Your Helmet Buyer’s Guide for the 2018/19 Ski Season

A helmet can be the most essential piece of ski gear you purchase this winter. It’s important to know the latest technology and what you need to make sure your head is safe, warm and comfortable. Here’s some information on things to look for when purchasing a helmet:

Some helmets have a strong outer shell, made from mouldable plastic, called Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene. Others have a mold construction, which is where the liner and the shell are infused together, which allows for more venting through the helmet. Be sure to select a helmet that matches your style of skiing and location for whether you prefer a harder and warmer helmet or a more aerodynamic helmet.

When looking at the shell and liner, it’s also important to consider how much ventilation you want on your helmet. It’s even possible to get adjustable ventilation, which can be manually opened and closed for your preference. There are also ways to make sure the ventilation has a membrane, which keeps water from getting inside your helmet. The vents over your goggles are essential to make sure your goggles do not steam up.

Make sure your helmet’s chinstrap buckles and is adjusted so that the chin and ear straps have a close fit. Make sure your chin strap also has a soft cover it to protect your chin and a bright clasp to make it easy to spot in case of an emergency.

Another essential luxury when buying a ski helmet is a fit adjuster which is on the back of your helmet that you can turn to tighten the system all around the head or loosen it. This helps make sure everything is the way you want it to feel on the inside.

Without further ado, here are some new helmets to get stoked about for this winter season:

For the best head protection and lightweight technology, there is the new Bolle Instinct MIPS, which helps diffuse brain-damaging rotational movement for impact from any direction. There is also the BOA dial-to-fit system which is adjustable to fit any head size. There are also a lot of adjustable vents in the helmet, coming in hot at the affordable price of $78 and available now!

The Smith Mirage is a new lightweight and breathable helmet for women! Courtesy of smithoptics.com

For the best ventilation, the Smith Mirage MIPS for women offers 14 adjustable vents and a fluffy liner for colder days. There’s also MIPS technology that protects your head from all angles, at a cost of around $130 and available on Smith Optics website!

For the best hearing and around sound, try the Scott Chase 2 Plus MIPS. It offers top-end safety features such as sound-capturing earpads that optimize hearing. It also offers MIPS technology to help protect your head from any kind of tree branch or wipeout. There is also a fit dial that can be moved up and down to help you find the most comfortable fit. This helmet comes in costing around $150 on Campsaver.com!

Sandbox Legend Snow- Spaced Out is customizable skate space age print has a lot of good ventilation and an audio-system with ready ear pads. Courtesy of Sandboxland.com

Last but not least, for the most stylish look, try the new Sandbox Legend Snow helmet that offers customizable spaceage (or other) print that fits your style. Not only does it look great, but the Sandbox helmet has long-lasting ABS construction with a lot of ventilation and audio-system ready ear pads, with a removable inner padding. The Sandbox helmet is available now on Blue-tomato for $150!

A helmet can be the most important piece of your ski gear, it’s important to know what you’re purchasing and the protective liner technology that goes into it, and that your helmet has all the features you’re looking for because the last thing you want to be worrying about on the slopes is your helmet!