I agree, cool looking helmet. Definitely heavier and a bit pricier than other options I would consider but if there are substantial gains in safety, those penalties could easily be absorbed.
Some quick searching reveals that evo.com thinks pretty highly of the Trooper model's safety:
"You might be a trooper now, but snagging an edge at an inopportune time is all it takes for things to turn ugly fast. Thankfully,
a head hit with the Sweet Protection Trooper Helmet is virtually irrelevant thanks to the TLC Shell and Impact Shield Technology."
Emphasis added by me.
This makes me think that Sweet Protection helmets must be in a different category than the Smith helmets I've been looking at. That would be good news as I've read lots of well informed peeps saying that ski helmets will not afford sufficient protection in, say a helmet to tree impact at much more than a very slow speed.
So, do the SP helmets come with a higher certification? No, looks like they come with the exact same certification as many others:
ASTM F 2040
CE EN 1077:2007 Class B
If, in fact, they exceed these standards I can not find mention of it.
My point is not to declare that these helmets are no better than others but rather to ask, exactly how much difference is there? And on a broader scale, where are we (industry wise) right now in terms of having helmets that are close to, or on par with say, a motorcycle helmet?
The manufacturer site is full of acronyms and hyperbole just like other manufacturer sites and the above quote from evo, would leave the gullible to believe that once donning this helmet they can speed through the trees without a worry in the world. Does this seem dangerous to anyone else?