shop for a helmet

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We have all done it, come home from the local snow show or dealer with a brand new helmet, only to have it fog up in the first 5 miles of our first ride. Talk about annoying!

Well, don't worry, the folks here at AmSnow have tried out many different brands, styles and variations of helmets to help you make the right decision. We've seen what works and what doesn't, so here's a little info and a few tips for getting the best performance from the three most popular helmet styles on the trails today.

Motocross (MX) style helmets
Last season we received the following question from a snowmobiler on www.AmSnow.com.

Q: "I'm heading for Quebec for a week and was wondering about goggles vs. an electric shielded modular helmet. I tried the MX-style helmet last year and my eyeballs about froze. I switched back to my electric shield right away. I thought about blocking the vents on my goggles, but was afraid of fogging up. This year I would like to try my new thermal x goggles with nose guard on my MX helmet. Any ideas or suggestions? Should I stay with the electric shield?"
- www.AmSnow.com member BadKitty

A: We get this kind of question a lot. The electric modular will definitely be warmer, but your field of vision and maneuverability are compromised compared to the MX-style helmets. MX helmets are for those snocross and wanna-be cross-country racers, the aggressive riders who value vision, lightness and ease of movement. Also, we have found that if you use an MX helmet correctly, for most people it will work fine until about 0-5 F, any colder than that, and we suggest ditching it for a full-face helmet.

MX-style helmets aren't made for super high-speed lake racing or incredibly cold riding. The visor is not conducive to drag racing, and if you are strictly a big-mile trail rider, you probably won't appreciate the somewhat more inconvenient MX helmet and goggle set-up.

Below are some ideas that might help first time MX-style helmet buyers have more success:

- Try on several different goggles until you find a pair that fit VERY snuggly into your particular helmet. Try the goggles on with your balaclava to make sure all the open areas are covered and a good seal is formed around your goggles. You should never feel hurricane-like winds through your goggles when you're riding.

- MX helmets with moldable and face-formed breath/snow deflectors are easier to work with than helmets with hard plastic ones. Nosecone-like deflectors, such as those on the Scorpion's series or Klim's  F-4, also help. Goggles with a neoprene nose guard are nice for additional protection and coverage too.

- One trick to staying warm and getting a good seal with your goggle is to use face tape - on your nose and cheekbones - like that available from Pro-Vue. Tape will guard against frostbite and help your goggles seal.

- Don't block up your goggle vents. This should be only a last ditch effort if you don't have another set of goggles with you. Yes, you should probably bring two sets of goggles with you, especially if you will be riding during the day in bright sunlight and also at night. A set with a darker tint and another that is clear or has a lighter tint is ideal.

- Thankfully, MX helmets are usually much cheaper than other helmets so you can afford to find the right one for you.

Full-face "Traditional" helmets
Just about every snowmobiler and their brother have used a full-face helmet, and almost every one has had fogging problems. To keep from fogging up, people have tried all kinds of shield sprays, wipes, cloths, you name it. Here are some simple ideas to consider when looking at full-face helmets.

- The only thing that ultimately will keep your full-face helmet from fogging is a good breath deflection system, helmet venting and airflow.

- Most traditional helmets from makers like Z1R Helmets, Arctic Cat and others come with built-in breath deflectors. Do NOT remove these! Many riders find the deflectors uncomfortable and hard to breathe in, but they are there for a reason and you will have fog problems as soon as you remove it.

- When looking at full-face helmets, try to find those with vents in the back, and top, as well as the front.

- Helmets that have "wicking" technology on the liners keep your head dryer and therefore less moisture stays in the helmet. Less moisture means less fogging. Airflow and breath deflection through helmets is crucial.

- On the top end of the full-face helmet line are those with electric shields. If you just can't find a helmet that works for you, these electric helmets are nearly guaranteed never to fog. Simply hook onto your sled's battery with the provided connections, or into the electrical system for those with batteryless sleds, and easily zip-tie the provided cord under your hood and run it out to your helmet. Shields are easily powered by your sleds electrical system. These work just like the rear window defroster in your car. The big downside to electric helmets is that you have a cord running from your head to the sled. Most aggressive riders find this impedes movement. Also, with anything electrical, you are bound to have problems at some point.

Modular helmets
When the first modular helmets hit the snow market, people weren't sure how to respond. There was a lot of concern that they weren't as safe as a full-face helmet because the whole chin cross member flips up along with the shield. In addition, the breath evacuation on many of these helmets fits like a fighter jet oxygen mask. Many people have a hard time getting used to them.

Here are a few pros to going modular.

- A modular is easier to talk through when you open it - even though the helmet is still strapped to your noggin - because the whole front opens, not just the shield.

- Breath evacuation is as high-tech as it comes on a modular too, therefore fogging is rarely a problem. Function-ality is incredible on newer modulars, the front quickly unlocks and the shields are easy to open, or you can pick any combination of the two.

- Field of vision is nearly as good as an MX-style helmet, and on new BRP helmets you get a slide-down sun visor inside the helmet.

- Modulars are much more comfortable for people who wear glasses and don't want to take them off and on each time they remove their helmet.

There are a few drawbacks to modulars though.

- They can be heavier.

- There are more moving parts, so more chance of part failure. (However, our editor's Nolan helmet has worked fine for 3 seasons.)

- On average they are more expensive than regular full-face helmets and much more expensive than MX-style helmets. If you really go to the high-end, an electric shielded modular helmet can run more than $500! So wait for a sale!

Our advice on modulars, don't go cheap because even the cheap ones are expensive and they don't work nearly as well as something like the BRP units.

More helmet info: www.scorpionusa.com, www.z1rhelmets.com, www.ski-doo.com, www.arcticcat.com, or www.klimusa.com.