The most important piece of snowboard protective gear is, without question, a snowboard helmet.
Bruised knees and elbows will mend. Broken bones can be reset. However, damage caused by a blow to your unprotected head can, in the worst case, be irreversible. These statements are not meant to scare you! They are meant simply to stress the importance of protecting your head in the unlikely event you do hit it on the ground or on some other hard object.
#1: The Right Snowboard Helmet Depends on What Type of Snowboarding You'll Be Doing.
All-Mountain/Recreational Snowboarding
For most snowboarding, a standard, three-quarter shell snowboard helmet is a good choice.
This type of snowboard helmet will help protect the top, sides, and back of your head.
Snowboard helmet liners employ a light, but stiff styro-foam material called EPS foam. This protective liner is meant to condense, break, crack or fracture upon sustaining ONE MODERATE to HEAVY impact, so that your skull doesn’t have to!
Standard snowboard helmets generally have a bucket-shaped, hard exterior shell. This shell can be made of:
ABS plastic
polycarbonate plastic
fiberglass composite
or carbon fiber.
Snowboard Racing/Vert/Bordercross Snowboarding
If your snowboard riding gets into high speed or serious vert stuff, you may want to consider a fullface snowboarding helmet.
Fullface snowboarding helmets are a more extensive form of snowboard protection and are constructed with a chin bar that extends across your face and offers protection for your chin, jaw, cheeks and parts of your face, as well as a visor to shield your eyes from the sun and wayward tree branches.
All of the fullface snowboard helmets we carry employ a light, but stiff styro-foam material called EPS. This protective liner is meant to condense, break, crack or fracture upon sustaining ONE MODERATE to HEAVY impact, so that your skull doesn’t have to!
Fullface snowboard helmets generally have a thin, hard exterior shell. This shell can be made of:
polycarbonate plastic
fiberglass composite
or carbon fiber.
#2: Should My Snowboard Helmet Meet Any Safety Certifications?
Choose a snowboard helmet that carries at least the ASTM F2040 Certification for snow sports helmets.
Some models may also carry the European Union standard, CE EN1077, but the ASTM F2040 standard is more rigorous. This specification defines performance requirements for helmets used in nonmotorized recreational snow sports such as skiing, snowboarding, and other alpine sports.
All of the Snowboard Helmets we carry at XSportsProtective.com are ASTM F2040 certified.
A tougher snowboard protective gear/helmet standard still is the Snell RS-98 standard, but most snow helmet manufacturers use the ASTM standard, largely because the Snell certification is very expensive and Snell certified helmets have added bulk and weight that aren't appealing to consumers.
#3: The 2 Types of Snowboard Helmet Construction: Hard-Shell ABS vs. In-Mold
Hard-Shell ABS Snowboard Helmet Construction
Hard-shell snowboard helmet construction is a feature of lower-to-mid-range priced helmets. Hard-shell snowboard helmets:
are made with a thick, tough ABS plastic shell that is pre-formed and glue onto a pre-molded liner
offer great protective abilities with a helmet that is much more budget friendly
tend to be a bit heavier
offer less venting capabilities
In-Mold Snowboard Helmet Construction
In-mold snowboard helmet construction is a feature of mid-to-higher-end helmets. In-mold snowboard helmets are:
are made by molding an ABS plastic shell and the stiff foam interior liner simultaneously and fusing them together
usually lighter weight than hard-shell constructed helmets
often able to offer more venting options due to the construction technique
tend to be a bit more expensive than their hard-shell counterparts
#4: Find A Well Fitting Snowboard Helmet.
Snowboard helmets are usually sold with a different exterior shell size to accommodate the size of the wearer’s head, along with sometimes interchangeable fit pads or a rotating dial to further customize the fit and snugness. Every snowboard helmet has a sizing table in its description that shows the head size (usually in centimeters for more accuracy) and corresponding helmet size (Small, Medium, Large, etc.)
How big is your head?
The first step in determining what size snowboard helmet you should by is the measure your head with our Helmet Sizing Guide.
How should the snowboard helmet fit on your head?
The way a helmet rests on your head is critical to how it will perform for its intended use. How many times have you seen the neighborhood kid riding his bike down the street with his helmet kicked way back on his forehead, so that he looks more like a comic strip character with an orb growing off the back of his head? Often, right? Right. This is NOT the proper way to wear a helmet.
Proper helmet fit means proper head coverage. When you try on a helmet, the front of the helmet should sit down onto your forehead until just above your eyebrows. There should be room enough to slip on a pair of goggles or sunglasses, but not much more. A half-inch in most cases.
Lastly, does the snowboard helmet feel comfortable when you wear it?
Different manufacturers make their helmet molds differently. For you, the wearer, what’s important is that the helmet fits comfortably all the way around your head. If you think you’ve got the proper size, but the helmet is still a little roomy in a spot or two, that is not a big deal. You can add included fit pads where necessary to achieve a more secure fit. However, if you’ve selected what you believe is the proper size, but feel an uncomfortable pressure anywhere around the circumference of your head, then this helmet is probably too small for you. Try a different size or style of helmet from the same line or try a different manufacturer altogether.
"By way of example, the writer of this article is a road cyclist with a large head circumference, a prominent forehead, and a tall crown (the measurement from the top of the ears to the top of the cranium). Giro Bike Helmet styles used to appeal to me most, but I’ve since discovered that Bell Bike Helmets fit me best. Before I started wearing Bell helmets, I used to buy Giro helmets, then carve out small bits of the EPS foam liner in front until they fit without pressure on my forehead. This is exactly the wrong way to fit a helmet."
To find a snowboard helmet that fits you comfortably, start with XSportsProtective’s Helmet Sizing Guide, then use your head measurements to compare all of the different helmet offerings from the different manufacturers that appeal to you. You will find a great selection to choose from.
