chin ("button") impact is more likely to result in concussion / brain injury than elsewhere (except lower back of head). I wonder if there's any data available for snowsports that break it down by parts of the head? A quick google only yielded more general figures (fracture/soft tissue/limb/torso/head, etc).

 

[Primoz]

@wutangclan probably impact statistics is not much different, but no chinguard in skiing has reasons elsewhere. In all these years they figured out there's bigger chance for spine/neck injures with helmets that have chin protection, then with helmets without it. While you still end up with smashed/scratched face, I would also agree that's less of an issue then broken/damaged spine or neck.

 

[firebanex]

It's been a long time since I wore a hard ear helmet.. and my memories tell me it was quite annoying to get on and off. Anyways, I've had soft ears ever since and see no particular reason to switch. I'm an advocate of wearing a helmet of any sort, I don't care if its hard ear, soft ear, has a chin guard, or a unicorn horn. Helmets are a good thing.

 

[Beerman]

I wonder what Michael Schumacher thinks................. he's worn both, maybe a hard ear might have helped him a few years back.

 

[TheHitman]

I read somewhere that chin-guarded helmets were somewhat of a safety concern with the liability of breaking your neck. Anyone else heard of this?

https://www.quora.com/Why-dont-more-people-ski-with-full-face-helmets