SMITH Level MIPS Helmet

Product Information

The Vantage uses an anti-microbial removable lining to keep the funk out of your ski helmet. It is held in with a few velcro patches and is easy to remove. It’s a mesh material with a bit of neoprene feel around the edges. It doesn’t use a fuzzy fleece feeling material. BOA helmet fit system

Boa adjustment systems, like that found on Smith’s Vantage, tighten more evenly than the Level’s VaporFit design (although the difference is minor). Smith's hybrid shell combines in-mould and hard shell construction to get the best of both builds. By fusing tough bombshell ABS with flyweight in-mould technology, hybrid shell construction optimises the favourable traits of each material. The result is a modern design that provides a lightweight, low profile helmet.

I wanted to do this review in combination because it’s easier to talk about why these two products work well together. The real key thing here is how the goggles and helmet are shaped and vented strategically to maximize the movement of air. Basically, the Level helmet has two vents above a shallow brim that channel air above the goggles. The key thing here is above, not in, since pumping cold air into the goggle isn’t actually what we want. While a number of ski helmets are unisex and are perfectly fine for either men or women, there is a wide selection of women’s-specific snow helmets. These models are quite similar to men’s versions, but with different colorways for the shell and liner, as well as having a smaller fit. There will often be a name change, but the technology is all the same—and so is the pricing. When applicable, we've included the link to both the men's and women's versions of the helmet. Wearing the women's variation of the Smith Vantage When to Replace Your Ski Helmet

Aerocore Construction - Unique to Smith, this construction utilises Koroyd to reduce weight, increase airflow and increase impact resistance

Before buying the Smith Levels Mips

In addition to MIPS, some helmet manufacturers have begun to replace standard EPS foam with cellular or honeycomb-like materials like WaveCel (found in Anon helmets) and Koroyd (Smith's solution). These materials have the ability to absorb more energy than EPS, all while minimizing bulk and weight and maximizing ventilation. WaveCel in particular is so adept at absorbing angled impacts and reducing rotational forces that current WaveCel-equipped lids forgo a MIPS liner. Koroyd has become ubiquitous in Smith’s designs (seen in the Vantage, Level, Nexus, and Survey above), and Anon now has three helmets that use WaveCel. You’ll spend up for the extra tech, but many riders will appreciate the added assurance and boost in breathability. Anon's honeycomb-like WaveCel offers impact absorption at a light weight

Smith Optics is generally regarded as one of the top companies in the business, and their flagship optical line is their ChromaPop technology. From a technical point of view, the idea behind ChromaPop is to increase the separation between the colors that you’re seeing to enhance contrast. Technically, they do this by creating lenses that filter out some of the intermediate areas of the visible spectrum, essentially creating a bigger ‘gap’ between colors. They have a variety of lenses for a variety of applications, everything from road riding to fishing to surfing. The high and low light lenses that came with the I/O Mag Goggles. Digging more specifically into the helmet, I was really pleased with the ventilation system during testing. It seems to be what Smith has nailed down more than any other helmet manufacturer. The Level has 22 vents total, and you can adjust ten of them with a selector mounted on top of the helmet. Adjusting them actually does make a noticeable difference, which is really the only way to tell that they’re doing anything. Personally, I was really pleased with the adjustment mechanism. On one bitingly cold day when I was wearing my giant mountaineering mitts, I could easily reach up and adjust the vents despite not having fingers to use. Major kudos. The Vantage helmet uses hybrid construction. It uses a Zonal Koroyd honeycomb energy absorber over the top of your head. It uses a standard EPS foam liner with in-mold construction around the sides of your head. There is no round contour version of the helmet currently available. They produced round contour fit Vantages in the past and you can still find them at Smith and other places. I have not seen a MIPS round contour Vantage anywhere. Goggle compatibilitySmith Aerocore construction features Koroyd which was developed for the aerospace industry and provides superior impact absorption and ventilation compared to traditional helmet materials. The crumple-zone cylinders crush uniformly on impact absorbing energy whilst reducing the overall weight of the helmet. Snapfit SL2 ear pads and headband can be fully removed for extra ventilation on the warmest of days. First, look at the number of total vents of the helmet (we’ve provided this information in the specs for each helmet and in the comparison table above). Not all vents are created equal, but this number gives you a good starting point as to how much ventilation the helmet offers. To be sure, there is a correlation between the number of vents and cost of the helmet. One of the best ventilators, the high-end Smith Vantage, has an impressive 21 vents, while a budget model like the Oakley Mod1 only has six small fixed openings. Glade's Boundary has 16 vents and easy adjustability