The ski helmet is the essential accessory to ensure a kid's safety when skiing, snowboarding or sledging. But how do you choose well? We’ll explain everything!
No need to say it but we'll do it anyway, the ski helmet is by far the most important accessory for a young skier. Once their head is protected and their safety is assured, they can enjoy winter sports with peace of mind!
But how do you choose a kid's ski helmet? We’ll explain everything!
There are many more different head shapes for children than for adults. Here we give you some advice on how to choose the right kid's helmet but we strongly advise you to go and try it out in a shop before you buy it.
On the slopes, all skiers and snowboarders are dependent on each other's safety. Nevertheless, between speed, uncontrolled turns and slight inattentiveness, a collision can happen and the head will be the first to be hit.
Wearing a helmet is therefore a priority for the following reasons:
• Avoiding brain damage
When a fall on the head occurs, it is not necessarily the surface of the skull that will suffer the shock, but it will cause damage on the brain that is more or less serious. Wearing a helmet will prevent these brain injuries, or greatly reduce them in the event of a major impact.
• Heat retention
By covering the head and ears, the helmet will keep the warmth around the kid's head and protect them from various weather conditions (wind, snow etc.).
• With added style!
And if your kid refuses to wear a helmet because of style, explain to them that the most famous riders in the ski and snowboard world all wear helmets, which are a style statement for them!
Now that you're convinced, let's move on to the selection criteria...
On the slopes, all skiers and snowboarders are dependent on each other's safety. Nevertheless, between speed, uncontrolled turns and slight inattentiveness, a collision can happen and the head will be the first to be hit.
Wearing a helmet is therefore a priority for the following reasons:
• Avoiding cerebral connections
When a fall on the head occurs, it is not necessarily the surface of the skull that will suffer the shock, but it will cause connections in the brain that are more or less serious. Wearing a helmet will prevent these brain connections, or greatly reduce them in the event of a major impact.
• Heat retention
By covering the head and ears, the helmet will keep the warmth around the kid's head and protect them from various weather conditions (wind, snow etc.).
• With added style!
And if your kid refuses to wear a helmet because of style, explain to them that the most famous riders in the ski and snowboard world all wear helmets, which are a style statement for them!
Now that you're convinced, let's move on to the selection criteria...
You should know that from the age of 3, a kid's head is almost the same size as it will be in adulthood (80%).
In other words, your kid grows quickly in height, but not much in head size! A helmet that is too big won’t protect your young skier's head as much or at all in case of a fall.
The moral is: get the right size, the helmet will still fit next year! Especially as there is an adjustment wheel at the back of the helmet so you can adjust it exactly to the kid's head size.
When choosing a kid's ski helmet, you will quickly ask yourself the following question: should you go for the helmet/goggles combo or a helmet with a visor?
To help you in your choice, here are the advantages and disadvantages of both solutions:
The helmet/goggles combo:
Positive points
The goggles ensure a perfect fit with the kid's face. They don't let air or cold inside, thanks to the elastic band that means the goggles can be adjusted to their face.
Negative points
In terms of independence, the helmet/goggles combination is more complicated. A young child will have more difficulty putting on and taking off the goggles by themself, and may not reposition them properly.
The helmet with visor:
Positive points
The helmet with visor is very practical for kids. Even with gloves, they can raise and lower the visor. With this solution, no more goggles that slip off the helmet and hang behind the helmet!
Negative points
Depending on the shape of the kid's head, the visor may not fit properly on the face, and become a nuisance during the day's skiing. Again, if you decide to go for the visor helmet, try it before you buy it!
Once you have decided on a helmet model, you’ll need to choose the right size.
To do this, measure your kid's head circumference, taking the middle of the forehead and the top of the ears as a reference. This will give you a size in cm, which you can use to choose the right helmet size.
At Wedze, there are 3 sizes of kids’ helmets:
Please note that both adult and kids’ size S helmets are exactly the same (same shape, same standard etc.).
If your kid's head size is S (between 53 and 56 cm), you can choose the kids’ AND adult models.
And if your kid has a head size greater than 56 cm, you should look at the adult models in size M.
Size XXS
Head sizes between 44 and 49 cm
Size XS
Head sizes between 48 and 52 cm
Size S
Head sizes between 53 and 56 cm
Gregory, product manager for ski helmets and goggles, explains in pictures how to properly try on a ski helmet:
How to choose a kids’ ski helmet?
• Put in on their head
Place the helmet on their head. Using the adjustment wheel on the back of the helmet, tighten or loosen it to fit the kid's head exactly.
Next, adjust the chinstrap (strap located under the chin, making sure you can fit 2 fingers between the skin and the strap. This space is recommended to ensure proper safety while avoiding discomfort to the kid from a too tight strap.
• Check that the helmet is in contact with the kid's head
Once the adjustments have been made, check that the helmet is correctly positioned on the kid's head: make sure that there is no possible air intake, and that the helmet is as close to the head as possible without compression.
❌ NO ❌
The helmet is too far forward
❌ NO ❌
The helmet is too far back
✅ YES ✅
The helmet fits well
There are many different shapes of goggles and helmets. Depending on their shape, some goggles will fit more or less well with the helmet.
Ski goggles match well with a helmet when there is no gap between the top of the goggles and the helmet.
❌ GOGGLE GAP ❌
It doesn’t match!
✅ OK ✅
It matches!
To increase the level of warmth, some parents tend to want to add a mesh cap under the kid's helmet. We strongly advise against this, as the cap will raise the helmet and make it less effective in case of impact. Furthermore, as the helmet already provides warmth, the kid will be too hot if they combine a cap and helmet.
In case of very cold weather, we advise you to add a thin and light balaclava specially designed to be worn under the ski helmet.
When new, all ski helmets are regulated by a European standard (EN 1077) which includes tests on shock absorption and penetration resistance.
This standard is applied to new helmets, but not necessarily to loaner or rental helmets. Indeed, a rental helmet may have received more or less significant shocks, and is not re-tested and re-verified after each loan. The protection capacity is therefore not certified.
Our advice: rent ski equipment (boots, skis, poles) or ski clothing rather than the helmet!
There is a tendency to think that helmets aren’t necessary for sledging. Warning! Sledging is also a sliding sport, and speed is sometimes as fast as in skiing! A collision, uncontrolled braking or trajectory can lead to a fall that can be as violent as on a ski slope!
At the end of your skiing days, always remember to dry your helmet in a dry place at room temperature. Don’t hesitate to put it in a cover to protect it during transport.
The cap of the ski helmets (inner foam part) is removable so that it can be washed. To do this, simply remove the part that is attached to the shell of your helmet and put it in the washing machine at 30°.
We recommend changing a ski helmet after a big impact.
Why? In the event of a major impact, the EPS foam that provides protection collapses to absorb some of the energy caused by the impact and thus protect the kid's head. Once crushed, the EPS foam doesn’t reconstitute and if a new shock occurs, the helmet will no longer provide the same level of protection.
At the beginning of each ski season, we recommend that you try on your kid's helmet again, following the same protocol. If you feel the slightest compression on their face, it's time to go up a size!
Overall, if the helmet doesn't suffer any major impact, you can keep it for 5 years. After that, we advise you to change it because it may have been subjected to small shocks, during transport for example, which have worn it out over the years.
You now have the keys to choosing your kid’s ski helmet!
All you have to do is choose the colour you like and that your young skier, snowboarder or sledger will love!
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