Are you planning on hitting the slopes this winter? If so, then you must get all the best kit ready for your skiing trip. There are plenty of things you need to buy, but a ski helmet with a visor is one of the most vital.
Struggling to pick one out?
Don?t worry, we?ve reviewed the best ski helmets with visors to help you become well-equipped for your trip.
How do you choose the best ski helmets with visors?
Buying a ski helmet with a built-in visor can present several benefits to buying the helmet and visor. However, before you rush into a purchase, you must understand what to look for in the best product.
Make sure you get the right size
Ski helmets come in different sizes for different shaped heads. A common mistake is buying one without accurately measuring your size. The easiest way to do this is with some measuring tape. You just have to pull it around your temple to measure the circumference of your head.
Once you know your size, you can look at ski helmets with visors that are closest to this. They?ll have adjustable straps so you can get an even better fit.
Check for safety certifications
Naturally, the purpose of a ski helmet is to protect your head from as much damage as possible. To ensure they do this, all ski helmets with visors need to pass various safety tests. If they pass, then they get given a specific safety certification. this is necessary to show that they meet the industry standards.
So, before you buy, make sure you check for any of these:
- ASTM F2040 – this is the safety standard for products made in the US
- CE EN 1077 – this is the safety standard for European products
- Snell RS-98/S-98 – these are two additional safety standards to also look for
Look at the visor
Of course, you can?t buy a ski helmet with a visor if you don?t understand the purpose of the visors.
Effectively, visors help block out light and give you a clear field of vision. As such, they come with a VLT rating – which stands for visible light transmission. In essence, this tells you how effective the visor is at letting light pass through.
The link above can help you see what different VLT ratings mean. But, some manufacturers don?t actually use the specific ratings. Instead, they split their visors up into three categories:
- Category 1: the visor is ideal for cloudy weather with low sunlight
- Category 2: the visor can transition between cloud and sun easily
- Category 3: perfect for clear skies and bright sun
Key attributes that differentiate these products
Not all ski helmets with visors are similarly built. So, here are a few attributes to look for that differentiate some from others:
- Anti-fog visors: Some products come with visors designed to prevent fogging. This is very handy as it stops you from needing to de-fog the visor while adding safety too.
- Weight: Some visors are lightweight. This helps them feel more comfortable on your skull. On the other hand, some are specifically designed to be heavier as this adds more protection. It all comes down to the type of foam that?s injected into each product. Look for EPS to get the lightest model and ABS for more protective ones.
- Photochromic lenses: A ski helmet with a photochromic lens in the visor automatically adjust to the light levels. So, you can wear it when it?s cloudy, but it instantly adjusts when the sun comes out.
- Multiple visors: Some helmets come with more than one visor in the box. This lets you chop and change between the two depending on the weather conditions.
What are the advantages of ski helmets with visors?
Why should you buy a ski helmet with a visor rather than buying a ski helmet on its own, then a pair of goggles separately? Well, it turns out there are plenty of benefits:
- More convenient: It?s much easier for you to buy one product than to go out and buy two. Instead of needing to do two lots of research, you only have to do one load!
- Space-saving: Because the helmet is with a built-in visor, it saves space in your ski bag.
- Better coverage: The key issue with ski goggles is that there?s always a goggle gap between them and the helmet. This lets snow flurries get through to your face, and it can feel uncomfortable. The built-in visors cover the entire top half of your face.
- More comfortable: Similarly, the actual fit of goggles is far more uncomfortable. They really get stuck into your face, and it irritates you as you ski. A visor feels perfect because it?s attached to the helmet, not your face!
What are the main concerns?
While there are plenty of advantages, buying ski helmets with visors raises a couple of concerns:
- Visor fogging: We touched upon this earlier, but ski visors can sometimes fog up and restrict your view. Thankfully, you can prevent this from happening. You can use the air ventilation system in the helmet. There are also many other ways to prevent fogging while you ski.
- Product protection: Because your helmet now has a visor attached, it needs more protection than usual. So, this means being extra careful when storing it, so you don?t crack the lens.
Now that we?ve discussed a few key things to know before you buy, it?s time to look at the best ski helmets with visors on the market today! Below, we?ve reviewed the following products:
- NENKI Ski Helmet with Visor NK-2012
- EnzoDate 2-in-1 Visor Ski Snowboard Helmet
- Bolle Backline Visor Ski Helmet
- EnzoDate 2-in-1 Detachable Visor Ski Helmet UV400
- SINNER Titan Visor Ski Helmet
NENKI Ski Helmet with Visor NK-2012
My rating –
First up, we have the NENKI ski helmet that comes in three different sizes; Small, Medium, and Large. It uses ABS material which gives it added protection against impacts. But, it still retains a relatively lightweight feel.
One feature we really liked was the anti-fog visor with 100% UV exclusion. This feature could help you get a clearer line of sight on sunny days without clouding your vision as you heat up. It?s unisex as well, so the sizes fit both men and women.
However, the design is somewhat flawed as it allows cold air to pass under the visor. You can solve this by wearing a beanie, but this may mean you need to adjust the size.
All things considered, this helmet scores high on safety features. But, it perhaps lacks a little in the comfort and convenience departments.
