The Best Snow Helmets for Kids for the 2023/24 Ski Season

Winter holiday is soon upon us and that means that the ski resorts shortly will be filled with venturesome children, making their way around the slopes. Before allowing your child to pursue their snow sports adventures, it is critical to ensure your child’s safety by picking out the best possible snow helmet. However, picking out the right snow helmet can be a daunting task, that is why we have written this article to guide parents through the best snow helmets for kids, certifications to look for, and safety technologies to consider when purchasing a child snow helmet this season.

POC Pocito Fornix Mips

Our top choice for the best snow helmet to buy for your child would be The POCito Fornix Mips, due to its implementation of multiple safety features and technologies aimed at accident prevention. The vibrant fluorescent colors of this snow helmet increase the visibility of children, providing fellow skiers with additional reaction time and minimizing the risk of collisions. Reflective patches are strategically placed on the helmet to further boost visibility. In the unfortunate event of an accident, the helmet ensures protection for children through features such as an aramid penetration barrier, a lightweight EPS liner, and a PC shell.  

Features

• Integrated Technologies: Twiceme HTH-technology, Mips, and Recco.
• Fully adjustable ventilation: allowing children to easily adjust and manage their temperature.
• Material: Polycarbonate, Aramid, EPS.
• Additional features: the goggle clip provides security and the goggle chimneys allow vapor to escape from POC goggles, preventing steaming.

Salomon Husk

HUSK Jr is an easy and minimalistic helmet that makes it easy to feel comfortable and safe. Designed for young riders who prioritize comfort and style without complicated adjustment alternatives. This snow helmet is provided with Salomon’s groundbreaking EPS 4D technology, which offers the highest energy-absorbing snow helmet technology. The lightweight PC shell combined with the EPS lining provides maximum protection and comfort. 

Features

• Integrated Technologies: Twiceme HTH-technology.
• Ventilation: Strategically placed ventilation creates constant airflow that keeps the head comfortable and ski goggles free from fog. 
• Material: Polycarbonate, EPS.
• Additional features: 3D-ear protection, padded chin-strap, removable and washable padding that uses AdvancedSkin ActiveDry, a fast-drying material to keep the skin dry.

Everest J Terrain Pro Mips

The Everest J Terrain Pro Mips is a high-tech alpine helmet equipped with several safety functionalities for maximum protection. The shell is made from durable polycarbonate and has an impact-absorbing EPS foam interior, with a soft inner lining made from 50% bamboo. This snow helmet’s fit can easily be adjusted through the dial at the back of the neck.

Features

• Integrated technologies: Twiceme HTH-Technology and MIPS.
• Ventilation: equipped with six adjustable ventilation openings and internal air channels, that together provide effective temperature regulation.
• Material: Polycarbonate, EPS.
• The magnetic Fidlock buckle allows for one-handed operation, even with gloves on.
• Additional features: Padded ear protection and chin strap.

MOD1 PRO I.C.E. Youth

The Oakley MOD1 PRO I.C.E is the classic skate-style helmet intended for anyone who wants to take on the slopes, as it comes in several fits and sizes. This snow helmet uses Oakley’s most robust construction method, which uses an injected Dura-Matter shell applied over an EPS foam liner. The helmet also features the skull matrix, a system that merges MIPS and BOA technologies, to provide a more adaptive fit to help improve comfort for an improved riding experience.

Features

• Integrated technologies: Twiceme HTH-technology.
• Ventilation: fixed vents at the front facilitate goggle ventilation while the fixed vents at the top of the helmet help keep the riders cool.
• Material: Dura-matter, EPS. 
• Fidlock-buckle allows you to secure your snow helmet even with gloves on.
  Additional features: Removable liner/ear pads, includes a helmet travel bag.
• Certifications: ASTM F2040 and EN1077.

Technologies in Snow Helmets for Added Safety

Twiceme

Twiceme’s Help the Helpers Technology is an integrated technology based on secure NFC and encourages bystanders to become helpers in the event of an accident. This technology provides parents with added comfort as it allows them to upload their emergency contact information onto their child's helmet. By tapping the NFC antenna of your phone onto the Twiceme symbol on the helmet, bystanders can access the medical information of the wearer, alert ICE contacts/emergency personnel, and send the precise location of the helmet-wearer. Learn more at twiceme.com/emergency. It also allows for preventative measures, such as inspecting the health of the equipment, product inspection, and informing about safety measures to customers. Read more at twiceme.com/non-emergency.

MIPS

A technology integrated into helmets that is designed to reduce rotational motion to the head during oblique impacts. The MIPS design incorporates a low-friction layer between the outer shell of the helmet and the inner padding. During an angled impact, this layer allows a controlled rotation of the outer shell relative to the head, mimicking the brain’s protective mechanisms. This rotation helps to redirect and disperse rotational energy, reducing the strain on the brain and lowering the risk of certain types of head injuries, such as concussions. 

RECCO

The patented RECCO technology is a two-part system, featuring an active detector and a passive reflector. The portable detector can identify RECCO reflectors within an air range of up to 80 meters and 20 meters through packed snow, which results in a range of up to 30 meters on avalanche debris. The Recco Reflector makes you searchable to the rescuers and is made up of lightweight passive transponders that consist of a diode and an antenna. 

Certifications to look for

EN1077 (CE/1077)

The European standard for non-motorized snow sports, such as recreational skiing and snowboarding, is EN1077 (CE1077). It encompasses criteria for field of vision, shock-absorbing properties, retention system, chin strap, and fastening devices. Typically, these helmets are constructed using EPS on In-Mold technology with ABS or PVC plastic shells.

ASTM2040

ASTM2040 is the specification set for recreational snow sports but is tested to a lower level than the European EN1077 (CE1077) certification. ASTM F2040 addresses various aspects, including impact resistance, retention system effectiveness, field of vision, and the ability to withstand environmental conditions typical of snow sports. 

Summary

Now that the winter sports season has commenced, it is vital to choose the best snow helmet for your child, to ensure their safe adventures on the slopes. Innovative snow helmets have been presented in this article, but if we were to pick out a helmet as the one to buy, it would be the POCito Fornix Mips for its plentiful addition of safety technologies, clever use of bright colors, and reflective patches.

In order to pick out the perfect snow helmet for your child it is also important to take certain precautions, such as considering the materials used in the helmet, the certifications the helmet complies with, and which safety technologies are added to the helmet. The choice of picking out the best snow helmet for your child can be strenuous, but we hope tha