#5: Prices for Snowboard Helmets Vary and Are Due to Extra Features.
Now that snowboard helmets are more accepted by snowboarders, free skiers and the like, companies like Giro, POC, RED, ProTec and Smith Optics have begun to ramp up the performance, fit and styling of their own helmet models to appeal to the wide range of mountain surfers. The aim is always to create a snowboard helmet that is super protective and fits your needs on the slopes as well as your personal style. So, you might be asking, “What’s the difference between the $80 Giro Shiv Snowboard Helmet and the $150 Giro Seam Snowboard Helmet” Besides the doubling in price, of course…They both offer the same amount of protective abilities when it comes to crashes and collisions, right??
YES! They absolutely do. It’s important to note that nearly ALL of our snowboard helmets are safety certified (ASTM F2040 & CEEN 1077) for recreational snow use and offer the same amount of high quality protection.
That being said, when it comes to snowboarding helmets, you do get what you pay for. And prices mainly fluctuate based upon these features:
Helmet Construction
Number of Vents
Type of Venting
Fit Systems
Interior Liner
Below we'll explain how the features above determine the pricing, so that you can choose the perfect helmet for this season and seasons to come!
Topping the Charts: Snowboard Helmets from $160+.
Helmets in this price point take into account many types of desirable features, but lead the pack mostly because they’ve taken the standard offerings of most helmets and revamped them by adding more technology for ease of use. The helmets listed in this price range feature:
Helmet Construction – In-Mold: This process of involves molding the helmet’s hard outer shell simultaneously with the impact-absorbing, EPS middle layer. This injected layer is permanently fused to the outer shell and allows for more venting capabilities and a much lighter overall helmet (important if you snowboard in a multitude of weather conditions or if your core temperature tends to change quickly.) In-Mold construction also lends its hand to a more light weight helmet, prefect for less cumbersome feel.
Number of Vents – The Most Venting Because these higher end helmets are made with In-Mold constriction, they offer a much wider range of vent positioning and placement, since the outer shell and inner mold match up perfectly with each other. More vents = a cooler or warmer head when you need it!
Type of Venting – On-the-Go/Thermostat Control: A small switch near the brim or base or top of theses helmets controls the vents and can be flipped completely open when your noggin needs a little more fresh air, or completely closed on those frigid, icy days. Or flip the switch to somewhere in the middle! With on-the-go venting, you can adjust the temp inside your helmet with the flip of a switch, even with gloves on.
Fit – Adjustable Fit Systems: Higher end helmets usually offer much more removable padding along the interior for a custom fit AND an adjustable dial at the back of your helmet to further tweak the fit. Adjust your helmet day to day, season to season or if you decided to wear a beanie or your goggle strap underneath your helmet with the simple turn of a dial!
Interior Liner – Anti-Odor Comfort Liner:Snowboard helmets at the higher price points also feature tech-savvy, interior liners that combat odor and mildew, yet are completely breathable and sweat wicking. These anti-microbial liners, enhanced with silver or Hrydofoil nylon fibers help regulate heat and odor automatically, so you can keep your mind on that next jump or rail, instead of wondering about helmet funk.
Runners Up: Snow Helmets from $150.
Helmets in this next price point offer most of the same features as the helmets above! However, the interior liner can be slightly different:
Interior Liner – Standard Foam Liner: This soft, removable and washable liner provides great comfort and fit, but does not combat sweat and heat the way more advanced liners, with special fibers woven into the padding, do naturally. We recommend you gently hand wash dirty or stinky liners to lengthen the life of your helmet.
Comin’ In Strong: Snow Helmets from $90.
Helmets in this middle-of-the-road price range still offer the light weight, In-Mold construction as their more expensive counter parts, and a similar number of vents, however they employ the standard, interior liners as well as vent plugs as a means to control the temperature in your helmet:
Type of Venting – Before-You-Go/Vent Plugs or As-You-Ride/Channeled Airflow: Instead of being able to flip a switch on-the-go to adjust the venting and airflow on to your head, you’ll have to take off your helmet to pop out or pop back in the foam vent plugs. Leave them at home, in the ski lodge, or pack a couple in your jacket pocket, should you need to make some temperature adjustments while you take a break on the slopes. Some snowboard helmets in this price range have channeled airflow venting, which sucks in cool fresh air and pushes out stale air from your helmet with strategically placed vents as you ride.
Fit System – In Form or Fit Kit: Within this price range you have a choice in fit systems. Some offer customizable fit systems for dialed in adjustments. Others have a collection of removable pads in varying thicknesses that you can swap in and out of your helmet.
Last, but Definitely Not Least: Snow Helmets from $60.
Wanting to protect your most important part, but don’t need all of the frills as the above helmets? The snow helmets in the price range are perfect for the newer skier or boarder, younger groms and those looking for great protection and styling without a lot of extra features to fuss with. On these helmets, you’ll find:
Helmet Construction – Hard Shell: This method of construction takes an already formed outer shell and then attaches it to the pre-molded, impact absorbing EPS liner. This creates a quality, protective helmet with a bit more weight to it, less venting options, but a great price point.
Type of Venting – As-You-Ride/Channeled Airflow: Although these helmets tend to offer less venting that some of the above, they do offer performance vents in the most important of places on your helmet that suck in fresh air and push out sweaty, stale air. These vents are sometimes covered with mesh to keep air channeling in and snow out and are great for those that tend to have a cooler core temperature on the mountain!
Fit System – Fit Kit: The Fit Kit system is a collection of removable pads in a range of different thicknesses that simply attach with Velcro to the inside of your helmet, so you can swap in and out different pads at the crown and top of your head for maximum comfort!
#6: How Can I Get Audio Capability in My Snowboard Helmet?
