Best Ski and Snowboard Helmet of 2021

The Smith Quantum MIPS snow helmet is Smith’s top of the line ski and snowboard helmet, and it is bursting with thoughtful features and heavily researched safety technology. We feel that it is the Best ski and snowboard helmet of 2021, and the one that I personally chose to protect my own head.

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See Our Best Ski & Snowboard Helmet Review 2021 HERE!

Comfort and Fit

If you are paying $300 for a ski and snowboard helmet, it had better be comfortable, and the Smith Quantum MIPS helmet is one of the most comfortable in our review. It uses a sweat-wicking, antimicrobial lining to keep your head dry on warmer days, and your helmet smelling fresh afterward. Furthermore, the Smith Quantum MIPS helmet uses the BOA FS360 fit system, which is our favorite helmet retention system on the market. The BOA system really makes the helmet conform to the shape of your head when you cinch it down, rather than just feeling like a band is being tightened in the back like some fit systems do. Furthermore, it allows for a wide range of adjustability for riders who want to comfortably wear a buff or beanie under their helmets, and it is also very easy to operate one-handed.

As a rule, Smith helmets are quite comfortable in general and fit a fairly broad selection of head shapes, and this is particularly true of the Smith Quantum and Vantage thanks to the BOA system. However, they do favor skiers and riders with a rounder head shape, as opposed to the more oval shaped fit of Giro helmets.

Warmth

If a helmet’s vents close tightly, and its earpads hug your ears and cheeks, then it will usually be a warm helmet, and that is the case with the Smith Quantum MIPS. Though it boasts a whopping 22 vents, they are easy to close down tight via a slider on the front and back, and when they are closed, they do a great job of keeping air out. The cheek pads, meanwhile, hug tight to your ears and cheeks, keeping fresh pow and wind from finding their way in. All in all, the Smith Quantum really is the gold standard for riders looking for the warmest possible ski and snowboard helmet.

Ventilation

The Smith Quantum’s 22 vents make it one of the best-ventilated snow helmets on the market, while in the open position. Better yet, the Smith Quantum uses two sliders to open and close its vents, one for the front vents and one for those in the rear. This lets riders fine tune just how much airflow they get.

However, the Koroyd lining of the Smith Quantum does mean that slightly less air gets through than it would otherwise. We found this to be much less of a problem with the higher speeds associated with skiing and snowboarding, as opposed to the lower speeds of the Koroyd lined Smith mountain bike helmets that we have reviewed.

Safety Tech and Additional Features

In addition to MIPS technology, which helps reduce the force of rotational impacts and thereby lowers the chances for concussions, the Smith Quantum helmet also features Smith’s “bomb-proof” exoskeleton reinforcement to the sides and rear of the helmet, where most skiing and snowboarding related impacts take place. The Smith Quantum Ski and Snowboard helmet is further reinforced with Smith’s own proprietary Koroyd lining throughout the entirety of the helmet.

The Koroyd lining is the bright green honeycomb-like liner, made from hundreds of tiny straws, which can be found in the Smith Quantum and Vantage helmets, among others. And it functions exactly like you might expect a beefed up honeycomb would in the event of a crash. Each straw of the honeycomb is engineered to collapse in a specific way, creating a pattern that best absorbs impact. Smith claims that it absorbs impact a whopping 30 percent better than traditional EPS foam.

Like several other top ski and snowboard helmets on our list, the Smith Quantum MIPS allows riders to use audio inserts in the earpads, such as the Chips 2.0 by Outdoor Tech.

Finally, the Smith Quantum MIPS is equipped with a single adjustment chinstrap with a magnetic Fidlock buckle, which makes getting the helmet strap off one-handed, as well as on and off in bulky mittens or gloves, a breeze.

Goggle Compatibility

Long before the folks at Smith were making top of the line helmets, they were busy making top of the line eyewear. With such a history, it is no surprise that Smith helmets tend to be among the best when it comes to helmet and goggle integration, and the Smith Quantum MIPS is a perfect example of that. In addition to simply fitting goggles well, the Smith Quantum utilizes Smith’s AirEvac2 to funnel moisture away from your goggles, making sure that they stay fog free.

While the Smith Quantum will provide a good fit with numerous goggles, the best combination of fit and goggle ventilation is achieved when using the Quantum with Smith’s own snow goggles.

Weight

There had to be one category where the Smith Quantum is not top of the line, and this is it. At 623g, it is on the heavier side of the helmets that we tested. However, the added weight comes from its plethora of added safety and technical features, which we were more than happy to take in exchange for the added 100g.

The Bottom Line

$300 is a lot of money, but there are few causes more worthy of your hard earned cash than protecting your head. That said, the Smith Quantum MIPS helmet is the most loaded with both safety and quality of life technology and features of any snow helmet on our list. It is the warmest when it’s cold and among the coolest when it’s warm. Add to this the Koroyd lining and MIPS insert in the Smith Quantum and you would be hard pressed to find a ski and snowboard helmet that offers more protection.

All in all, we think that the Smith Quantum MIPS is the best ski and snowboard helmet of 2021. Furthermore, you can sometimes catch the Smith Quantum MIPS on sale for around $180, and if you do it is an absolute steal.

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