When it comes down to it, every single piece of ski clothing you will need has two basic functions – to keep you comfortable and to keep you safe. As far as ski helmets are concerned, the latter of those two reasons is the primary purpose of wearing one.
Skiing can indeed be a dangerous sport or pastime, and no matter how good you are you could still take a spill on the slopes. That’s when you will be most grateful for the skiing helmet you strapped on before you got started.
A Selection of the Best Selling Ski Helmets
What is the purpose of wearing a ski helmet?
There is a one word answer to this one – protection. No matter how enjoyable skiing might be, mountains are still dangerous places to be. There are trees, rocks, other skiers and any number of other obstacles around. You only need to be unlucky and whack your head on one of them as you go down and you could severely injure yourself in the process.
Some people feel self conscious wearing one; others feel constricted. But if you have the right helmet for you then there will be no problem at all in wearing it. And you’ll notice that the vast majority of other skiers – those who know enough to be sensible – will be wearing one too.
So get strapped in!
Could you wear any other type of helmet – such as a bicycle helmet for example?
Absolutely not! Skiing helmets are especially designed for skiing. It doesn’t matter if you are only going skiing once – you still need to get the right helmet for your needs.
Having one that doesn’t fit, or is really supposed to be used for some other sport, is not going to serve the purpose. This is one area where you absolutely must not skimp on what you are doing.
What different kinds of helmet can you buy?
There are two basic kinds of helmet that you can invest in if you are a casual skier. You’ll find other helmets available which are designed for proper competitive events, but unless you are a real expert you won’t need to worry about these.
In short, you have full shell and short shell helmets. As the name would suggest, a full shell helmet gives you the best protection against accidents. Not only does it sit further down the back of your head and protect your neck as well, it also has ear covers which protect the sides of your head as well. It also keeps out the wind and snow more, which can be useful if the cold wind tends to give you earache.
A short shell helmet is lighter and less obtrusive. It does away with the larger section at the back, and your ears won’t be covered either. As such you will find that you can move your head a lot more easily, but conversely you won’t get the same level of protection that a full shell helmet offers.
The importance of correct sizing
Sizing can be a lifesaver – it’s as simple as that. If you are wearing the wrong size helmet, you may as well not be wearing one at all.
As with all other types of helmet, ski helmets are available in both adult and child sizes. The only way to work out which one you need is to measure your head carefully and take those measurements with you when you buy your ski helmet.
You should always try on the helmet you are thinking of buying before you actually do so. You’ll find that the helmets on sale come with padding to provide a perfect fit within the head size they are intended for.
Don’t just sit the helmet on your head and judge from there either. Make sure you adjust the chin strap and do it up, just as you would if you were actually going to go skiing for real. You will know if you have got the right fitting helmet or not, because if you try and remove it or knock it off while it is done up, it shouldn’t budge. If it does, keep looking.
Does it need vents?
Once you have started to look round for ski helmets, you will notice that some of them come with air vents and some don’t. These are purely to allow for the release of hot air as you ski down the slopes.
If you tend to get quite warm then you might benefit from the air vents. They are in general quite thin and don’t interfere with the degree of protection the helmet will give you.
Make sure it is certified
The last thing you want is to buy a skiing helmet which isn’t up to the legal standards required. Look out for one of the following on any helmet you are thinking of buying:
- ASTM
- CE
- Snell RS-98
If the helmet doesn’t bear any of these certification marks, then back away and find one that does. If you bought a substandard helmet and you were unfortunate enough to crash, you may not get any protection from it at all.
Choose a style and colour that suits you
It might sound daft, but if you are self-conscious about wearing your helmet, make sure you choose one that you really do like the look of. If you buy a pink one and you hate pink, for example, you aren’t going to feel any better about strapping it on and hitting the slopes with it, are you?
In the end, a skiing helmet is an essential item that could keep you alive if you suffer a nasty accident on the slopes. We all hope and assume that it would never happen to us, but the fact is that a small percentage of people are unlucky every year.
Make sure that if you do suffer a spill, your head is going to be protected in the best possible way. Invest in a solid and safe ski helmet today.