Smith Nexus MIPS Snow Helmet Review

It’s a beautiful day out on the slopes. You make some leisurely turns enjoying the corduroy and blue skies, then pull off to the side of the run to rest your burning quads. You’re glad you did: immediately behind you comes a 40-something snowboarder BLASTING straight down the run with his goggles pulled over a rumpled beanie and Metallica blaring from a backpack speaker. Next comes an 8 year old veering wildly around the slope alternating between French fries and lopsided pizza. Their parents chase them, holding the tattered remains the ski leash which this child apparently ripped free from. The parents narrowly avoid a teenage boy wearing a hoodie, skiing down the hill backwards at high speeds on park skis with no poles. You are glad that you’re wearing your Smith Nexus with MIPS which we’re reviewing today!

Smith Nexus MIPS Ski Helmet Features:

• Hybrid shell construction blends a durable exterior with a lightweight in-molded shell for durability where you need it most while keeping the helmet light
• Complete KOROYD® coverage for lightweight, energy-absorbing and ventilated impact protection
• Mips® Brain Protection System reduces rotational forces caused by angled impacts to the head
• Exoskeleton enhances impact protection in side impact zones
• AirEvac ventilation system integrates with Smith goggles for fog-free lenses
• Removable ear pads for form-fitting comfort
• BOA® 360 Fit System offers the most adjustable fit with the turn of a dial for on-the-fly micro-adjustability
• Fidlock® strap buckle offers easy one-hand operation
• Ionic+® antimicrobial lining offers sweat-activated odor control
• Dual regulator climate control offers easy, one-handed front and rear vent adjustment
• Aleck® audio system compatible
• Weight (Size M): 19oz / 550g
• MSRP: $325-$355

You can’t control what Vail Resorts is doing to skiing, but you can reduce your risk of TBI:

Thanks for indulging me on that intro. I love skiing now even more than I did when I started twenty years ago, but there are some problems. Some of them are new, like crowding. Some of them are old, like dummies putting other skiers and boarders at risk. As time goes on I’m more and more convinced of the important of protecting your brain, not least because you can’t control the people around you.

Right now, the Smith Nexus with MIPS is one of the best options available for protection. It’s bristling with features, which we’ll go through, and backed by the well regarded Koroyd and MIPS technology. It’s been my go-to helmet coupled with my trusty I/O MAG goggles for this season’s antics.

Let’s dig into the materials. This is a hybrid shell blending durable ABS plastic with a lighter polycarbonate for find the sweet spot of protection and light weight. The Nexus clocks in at 550g which is on the heavier end of their all mountain and free ride lines, which speaks to the Nexus’ emphasis on impact protection.

The Nexus has complete Koroyd coverage. Koroyd is one of the technologies that I really trust. It has a honey comb-like pattern consisting of welded tubes, and at this point you can find it in everything from downhill helmets to construction hard hats!

One of the strengths of the Koroyd material is that, on impact, it compresses linearly. Conventional foams have an exponential rate of compression and can transmit more of that energy to your brain. Koroyd helmets shouldn’t sustain more than one significant impact, since the deformation is a one-time event to absorb energy. Many helmets use zoned Koroyd coverage, but the Nexus boasts complete coverage.

The second significant technology is MIPS, or multi-directional impact protection system. This is another one that I’m a big believer in, particularly after working with patients who had experienced the sort of rotational brain injury that this technology is designed to mitigate. The idea is dissipate rotational energy through the MIPS liner. In the Nexus, the MIPS liner hides behind the Ionic+ antimicrobial liner.

Moving beyond the safety technology, there are a ton of great user features in the Smith Nexus with MIPS. For starters, there are two zones of ventilation that you can control with convenient, low-friction sliders. These have a detent for tactile feedback when the vents are half open. I found that two zones of vents was a little more than I actually could be bothered to thing about. I might have preferred a single slider to control everything like the Level MIPS helmet I reviewed a few seasons ago. This is really just a personal preference thing, and you might love having two zones to adjust.

The insulated liner is warm and comfortable, and some will appreciate that the ear pads are compatible with audio systems. The padding and  Ionic+ liner are threaded with a slick BOA system for easy micro adjustments. I loved this feature, and it made it really effortless to dial in a secure fit that stayed put all day.

One of the smallest features is another big improvement in user experience. The strap buckle is a magnetic clasp, so when you’re fiddling around with gloves on you just have to get it close enough and the magnet does the rest. Super well executed and convenient.

Lastly I’ll touch on the integration with Smith goggles. They have an AirEvac system that essentially mates up vents on the helmet with vents on the goggles to move air efficiently over the goggle lenses. I really find that this helps prevent fogging up, and I haven’t had any fogging trouble with the combo of Smith goggles and helmets. Being able to see is a pretty nice safety feature, when you think about it.

Buy Now: Available from SmithOptics.com