Pros and Cons:
| Pros | Cons |
| Excellent ventilation to prevent the visor from fogging up | Your head can feel quite cold because of wind getting under the visor |
| Reinforced construction for strong impact resistance | Can?t take off the visor and swap for another one |
| CE Certified and designed to protect you when you?re in the air or on the ground | Hard to wear glasses underneath the visor |
| Lightweight and comfortable design |
EnzoDate 2-in-1 Visor Ski Snowboard Helmet
This offering from EnzoDate provides you with an S2 VLT visor level. It’s ideal for good weather conditions. There?s an integrated goggle shield as well, which you can choose to remove if you wish. Effectively, this design of the shield is to give you more protection and comfort. It blocks wind from breaking through the sides of your helmet, so you feel nice and snug.
Alongside this, the lining of the helmet is of velvet material. This is particularly impressive as it adds to the overall comfort and warmth of the helmet. Plus, you can take out the liner to clean it as well.
It?s lightweight as well, and there?s not a lot to really critique with this product. If you?re after a photochromatic lens, then you won?t get it here – so that?s a potential downside. Also, we struggled to find anywhere that offered replacement visor lenses. So, bear that in mind too.
Pros and Cons:
| Pros | Cons |
| Lightweight and comfortable design | The visor may only be useful in good weather conditions |
| Detachable velvet liner on the inside | Hard to find replacement visors that fit the helmet |
| Detachable goggle shield with two-layers of sponge | |
| Anti-fog and anti-UV lens | |
| Prevents a lot of cold air from attacking your face |
Bolle Backline Visor Ski Helmet
My rating –
This helmet comes with a lot of advanced technology. For example, it has a Panoramic Vision that offers a 180-degree field of view. You can also wear prescription glasses under the visor without any problems at all.
There?s an ABS injected shell to provide as much resistance as possible. It’s an excellent shock absorption too.
You get two visors in the box as well; 1 silver gun, and 1 lemon. The lemon is for low-light, while the silver is for brighter conditions to reflect the sun away from your eyes.
Another feature we found useful was the adjustable ventilation system. You can alter how much air comes through your helmet. This helps with de-fogging and temperature control. In essence, you can stop yourself from getting too hot or too cold!
One of the only issues is that it tends to experience some leakage in heavy snowstorms. When the weather is clear, there are no issues, so just keep that in mind.
Pros and Cons:
| Pros | Cons |
| Clever ventilation system | Can leak during snowstorms or heavy snowfall |
| Two excellent visors in the box | Sizes aren?t 100% accurate and are tighter than you expect |
| You can easily change the visors by just clicking them out of place | |
| ABS shell with CE EN 1077B certification | |
| 180-degree views through the visor | |
| You can wear these with glasses |
EnzoDate 2-in-1 Detachable Visor Ski Helmet UV400
EnzoDate equips this ski helmet with an integrated goggle shield. It comes with a whopping 3 layers of high-quality sponge. You can take it out if you wish, but we find it adds some extra protection against the elements.
There are two visors that come with this helmet; a VLT 22% Blue lens, and a VLT 76% yellow lens. The blue one is for good weather skiing, and the yellow one is for bad/darker weather conditions.
The actual helmet shell combines both ABS and EPS foam. This is to give you something that?s highly protective yet still very lightweight. The only problem with the shell is that it comes in one size. Yes, you can adjust it, but it does tend to run quite large.
Pros and Cons:
| Pros | Cons |
| ABS & EPS impact-resistant shell | Size tends to run large, and there are no specific sizes available |
| You can exchange two different visors at will | If the size isn?t perfect, then the visor can rub against your nose |
| Detachable goggle shields for extra weather protection | The ventilation system isn?t adjustable |
| Washable velvet liner on the inside | |
| Built-in ventilation system |
SINNER Titan Visor Ski Helmet
My rating –
SINNER made this visor ski helmet with your comfort in mind. It?s very lightweight but also contains soft fleece lining to add extra padding for your head. We really like the fact that this has six different sizes for you to choose from as well. What?s more, each size has adjustable straps to get the perfect fit for your head.
There?s a big Category 2 visor in this helmet. It transitions from cloudy weather to sunlight with no problems at all. You can also wear your prescription glasses under it, meaning you get perfect vision as you ski.
To round things off, you can remove a couple of rubber coverings in the lining to open a ventilation system. This helps prevent the visor from fogging up.
Perhaps the biggest concern – and it?s a pretty significant one – is that the helmet doesn?t feel as sturdy and robust as others on the market. It?s still safe, but it might not be the best option if you take a lot of risks and regularly have high-impact crashes.
Conclusion
If you?re looking for the best ski helmets with visors, then all these products can make bold claims to the title.
However, there can only be one winner?
Based on our reviews, we deem the EnzoDate 2-in-1 Visor Ski Snowboard Helmet as the overall winner!
Why?
Well, it scored high in all the key categories that make an excellent ski helmet. It offers excellent protection against impacts, and there are many extra features too. The fit is comfortable, and there are many sizes to choose from. We liked the velvet liner and detachable goggle shields that add more comfort – and are washable too. The visor is also of high quality and works well in good weather conditions.
Realistically, that was the only drawback here; the visor you get is for clear and bright weather. It may be hard to find replacements, but you can always detach the visor and use ski goggles anyway.
So, all things considered, this product had more pros than cons, and it just sneaked ahead of the rest. If you?re looking for a visor ski helmet, then this could be the perfect product for you.
