Helmet buying advice

Russman

Hi all,

Thinking of buying my own helmet and was wondering about the options. Obviously fit is key and if possible I'll be trying to fit anything on before I buy.
But, I suppose prompted a little by the accident with Schumi, I'm thinking of upping the budget - its my noggin after all ! Not even sure that's necessary, I know they all have to meet a certain standard..................

Anyway the helmets I'm sort of considering are:

Salomon Ranger Custom Air
Giro G10
Smith Vantage or Variant (something like that)

Or really pushing the boat out and going for a POC with MIPS (online reviews suggest the goggle clip is sh1t though)

Am I over thinking it ? Are any of these better or worse than the others ?

Cheers

CardinalJ

Like bike helmets all helmets have to have a certain safety standard, so because its cheap doesn't mean its crap.

Most important is that it's comfortable. Also bring your goggles with you when trying on. Some clips mightn't suit your goggle or might struggle to fit in.

POC helmets are really expensive IMO. I'f you have it spend it I suppose, but you'll never know if its worth it. You'll get an effective helmet that will do the main job for a lot less.

Fattes

Thee 3 helmets you have listed are all similar designs, styles and standards.

There is a big difference in the high end poc and race helmets produced compared to the standard models for a start the all have higher impact levels and solid ear pads compared to soft ear pads on standard lids

Bring your goggles with you to make sure they sit right with your helmet and that they meet the EU safety standards CE EN 1077

Russman

Thanks for that guys, yeah I think paying the premium for a POC might be a little OTT. I don't want to be THAT guy, doing a snowplough turn in the beginner area wearing a €250 helmet !!

I've tried on the Salomon and the Giro, and both were fine, the Salomon felt a little more comfortable from memory for some reason, but the Giro felt more.......I dunno, substantial or solid or something. I'll probably just pick up one of those and not overthink or overspend it. They're both more or less equal in terms of quality & safety right ?

Fattes

Yep pretty much like for like product the only difference is the custom air in the salomon makes for a better fit but I would say that as they give me free things

Steve

If you're a beginner doing snowploughs then keep an eye out for €20 ones in Lidl / Aldi. Failing that, get a cycling helmet for the same price.

Ultimately, it's your choice but your just paying for brand names with the €200+ ones IMO.

Fattes

Steve wrote: »

Failing that, get a cycling helmet for the same price.

Ultimately, it's your choice but your just paying for brand names with the €200+ ones IMO.

Cyclingb helmets are designed to deal with totally different impacts to the type you will experience skiing and are worse than useless.

A good helmet can be purchased for €80-€100 euro what you are paying for with the more expensive stuff is more advanced technology and higher rates of protection especially with high end race helmets as FIS dictate a level of impact protection 3 times higher than the EU standard

I picked up this one on amazon for £30 or so and used it in St.Anton and Ischgl over new years and it was fine.
I have a big head and the large size fits me - also has a knob to tighten / loosen the fit.
Looks decent enough and has ventilation adjustment (key) and goggle holder.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultrasport-Edition-Inmold-Snowboard-Helmet/dp/B003Y3BFJ0/ref=pd_sim_sg_4

cormee

Russman wrote: »

Hi all,

Thinking of buying my own helmet and was wondering about the options. Obviously fit is key and if possible I'll be trying to fit anything on before I buy.
But, I suppose prompted a little by the accident with Schumi, I'm thinking of upping the budget - its my noggin after all ! Not even sure that's necessary, I know they all have to meet a certain standard..................

Anyway the helmets I'm sort of considering are:

Salomon Ranger Custom Air
Giro G10
Smith Vantage or Variant (something like that)

Or really pushing the boat out and going for a POC with MIPS (online reviews suggest the goggle clip is sh1t though)

Am I over thinking it ? Are any of these better or worse than the others ?

Cheers

I bought a Smith Variance (and the Skullcandy audio system that goes with it) two days ago, lovely looking helmet, can't wait for it to arrive. €166 for the two of them together, including shipping, from www.campsaver.com (they had/have a New Year sale on.) I couldn't, for love nor money, find the Variant in my size, and I don't see them on the Smith website's latest models page, so I think they may be an old discontinued model.

My Oakley goggles better f*n fit...

Steve

Fattes wrote: »

Cyclingb helmets are designed to deal with totally different impacts to the type you will experience skiing and are worse than useless.

That's actually not totally true. The test procedure (EN 13087)specified in the standards is identical for both cycling (EN 1078) and skiing (EN 1077) helmets.
The main differences are:
- Cycling helmets have a higher impact rating than ski helmets.
- Ski Helmets have a higher penetration rating than cycling helmets.
- The restrictions on visibility and hearing are not so stringent for ski helmets.

Cycling helmets deform substantially more on impact and are considered 'single use items', that's also why they're cheaper as after an impact, they won't fit any more and it's obvious to the wearer they need a new one.

Ski helmets are also supposed to be 'single use' but, due to the cost of them, it is widely known that they are not replaced every time a beginner falls on his ar$e from a slow snowplough turn.

To say that a cycling helmet is "worse than useless" in terms of a beginner skier is, in my opinion, false. At worst it's 'better than nothing'.

A good helmet can be purchased for €80-€100 euro what you are paying for with the more expensive stuff is more advanced technology and higher rates of protection especially with high end race helmets as FIS dictate a level of impact protection 3 times higher than the EU standard

Again you are talking about requirements for more advanced skiers - what you are referring to there, I think, is the difference between, EN 1077 Class A and EN 1077 class B helmets.
Class A offers more (3 times) protection to a lesser area of the head, and also has higher vis and hearing requirements. They are more suitable for advanced skiers and alpine racing.
No stock helmet for that price will ever exceed the standard it claims to comply with by a factor of three - that would be economic suicide for the manufacturer.

I'm not disagreeing with your advice in general terms - what you are saying is sound but in terms of a beginner constrained by a budget (which a lot of people are nowadays, myself included) there are viable alternatives.

Fattes

Steve wrote: »

That's actually not totally true. The test procedure (EN 13087)specified in the standards is identical for both cycling (EN 1078) and s
The main differences are:

To say that a cycling helmet is "worse than useless" in terms of a beginner skier is, in my opinion, false. At worst it's 'better than nothing'.

Two points they types if impact sustained in a ski fall v a cycling fall are totally different, the EU tests are standard for all helmets but don't consider different impacts.

For race helmets the standards applied at the EU are the same as regular helmets but the more restrictive testing is actually applied by FIS not the EU so the EU don't differentiate once a helmet meets it's minimum safety standard.

There is a video is posted here a while backs as part of the Love your brain campaign for helmet awareness that explains the differences and shows testing footage of cycling helmets sustaining a typical ski impact and the different levels of protection and damage to the lids. It's not the force it's how it is applied.


As for single use technically ski lids are multiple use and manufactures recommend replacing them after heavy falls with obvious signs of damage, having them tested every season by a retailer to see if they are intact and replacing them every 5 years. I work for one of the largest ski manufactures who also produce helmets.