Need (want) a new helmet

[surfsnowgirl]

I love my atomic nomad helmet. It's boring black but it has vents and the ear pads hold ear buds so they aren't directly in my ear. Plus the ear pieces come out for spring skiing when i don't need to keep my ears warm. It also has a brim for my goggles to rest on.

 

[Chriscray]

FYI, I thinks MIPS is overtaking the market. Non MIPs helmets will go for cheap before next year.

I've been on the Costco Bolle helmet ($38) for many years. Had the googles too, but now I'm on the Oakley Airbrake with that helmet

 

[Doug Briggs]

I'm not going to read the entire thread so this may have been stated.

DON'T look at price tags. DO buy for comfortable fit. Buy for features and comfort. It's your head you are protecting. It is worth every penny you spend to protect it properly.

Bring your goggles and any hat/liner you wish to wear.

It may be hard to get a good helmet for the cold and for the warm in the same helmet.

Over the ear helmets will protect you better than soft-sided helmets.

 

[Alexzn]

This year I feel in love with Sweet Protection helmets. Top $$$, but you get quality construction, light weight and good fit.

To me a lot of the helmets on the market go for a more universal fit by just shaping the top and then taking care of the rest by a snugging band on the bottom, so only half of your head is truly fit and protected. Sweets and POCs fit my head on all sides, so those are there only two brands I consider.

Of course your head shape could be different, but I would still caution about relying on a snugging band for the fit. If the lid is loose before you snug the band or the wheel, is is not protective enough.

 

[Brian Finch]

I am very conservative and safety conscious but current direction of helmets is just deplorable ; I want to helmet that fits and feels like a hat.

 

[DaveM]

I agree with what a number of others discussed, above: try on a variety of helmets until you find one that fits excellently and comfortably. My helmet has a slide that opens & closes helmet top vents. There are side vents, over the ears areas, that slide/"snap" open & closed. I close the top vent when it's very cold and have only once or twice closed the side vents, in bitter cold. Different helmets definitely have different fits - because each person's head is uniquely shaped. Try on the helmets that are on the "main racks" in the store(s), but also try unloved ones that may be on the Clearance rack. I tried on a few helmets that didn't feel quite right, then just happened to get lucky and found one that "fit like a glove", as the saying goes. It's shown in my "avatar" photo.

 

[ScotsSkier]

This year I feel in love with Sweet Protection helmets. Top $$$, but you get quality construction, light weight and good fit.

To me a lot of the helmets on the market go for a more universal fit by just shaping the top and then taking care of the rest by a snugging band on the bottom, so only half of your head is truly fit and protected. Sweets and POCs fit my head on all sides, so those are there only two brands I consider.

Of course your head shape could be different, but I would still caution about relying on a snugging band for the fit. If the lid is loose before you snug the band or the wheel, is is not protective enough.

Yes, sweet race helmets are da bomb. Fit like the previous gen POC race helemts (the new orbic comp helmets from POC fit a little different than the previous ones and feel more bulky than I like.). The Sweet helmet also comes a little lower on the forehead than the POC giving a little more protection. Of course after being on POC for several years and having 10plus pairs of POC goggles, they don't fit quite so well with the Sweet....

 

[DaveM]

I am very conservative and safety conscious but current direction of helmets is just deplorable ; I want to helmet that fits and feels like a hat.

Brian, please elaborate. What do you not like about current helmets, in particular?

 

[Brian Finch]

Brian, please elaborate. What do you not like about current helmets, in particular?

With the recent increased focus on concussions, head injuries & safety, helmets have continued to enlarge in size & shape. There's not a tremendous amount of evidence that the increased size translates to more protection. Then racers have been compelled to purchase new FIS regulated helmets, again with little evidence of merit. Some of these FIS compliant helmets run over $600. I will admit that I purchased one for my wife under $200 recently.

Most annoying, the single factor in my new jacket purchase was 'could a helmet be covered by the hood?'.

Then one day this spring, I happened to forget my helmet & I did the unthinkable- I skied in a hat! It was like a religious experience!!! No bulky lid (I do usually ski in a small freestyle helmet & not a race), it felt light & best of all random strangers shouted at me that I was crazy........

I'm a Vermont skier - where you want a good cover on the cold/damp lift & over the last 4 years, helmets have outgrown the ability for jackets to cover up.

 

[dlague]

Most annoying, the single factor in my new jacket purchase was 'could a helmet be covered by the hood?'.

Then one day this spring, I happened to forget my helmet & I did the unthinkable- I skied in a hat! It was like a religious experience!!! No bulky lid (I do usually ski in a small freestyle helmet & not a race), it felt light & best of all random strangers shouted at me that I was crazy........

I'm a Vermont skier - where you want a good cover on the cold/damp lift & over the last 4 years, helmets have outgrown the ability for jackets to cover up.

I have not noticed any big (no pun intended) changes in helmet size. We are shopping for them now and size appears to be the same IMO. My wife and son have been able to pull their hood over their helmets and their helmets are a few years old. In my case, I hate hoods and face masks. For me it is all about having something around my neck - the helmet (Smith Vantage) is plenty warm.

Skiing without a helmet is not that unusual since we are at a 65-75% adoption rate for helmet use. This means that on a given day about 30%+ are not wearing helmets. Maybe when they thought you were crazy they were taking about your mad skills!

BTW, I started shopping online and found that to be hard to do since it is a touchy feely thing.

 

[ScotsSkier]

I have not noticed any big (no pun intended) changes in helmet size. We are shopping for them now and size appears to be the same IMO. My wife and son have been able to pull their hood over their helmets and their helmets are a few years old. In my case, I hate hoods and face masks. For me it is all about having something around my neck - the helmet (Smith Vantage) is plenty warm.

