 Poster: A snowHead
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So for a week trip (which will hopefully lead to more trips in future but, who knows!) - is it better to buy or rent a helmet?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Buy....you won't have to share the sweat from previous renters! Plus you will get a better fit and get one that can accommodate your goggles over the top (not all goggles fit all helmets). Plus you will know it's history i.e. You won't always know if a rental helmet has ever been damaged.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Well that's what I was thinking really - about if they'd ever been damaged. But now you've got me thinking about sweat... :-/
Is there anything in particular I should look for? Are all helmets the same whether skiing or boarding?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Rent? Urgh! Buy 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@JanieS, I'm no expert but comfort over style and take your goggles with you to the shop when trying out. All should pass a common minimum safety standard.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Buy, TKMaxx sometimes have some helmets in and REALLY cheap! (ive never bought one from there so cant comment on quality)
http://www.tkmaxx.com/search?q=ski+helmet
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Thu 15-01-15 23:08; edited 1 time in total
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Do you have any friends you could borrow a helmet from? Can understand your reluctance to buy a helmet (many of them cost £100) just for a week but Aldi and Lidl often have very cheap helmets - and if you have a Decathlon near you, that would be a good place to look too.
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PS my wife is a glorified hair dresser and the things she finds crawling in people hair makes me never want to share a coach seat with another person let alone a helmet 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Eurgh will definitely buy one haha. Kind of wanted to anyway as some of them are early nice lol but didn't want to buy one when unjustified.
What would you say is a standard price? I will go to the shops at Chill Factore but don't want to get ripped off.
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Buy. Take your goggles so they fit together ok. My wife got a reasonable helmet for about £35 a couple of years ago. I have always bought for the kids as well even though everything else is rented.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Some scary prices at Chill Factore shops. You do get what you pay for as I race motorbikes and wouldn't use a cheap one for that. But if just starting out skiing I'd get a cheaper one. Kind of depends how much you value your head:-) It's not just how fast you are traveling but also how fast someone could collide with you. It's personal choice, I don't want to start a helmet debate.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Sportsdirect.com have them for £20 - you can't rent for that.
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^ that.
also +1 for Lidl, Aldi, Decathlon or fleabay come to that if you know a model that fits with your goggles
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You know it makes sense.
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TK Maxx have some for £25, seem reasonable.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Hmm okay, well maybe I'll try some on in there then look online when I know what's a good fit etc. from the shop.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Kind of depends how much you value your head
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I think this is misleading and a bit scare-mongery. A thread where some people attempted to show that more expensive helmets provided better protection, a couple of years ago, failed to show that that was the case. Certainly it seemed that some of the best, very specialised, helmets might possibly have an advantage (extensive testing was not conclusive) but there was absolutely no evidence that, say, an expensive Giro helmet was better than a cheap Decathlon helmet (or for that matter a cheaper Giro helmet).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Yes, when read like that it sounds to be putting pressure on. It was meant to be light hearted, sorry. I personally have a cheap Trespass helmet for skiing I bought over the Internet but always buy higher end motorcycle helmets so I am an advocate of both ends of the market. As for choosing to wear one at all it just comes natural from growing up doing bmx, motocross, road riding and racing motorbikes on tarmac circuits. It does feel 'nice' the few times I have skied without a helmet on I must admit but I just felt a bit naked/vulnerable. Especially as I'm not the best skier in the world
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I've been wearing helmets snowboarding longer than most, and had cheap ones and expensive ones, and when the current POC expires in a year or two, it'll be replaced with something for the upper range. They're better engineered, with better materials, better thought through and just nicer things to wear. The nature of CEN 1077 (the snowsports helmet standard) is a binary pass/fail one, but its pretty clear that not all helmets are created equal...
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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How much is your head worth? Buy one that fits.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Most Helmets are cheap compared to the rest of the gear you strap on to ski considering what they might end up protecting. Why wouldn't you?
And yes buy.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yes, of course buy one that fits. But many helmets cost over £100 and do the same job as one costing £25. Why would you, for a week?
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| pam w wrote: |
| Yes, of course buy one that fits. But many helmets cost over £100 and do the same job as one costing £25. Why would you, for a week? |
Thanks @pamw - that's my question really. The ones I saw in Chill Factore shops the other day were circa £70 upwards. I don't mind paying that if it's what they cost. But I know I don't need a top of the range, all singing all dancing helmet with bluetooth installed. But, given I know very little about helmets, perhaps they do need bluetooth...!
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@JanieS, Helmets from T K Maxx or Decathlon and others suggested above would be fine, and have passed exactly the same tests as the much more expensive ones. No, you don't need Bluetooth unless you are sad enough that you can't bear to be off your mobile phone for an instant. 
And £70, as you discovered, is absolutely nowhere near the top of the range. People paying more are paying for looks, or the label, or extra features which have nothing to do with safety (such as Bluetooth, which arguably could detract from safety). But they justify their expenditure by going on about "how much is your head worth".
Do make sure that your goggles and helmet fit together well - that's quite important. Goggles are like helmets in that you can try on 10 pairs and only one is really comfortable. I'd never buy online without being able to try the exact model.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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the cheap ones I am sure will protect you but for comfort money buys you something extra. In terms of safety money I think does help, I trust Sweet Protection helmets in a big way for people they fit but quite agree with the point of its not about how much you pay if it doesnt fit.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Rental - no idea of damage, previous users/usage, goggle fit, etc.
Buy your own, the you know exactly what it has been through, and if it needs replacing. And whose sweat resides in it!
No need to spend a fortune but most decent brands and retailers seem to be around the £100 mark as far as I can see. What is the point of saving a few quid at the expense of a helmet that isn't much good?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| pam w wrote: |
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Kind of depends how much you value your head
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I think this is misleading and a bit scare-mongery. A thread where some people attempted to show that more expensive helmets provided better protection, a couple of years ago, failed to show that that was the case. Certainly it seemed that some of the best, very specialised, helmets might possibly have an advantage (extensive testing was not conclusive) but there was absolutely no evidence that, say, an expensive Giro helmet was better than a cheap Decathlon helmet (or for that matter a cheaper Giro helmet). |
If it's the thread I'm thinking of I'm not sure that's quite true.
Sure there was no evidence, but then there isn't any evidence that helmets help either - though when we think logically about it we know that's more down to how hard it is to do meaningful studies.
IIRC the thread you mentioned demonstrated more that the tests to get helmets certified are so useless that you can't really know what you're buying without further research than anything else.
I do to a large degree agree with you about the likes of Giro, but when you get to the top line stuff like Sweet and POC I think it's fairly clear that you're getting a much better product.
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My kids have had rental helmets and I borrowed one from my guide last year. No probs. In Norway they had big nets of them for free loan and loads of people were using them, but all seemed good and clean.
Did finally pay 100 quid for my own tho, and it is v comfy and it does have a nice pump up fitting system and controllable air vents ....
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You know it makes sense.
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Well I bought a basic Anon one for just short of £50 (inc. student discount) from Subvert (I think the shop is called?). Seems alright
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FAQ
Fab - will get shopping and make sure to take my goggles with me. 