 Poster: A snowHead
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...for a lifelong beanie wearer that's getting older and feels like he should be setting a better example. Resistance is futile etc... but doesn't mean I'd ever consider hiring one that's probably been dropped a dozen times. And has nits.
So basically, lightweight, not too 'obviously' helmet-y feel-y (does that make any sense?), and also nothing too funky coloured. Failing any better suggestions, I'm probably going to end up going with a DLX one that looks ok, but this is an area where I have virtually zero experience...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The one that fits 
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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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Get one that fits. The basic safety std is the same for all of them ( outside race helmets) so the nonsense about not having a sub £100 head is a bit misplaced. MIPS some people think is worth it.
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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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...well that's simple enough then, I figured there might have been a few clear winners in the "doesn't feel too much like a helmet" stakes, but ok, anything that will work with my lumpy 61cm cranium then. Doddle.
But absolutely not that 20 quid one from Decathlon - I get there's a certain grudging shabby chic affinity for Wedze, but it's really really ugly. Like I'm any sort of judge 
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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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if you crawl amazon with a prime account, buy a few & send back what does not fit.
You can get some bargains
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Mr.Egg, you know, maybe it's just my age, but I've never really bought into the approach of ordering 10 things just to try, and sending 9 of them back again. Just seems like a massive wasteful self-indulgence...
(Yeah, the same could be said about flying somewhere at half term to ski at inflated prices, but I'll make peace with myself on that one  )
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Well....I bought a non-MIPS POC Receptor Adjustable for 50:00 new on ebay a couple of months ago, usually about 100-120:00 - all our kit was in CH and I needed a few visits to Milton Keynes - but then I know that the M/L fits my 56cm skull ... they run true to size and the XXL would fit you.
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I got back skiing 4 years ago having never worn a helmet and had not intention of doing so. In the 80s and 90s no one wore them. I happened to be in Sports Direct (don't judge me) and tried a Nevica ( as I recall a huge name in the 80s and 90s) Helmet on and only £22.99. It fitted well and was really comfy and for 3 holidays it was great. I don't fall over much as don't push myself too much (as in late 40s and unfit) so don't need the best safety features and the helmet stayed in place and kept my head warm. I have not skied one run without my helmet since. I'm going again this year and fancied a change. I've just got a Smith Holt helmet (eBay £40 inc postage brand new) and the difference in fit and comfort is huge. Probably should have tried it on first etc but just got lucky but if it fits you I would recommend it (admittingly having not skied in it yet!) The only problem is that in my mind new helmet = new goggles and I have just spent too much on a new pair of Oakleys!
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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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@Weathercam, looks like a decent option, unfortunately the shipping time is too long given I'm traveling in less than 2 weeks...
Think I'll just go out and try a few on this weekend!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Looks like a generic chinese made helmet - no different really from what Decathlon, Aldi, Lidl etc sell (which is fully TUV certified). I find it hard to believe Oakley athletes won't be on their product for the Olympics but on Outdoor Master goggles. I know Shiffrin has to wear Nike rather than Adidas for the games.
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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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| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
| ....I find it hard to believe Oakley athletes won't be on their product for the Olympics but on Outdoor Master goggles.... |
Agree....
Good quality products though, as per Decathlon, but don't think you can put Lidl in the same category looking at what they offer compared to Decathlon / Intersport here
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I think you can - helmets and goggs from Aldi/lidl are at least as good as Decathlon pricepoint products - obviously they don't have the flashy magnets etc but an Aussie sourcing guy at SIA once told me at the time they came out of the same factory as Giro.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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Decathlon
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@radar, the first link just gives me a 404 error I'm afraid!
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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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@nevis1003, just been there to try them on. Nothing I liked although not much stock in the L size...
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@ratkinsonuk, hmm, tempting. Pity that it's only cheap in the brighter colours though!
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@radar, thanks, Id already looked at that site and there was nothing in black that would be delivered before our holiday. I figured you might have been pointing me to one of the red/orange options, which aren't really me.
Ski like I'm on my way to a funeral... that's my approach.
