Smith Vantage Helmet--REVIEW

For a lot of people, ski touring and helmets aren't a great match—you've got to lug them up to the top of your run, they take up a bunch of space in your pack; the list of excuses goes on. The bottom line is, however, your mellon is better off with a dome piece than without one in the event of an accident.

I've been skiing for 30 years, with and without a helmet. For the past few years, when I've decided that my ski plans necessitated a helmet, I've most often reached for my climbing helmet—it's light and doesn't take up much space in my pack. In reality, what would a climbing helmet do in the event of a ski crash? Since they're designed to protect against rockfall, they probably wouldn't offer a whole lot of protection if you were tomahawking down a steep, rock-walled chute.

The Smith Vantage is an interesting piece of headgear. It's got fresh style and even a little bling—I could go without that stuff, but I guess the kids like it these days. More importantly it seems to be durable, light weight (a size large weighs 466g without the ear flaps), well ventilated and a solid piece of head protection.