15 February, 2016

New Brain Bucket - Giro G9 Helmet First Impressions Review

Been thinking for a while about replacing my decade-old Giro ski helmet. In addition to being at least ten years old (with the potential to have its protection compromised), the advent of MIPS helmets which protect against the rotational injuries the produce concussions is pretty significant. And, I'm guessing that a few other things have advanced in helmet technology as well.

I started looking last year, but pricing for MIPS helmets from Scott, Giro, and POC were all still pretty high.This season, most manufacturers seem to have brought this technology into their mid-range helmets. Pretty early on, I became interested in the Giro Nine MIPS model. I've generally had pretty solid experience with the Giro brand in terms of fit, quality, and performance. Also, they generally have solid audio solutions - a key element to me.

Giro Nine MIPS Ski Helmet
A local shop is kind enough to have a 20% off sale so a Nine MIPS and a set of Outdoor Tech X Wired Chips is secured in a stylish Smurf Blue color to match my Marmot and Marker jackets. So, was it worth the money? In a word, absolutely!

Safety
Helmets are made of polymers and expanded polystyrene for impact absorption. Both degrade with time, with UV exposure, and with a gazillion impacts large and small. I learn while reading the Giro manual that helmet life is considered 3-5 years. Oops. This, plus the MIPS features have me feeling much better about my safety in the event of a fall or hit.

Comfort
My previous Giro helmet was fairly comfortable, so that was never an issue. The only real problem came when I bought some Oakley Canopy goggles. The larger lenses of this google were great as they fit nicely over glasses and gave an awesome field of vision. What wasn't so good was that due to hitting the helmet, they pressed down pretty aggressively on my nose and cheeks. By the end of the day, not so comfortable! From the get-go, I could tell the new helmet was a huge leap forward in this area. Giro has clearly recognized the trend toward larger goggle frames, and addressed it. Also, as a side benefit, the helmet really is a bit more comfortable fit!

Audio
In a word, mixed. The Outdoor Tech Chips sound OK. I don't think the bass is as robust as my previous Skull Candy pads. And the controls to change volume and mute/stop my iPod don't seem to work. I did swap out the cable to my old one so at least I could mute my jams if riding up on a lift with someone. I did just notice something about a "10 hour play time" on their web site. So, perhaps I need to investigate if I'm missing a battery or something... ah, user error.

Overall
I'm glad I waited, and equally happy that I didn't wait any longer. The price came down, but having the latest safety technology, as well as the better goggle fit are totally worth the investment. I suspect that I'm the issue with some of the audio problems. If you're looking for a new helmet, give the Giro Nine MIPS a look -- I don't think you'll be disappointed!

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