Used this for the first time @ Whistler - Canada over the December '15 / January '16 holiday. Thought i'd share my thoughts regarding the helmet in the hopes it will help you when making your own decision on whether or not to purchase this or something similar :)
My head size is 59 - for those wondering what size to get for your noggin - never choose a helmet that is, say, 56 - 59 if your head size is 59. You will regret it. Always go one size up. A. with the click to fit system you can easily adjust the fit to sit snugly on your noggin, and B. for those cold days when you need to wrap your snood around your head (or wear a full hoodie) the extra space of the helmet will definitely help you, where-as your head would already be hurting if you'd not super-sized your helmet! Thankfully though i didn't have this problem with Bolle since my noggin size fell into the 59 - 61 category. The helmet itself is relatively soft and comfortable for its price. I've tried on more comfortable helmets to be honest, with a premium price tag to go along with it. But for the price of this helmet i was happy enough. The ear pads are lovely and soft. It's worth noting that the entire time i wore the helmet i didn't use the chin strap. I hate the feeling of straps under my chin. I mention this only because never once did it fall off.. even during my more entertaining wipe-outs in the snow park!
As a glasses wearer (and of the slightly large nerd variety) this helmet allows me to wear them in absolute comfort. I had no problems with general fogging of my glasses either. I found this only tended to happen when i had my snood pulled up over my head and nose (so my hot breath leaking into the visor) or when i tried to cover the gaps (but more on this later!)
The two Visor choices are a must, and a fantastic addition by Bolle! My advice: never purchase a helmet if they don't include a low visibility visor. That's a deal-breaker right there. Think i'm being over dramatic? Wait til the first time you use it - you will be nodding your head with a stupid grin on your face, marveling at the clarity and brightness.. going; 'that crazy fool on amazon was damn right! this visor is awesome!!'
On clear (non snowing) days this helmet deserves a 7 out of 5. The padding on the visor sits perfectly over the bridge of your nose. It's a combination of ventilated plastic and soft padding that sticks out a centimeter and a half to two centimeters, and seals along the bridge of the nose and cheek bones all the way along the rubber that is visible from the outside (as a visual reference to you if you look at the picture again). There is a padded seal at the top of the visor as well that does a good job of sealing itself when the visor is fully down. Having a full unobstructed view of everything around you is worth the price of this helmet alone! Not having the pressure of goggles pressing against your face is even better. Trust me when i say - It. Is. Great. The helmet does not move around when you snowboard (i assume skiing would have the same result), and the vents do a great job at cooling (open) or retaining heat (closed). The temps dropped to - 15 degrees on some days - so the vents definitely did its job well ;)
Snowy conditions is where the visor option falls somewhat short of its 5 star rating. Because it does not completely seal around your face snow will get into the visor and will require a quick cleaning every now and then. Taping up the gaps works - but produces the problem of steaming and fogging of the glasses - which is just swapping one set of problems for another. I did have my goggles to hand, but to be honest i never got frustrated enough to take the visor off and use them. It also only snowed for about 4 days.
Aside from that one negative there's just far too many positives to having a visor helmet (personally) to not give it 5 stars. I am very happy i took the plunge. The range of visibility, the freedom of not having goggles pressed around your eyes, and the low vis visor for those overcast days are a no brainer.
Ps. i went the blue and black. My friend went for the white. Both looked really good, though personally we both liked the blue visor of my helmet over the grey of his :)
| Färg | Glänsande guld & konjak |
|---|---|
| Storlek | Small 54-56 cm |
| Materialtyp | Övriga |
| Antal artiklar | 1 |
| Sport | Vintersport |
| Varumärke | Bollé |
| Tillverkare | Bollé Brands |
| Artikelnummer | 31835 |
| Paketets dimensioner | 30 x 26.5 x 25.5 cm; 1 Kilogram |
| ASIN | B07SKKV35N |