Skiing without a helmet is not that unusual since we are at a 65-75% adoption rate for helmet use. This means that on a given day about 30%+ are not wearing helmets. Maybe when they thought you were crazy they were taking about your mad skills!

BTW, I started shopping online and found that to be hard to do since it is a touchy feely thing.

It has been pretty noticeable on race helmets, most of the new FIS standard ones definitely feel bulkier than the previous generation

 

[DaveM]

It has been pretty noticeable on race helmets, most of the new FIS standard ones definitely feel bulkier than the previous generation

Brian, dlague, ScotSkier, thank you for your comments. In my limited experience, I've noticed that "regular" helmets seem to be made lighter than they were in years past. My concern is that they seem cheaper & flimsier - although that may be a bias, because of the lighter weight. Last season, someone asked me if my helmet was made in Europe, because he noticed the "CSI" sticker on the back of it. Well, that makes me wonder - how are safety specifications created for ski helmets? ASTM? ISO? DIN? Have the specifications been strengthened or weakened, over the years? It's funny - I looked carefully at that sticker for the first time, this evening: "CSI", "CE", "CASCO CERTIFICATO" - and lettering within an heagon, "F.I.S.I.". "CSI" is an Italian certification institute. I haven't researched this area much, but my guess is that there should be some Standard Method for Impact Resistance testing, with some minimum compressive strength or impact force resistance.

 

[PTskier]

Ski helmet standards EN 1077:2007:
https://www.satra.com/spotlight/article.php?id=429
-helmets should be of low weight, be easy to put on and take off, be usable with spectacles and not significantly impair hearing.
-minimum width of 15mm for the retention system straps and also that the strap shall not include a chin cup.
-each helmet is subjected to three pre-treatments: exposure to room temperature (20°C), low temperature (-25ºC) and artificial ageing. The duration of the room temperature and low temperature pre-treatments are a minimum of four hours
-Shock absorption testing is carried out on a drop rig utilizing instrumented head-forms. The impact velocity needs to be 5.42m/s
-acceleration of the headform during each impact must not exceed 250g
--impact surface is a flat steel anvil 130mm in diameter.
-impacted once at each of two points at least 100mm apart.
-A drop mass falls onto a conical punch positioned in contact with the surface of the helmet shell,
-Class A helmet (over ears), the required impact velocity is 3.84m/s (theoretically equivalent to a drop height of 750mm). However, for a Class B helmet, the required impact velocity is 2.71m/s (theoretically equivalent to a drop height of 375mm).
-the retention system will not stretch or slip significantly and can be unfastened after any incident.
-wearer’s view is not impeded: i) within an angle of 105° side to side, ii) upwards up to an angle of 25° and iii) downwards down to an angle of 45°.

The three big points--shock absorption for concussion prevention, penetration resistance (higher requirement for over-ears Class A), retention strap.

 

[DaveM]

PTSkier, thank you for your reply. That's interesting information. That got me to do another quick web-search, that found this - and I'm posting it here so that it may help & inform others: http://www.familyskihub.com/ski-helmet-standards.html. That web-link in turn got me more curious, so here's the link to the Snell ski helmet safety standard: http://www.smf.org/standards/ski/rs98std. I hope this helps.

 

[PTskier]

Look at the dates of those standards. The EN 1077:2007 is 2007. The CEN is 1996. The ASTM is 2000, and I don't see any that meet that standard. The Snell is 1998. Newer is better.

 

[Daves not here]

Update: I ended up with the GIro Zone MIPS helmet. Could not be happier. Giro fits my oval shaped head the best & I got it on a smoking deal of $125!

 

[L&AirC]

Yes, sweet race helmets are da bomb. Fit like the previous gen POC race helemts (the new orbic comp helmets from POC fit a little different than the previous ones and feel more bulky than I like.). The Sweet helmet also comes a little lower on the forehead than the POC giving a little more protection. Of course after being on POC for several years and having 10plus pairs of POC goggles, they don't fit quite so well with the Sweet....

Phew! I thought my head was shrinking! I noticed this as well trying them on too. Their sizing is odd too. They have single sizes and mixed sizes ( M and M/L) depending on the model is which sizing scale they use. The fit, sizing, maintainability, and price point is what pushed me to look at Shred. If nothing else, they give back through "1% For the Planet".

Gonna give Sweet a looksie too.

 

[L&AirC]

I looked at Sweet and even though I do like them, even the close out deals are out of my price range. Maybe when they get some stores on the east cost things will change.

 

[Dave Petersen]

So far only Giro is a good fit for an oval head like mine. i have tries Smith, Pret, Oakley thus far. Any ideas on others that fit oval shaped heads? I have the Giro Seam and may just end up with another one at this point.

I have a large, oval shaped head as well and my bern helmet felt like a vice on my forehead (I bought online). Now I have a POC which is much more comfortable.

 

[raytseng]

Update: I ended up with the GIro Zone MIPS helmet. Could not be happier. Giro fits my oval shaped head the best & I got it on a smoking deal of $125!

Sorry to bump this old thread, but just going through same thing independently and came upon me to search.

My head also was prev. covered by a Giro Seam.

I just bought about $1000 worth of helmets online, some in different sizes to try them all on at home (since REI and other stores already shifted out of winter but with fair return policies).
Included in my survey of purchases were the flagship regular helmets: Giro Range, Smith Quantum, Smith Vantage.

But agree that best fit found in my survey for headshape that prev. matched with the Giro Seam is still the Giro Zone MIPS and will confirm the choice.