Snowboarding Helmet

Michael Millbank asked:




Snowboarding, like skiing is a fun and exciting sport that frequently involves racing down a mountain at speeds you might not even see on a bicycle. It would be foolhardy to reach these speeds on the same mountain or hill you are sharing with other riders, skiers, trees, rocks, hard packed snow, and bare frozen ground without a helmet. You need protection here more than other sports because of the power of the turns, maneuvers and tricks often performed in snowboarding. A snowboarding helmet should protect your head your head from injury as much as possible while not interfering with your ability to move your head and neck or blocking your vision in any way.

The proper helmet should fit snugly even before you strap it into place. It should not be too tight and it should not keep you from bringing your head backward in a standing position to at least the top of your back where your shoulders join. You should also be able to see clearly above and below with nothing blocking your vision. Take a few minutes and shake your head to see if the helmet slips down. If it slips down in the store it will slip while you are riding, and it is better to find this out in the store.

Try on a variety of many helmets from several manufactures to get a feel for each of them. This way if you ever want to order from an online site you will have an idea of how different companies market and rate their products. Check each one for comfort and fit. If a helmet does not fit well it will become uncomfortable and this will cause you to have a dangerous urge to take it off. The better the fit to start with, the better chance you will be able to wear it and stay out practicing longer.

Even if you find a helmet you think very well go ahead and buy some padding strips. Padding strips have adhesive on one side and soft padding on the other. If you find some areas are not fitting snuggly enough you can add the padding a strip at a time until the helmet begins to feel more secure. Try the same tests again to make sure you are getting the proper fit and the helmet will not fall off or slip down.

The chin strap is one place where many riders make a mistake with snowboarding helmets. They either cinch them too tight or wear them so loose they do no good. The strap should merely be helping to hold the helmet in place; it should not be what you depend on to keep the helmet in place, or from slipping down. If you find yourself having deep red marks on your chin or throat you are wearing the strap too tightly. On the hand, the strap should not be loose enough to snag anything around you as you are moving. The strap should be firm against the chin without digging into the skin.