Best Ski and Snowboard Helmets
The original version of this post admitted to not liking helmets much. Worth keeping, because it is honest and it is also the argument that has been most thoroughly settled since. Helmet use went from a minority habit to near-universal in a decade, and the reason is simply that head injuries are the ones that change lives.
The feature to understand is rotational protection. A conventional helmet is designed for a straight-on impact. Most real crashes are angled, and the rotational force is what does the damage a hard shell alone does not absorb. MIPS is the best known implementation, a low-friction layer that lets the shell move a few millimetres against the liner; several brands now have their own equivalents. This did not exist in ski helmets when this post was written and is the main reason a modern helmet is better than a 2010 one.
Fit matters more than the badge. It should sit level, with no gap at the goggle brow, and not rock when you shake your head. Try it with the goggles you actually own.
Buy new and replace after a real impact. The foam is single-use; it crushes to absorb energy and does not come back. That also rules out second-hand helmets, whatever the price.
What you can now have that you could not then: proper ventilation you can adjust mid-run, removable washable liners, and audio pockets that take a standard drop-in speaker set. None of that is a safety feature, but all of it is why people keep the helmet on.
Part of the guide to ski and snowboard.