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@ratechaser, do you have a blue jacket and black trousers? Seemed to be the uniform in Saalbach, fortunately my helmet is white LOL
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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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A discount on a high performing helmet is a useful thing. But I certainly have never thought when heading into a rock garden on a DH bike, or dodging falling rocks on a face “I am glad I bought a cheap helmet…”
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| radar wrote: |
| @ratechaser, do you have a blue jacket and black trousers? Seemed to be the uniform in Saalbach, fortunately my helmet is white LOL |
My old outfit was blue jacket and blue trousers so you're close... the new one is mostly black, grey and a bit of colour around the edges. Just as long as I don't, ever, get mistaken for a boarder
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@valais2, agreed, but as someone that has beanie-d it all my life but now feels like they need to be the responsible elder of the group (not to mention the fact that I've endured about as much nagging from my family as I can take), I'm not really that bothered about high technical performance, I just want something that conforms to the key safety standards, and is as lightweight and unobtrusive as possible.
I figure that I should be able to get that without spending loads of money, and if a good discount is part of the equation, fine by me.
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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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I tried a few recently. I was seriously unimpressed with the quality of the Sweet Protection products at the lower price point - in fact one broke very easily. That surprised me, because I thought they were a quality brand.
I ended up with a Smith, because it seemed to strike the best balance between weight, comfort and price.
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You know it makes sense.
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@Ray Zorro, I'm no brand snob certainly, but the fact that their largest size is only up to 59cm puts me off (I'm a measured 61cm...)
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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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Just measured my head - it's 60.5cm
As someone that always snaps Christmas cracker hats, I was very surprised to fit comfortably into a helmet labelled 56-59 M/L
I did remove the back adjuster mechanism though.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Ray Zorro wrote: |
Just measured my head - it's 60.5cm
As someone that always snaps Christmas cracker hats, I was very surprised to fit comfortably into a helmet labelled 56-59 M/L
I did remove the back adjuster mechanism though. |
And I reckon that if I took the front seats out of a classic mini, I would fit in one comfortably too 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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So update... in the end I went with the Odoland helmet/goggles combo that @ratkinsonuk suggested. £45 for the white set which I'm very happy with.
According to my old kitchen scales, the helmet (ex goggles) weighs in at 400g, which is pretty reasonable. The contour of the goggles doesn't fit to the lip of the helmet quite as perfectly as the Amazon pics suggest, but it's a fairly good alignment, and they do look decent as a matching set.
If I had a couple of small niggles here - firstly, as it's a white set, you get a little bit of reflection on the inside of the goggles, around the nose area. Not a big deal, and if it did bother me, a black sharpie applied to the the inner white bits would do the trick.
The second niggle might just be me not doing something right, but I can't get the damn earmuffs to detach! The instructions suggest you just need to pull, but I've pulled so hard I'm worried I'm going to snap something! I've sent them an email to check if there is a different technique needed.
And finally @ratkinsonuk, the dark brown option was part of a different group of helmets on Amazon - they looked pretty similar, but if you checked out the reviews, there were lots of comments about the goggles only being big enough for a child. So I steered clear of them. White is good enough for me!
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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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| Poshprop wrote: |
| I got back skiing 4 years ago having never worn a helmet and had not intention of doing so. In the 80s and 90s no one wore them. I happened to be in Sports Direct (don't judge me) and tried a Nevica ( as I recall a huge name in the 80s and 90s) Helmet on and only £22.99. It fitted well and was really comfy and for 3 holidays it was great. I don't fall over much as don't push myself too much (as in late 40s and unfit) so don't need the best safety features and the helmet stayed in place and kept my head warm. I have not skied one run without my helmet since. I'm going again this year and fancied a change. I've just got a Smith Holt helmet (eBay £40 inc postage brand new) and the difference in fit and comfort is huge. Probably should have tried it on first etc but just got lucky but if it fits you I would recommend it (admittingly having not skied in it yet!) The only problem is that in my mind new helmet = new goggles and I have just spent too much on a new pair of Oakleys! |
Sorry I'm confused. You said your Sports Direct Nevica helmet fitted well, was really comfy and was great. But then you talk about the Smith Holt one you say the difference in fit and comfort is huge. Is it really, really comfy instead of just really comfy? 
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