I’ve vaguely followed the other thread about ski helmets and reckon it’s probably time to get myself and the wife helmets, i’ve been avoiding it for years.

I love the look of the helmets with the big 80’s fighter pilot style visors (everyone wants to be Maverick) but do they offer any benefit or is it just annoying?

Up until now I’ve always skied with just sunnies where possible, I don’t like the feeling of restricted vision with goggles (going to have to get over this with a helmet, i know). Never really needed hats just headband or earwarmers when the weather gets really cold so cooling is probably more important than warm.

Any recommendations?

Likewise tempted myself. I ski with a helmet and prescription sunglasses – can’t stand using goggles. This year we saw quite a few of the ‘visor’ style helmets on the slopes..

Not sure I would bother, for the first time ever I used a helmet last year… it was also the first time for years I have managed to get away with sunnies as normally my eyes stream when I start going a bit faster. so maybe the airflow means sunnies are more useable

Closable vents are good. Cooling when you want them, warm when it gets nasty out.
Most helmets also have removable ear warmer bits for spring days.

This is mine (Smith Hustle):

Coupled with Smith goggles which fit snugly with it and don’t really restrict viz much at all.

I have a very close fitting pair of Oakleys so have never had a problem with streaming eyes, I just want the visor to pretend i’m flying a Mig! I wonder if it would steam up less than goggles being further away from my sweaty face?

Helmet and sunnies is a fashion faux pas by the way.

(You rightly may not care, but you should at least know)

Helmet and sunnies is a fashion faux pas by the way.

excellent! will tee of the rest of my dayglo ski gear perfectly!

On a sunny days, the Top Gun (HMR?) helmets look cool, but the only guy I have ever skied with who owned one was the classic all-the-gear type. Put me off a little after that!!

I think you have to be a v good skier to pull that look off!

the helmets with visors generally seem to look less dorky!

Check that you can rest your goggles above the visor though – it would be annoying if you couldn’t.

Helmets are better for a solid camera mount as well, although you might have to fiddle about to not see the helmet in the footage – but less fiddling than a goggle mount.

I have one of these and a contour roam mount stuck on it, and can avoid having the helmet in shot – although I think I have to avoid the widescreen mode:

i think we need to agree on what “visor” we are talking about?

Like this?

If he’s talking about the above, I suspect the below advice is somewhat wasted.

Helmet and sunnies is a fashion faux pas by the way.

Goes perfectly with that Descente onesie when you are in Italy.

the helmets with visors generally seem to look less dorky!

Check that you can rest your goggles above the visor though – it would be annoying if you couldn’t.

Agree on both points whole-heartedly. But, the second point is the main reason i’ve stuck with a slightly older style helmet (I think it’s the RED hifi) – I couldn’t live without being able to stick my goggles on my helmet for cooling down on bubbles.

yeah, i was meaning Top-Gun stylee like Gravity has posted above! 😀
Found a good thread on snowheads which covers it well, but I think price is going to rule me out.
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=71725

http://www.ruroc.com/
end of thread

GrahamS

I am looking to get a Smith Hustle helmet, can you advise on the real world size please?

My head measures 59cm and this is at the top end for a medium and the bottom end for a large helmet. Unfortunately i can not get to the shop to try them on.

Seem to remember I was between sizes too. Think I went larger in the end. Figured your head gets bigger when it is hot.

Had it a few years though so can’t remember exactly. I’ll try to dig it out the loft tonight and report back tomorrow.

Personally though I wouldn’t buy a helmet without trying it. Head shapes are too personal. I’d find another shop. Whereabouts are you?

In Aberdeen,

Seen the Smith helmets in Boardwise in Ednburgh but don’t have the opportunity to get down there in the next few weeks.

😀 It was the Edinburgh Boardwise I bought mine from. (10% discount with SCUK membership by the way)

If you want a helmet with visor then probably worth looking into some retro/vintage styled scooter or cruiser helmets. Much more reasonable price point too

or

They have 20% off smith helmets at the moment, and was thinking they would work well with the fuse goggles i have.

Cool. Okay I’ll dig mine out and see what size it is.

mechmonkey: those are oddly cool. You’d need talent to back up the look though I think. Like those guys that ski in dinner suits etc, only really works while frontflipping a 40ft drop.

Fighterjet pilot helmet you say? How about the augmented reality helmet from the new F-35?

Rusty Mac: right helmet found. Mine is a Large (59-63cm) and my heid, by my measurement, is 59.
From memory i could get into the Medium but it was a bit tight so I reckon the sizing is about right.

Cheers Graham, much appreciated.

I have one of these.

Beats any other helmet when it’s cold.

I have a RED helmet 😯

neilglover

I can see why it would be fine when cold but don’t you find it cuts out too much?

I really wouldn’t like to wear a motorbike helmet (even a light version) when skiing or boarding as I like to feel and hear what going on!

I can see why it would be fine when cold but don’t you find it cuts out too much?

Not sure what you mean, too much what ?

Vision wise it’s no different to anything else. It’s incredibly light, and when it’s not needed the face protection removes in seconds leaving an open face helmet with goggles.

I don’t use it all the time, but when it’s cold and snowy, its unbeatable.

Not sure what you mean, too much what

Just a sensory thing for me. I like to feel the breeze and hear the snow or more importantly, the ice.

Might just be me but I can’t stand earphones/music when on a bike for the same reason

In that case, no it doesn’t 🙂

It’s not much different from any other helmet. Can still hear fine.

As for feeling the breeze, when its cold I’d rather not freeze my face.
When its not, take off the face cover and its a standard helmet (although I don’t bother most of the time, you just don’t notice it’s there)

The vents are amazing for the size, very cleverly designed and the airflow is brilliant.

I could see that stormtrooper helmet being useful in fairly extreme conditions. Last year we got caught in a lashing hailstorm that was really quite painful to ride in.

But I just wear a Buff round my neck and pull it up over my face when I need it. That seems adequate 99% of the time and the other 1% I’ll be getting off the mountain anyway!

Are the visors interchangeable, speaking as someone who destroyed his shoulder after misreading terrain in flat light when wearing innapropriately dark sunnies.

I always use googles with an orange lens that works in all conditions. Also help keeps face warm and prevents comedy tan lines. Wouldn’t cold air blow up behind the visor in a topgun style helmet?