Ski helmet for winter commuting?
 

I'm sure it's been asked but I couldnt find anything with the search function. I was curious of your thoughts on using a ski helmet for winter time commuting. My concern is there is really no rating for regular cycling helmets in freezing tempatures. Not sure they would hold up if they actually had to be used.
Please share you thought or direct me the thread that is already in progress. :D

If your concerned about a regular thin skin helmet busting in the cold get your self a multihit helmet such as a Bern or a Pryme, they also can double nicely for snowboarding. Bern has a nice one with a visor and you can get it with earflap insert.

The coldest I have ridden is about 10°F, but I've found that a helmet cover and a balaclava/beanie are sufficient and much more versatile.

If you have a cold morning commute and a mild afternoon ride home, you're going to be hating the ski helmet.

You do make a very good point about cold weather polymer toughness. The colder it is, the worse the problem could be. Ask any engineer from the Space Shuttle Challenger days.

Giro helmets is in that market too.. Ski Helmets..
yea watch those O rings .. particularly on your multi-section solid fuel boosters.

Bicycle helmets are fine in the cold.

This.

Wear a skullcap underneath and throw a rain cover over the top if it gets really cold. A scarf or a balaclava are a good idea when the temps dip below the teens.

Oh, and check out the Winter Forum.

A hooded sweat shirt that is a size larger than your normal as sort of an over layer, ride with the hood over your helmet- for me this works pretty well to the lower teens. Below that I wear a RibCap instead of a helmet, I like the RibCap a lot. Below zero a full face and head cover is more comfortable and probably safer.

I still use my regular road helmet down to -30C and colder. Ski goggles become a necessity below a certain temp for me though.

I use a skullcap that I found at a sporting goods store under my regular bicycle helmet; it works great! When I need a raincover I use a dollar-store shower cap that also doubles as my saddle cover when I lock the bike up. When it's really cold out the shower cap blocks the wind as well, leaving my head toasty warm under my skullcap.

I actually have low regard for regular bicycle helmets - I have not had one that I actually liked - and am looking forward to the opportunity of wearing a ski helmet. The downside of a typical ski helmet is poor ventilation. I use max temperature as a guide and wear a ski helmet below ~16C. For cycling, I have a visor attached by velcro that I take off for skiing. Like another poster, I use Giro. The helmet has attachable earmuffs that I might put on below -20C. I do not like, though, how they muff the sound.

Make sure the helmet meets atsm and cpsc standards. Personally i just use a thin windproof cap, easier to wash and breathes.

I wore a regular helmet down to 0F.

Oh and I love this cycling cap.

http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...:referralID=NA

I have a Pryme ski helmet I wear during the winter. I love the ear covers, washable liner and goggle strap on the back. I match it up with a neoprene mask and scarf along with goggles on brutal days for that oh so cozy bank robber look.

Yeah, the goggle strap routing is the best thing about ski helmets. Like you and TRJammer, I wear goggles when it's really cold and/or blizzard-ing, and they do a great job of keeping my face warm. With all of the cycling helmets I've had over the years, none really took goggles well, the trickiest part getting the strap to stay in position over the pointy peaks of the back of the helmet. I always suffered through it, and together with a balaclava had a fine go of it, but I've always envied those with ski helmets. Maybe this will be the year I get one!

One of the guys I work with bought a really really nice snowboard helmet last winter... I remember looking at it and thinking that it would make the nicest cold weather bike helmet I had ever seen :)

It wasn't expensive either. Like $75

I am also not excited about the issues regarding hearing and vision obstruction which come with a larger helmet... The goggle strap is very handy though and the helmets are warm. :/

Fit can also be an issue..

I just use a Garneau helmet cover on my Bell Metro helmet. My daughter made knitted wool ear muffs that sew on the helmet straps. Then if it becomes necessary I use a silk balaclava as it takes up little room. The final touch if wind is severe and my eyes water too much I get out the Scott ski goggles. After I get the goggles out I use them every day. They don't fog much unless I stop for a long time. Good luck. Let us know what works best for you this cold season. I usually miss about six days of commuting per year, summer, winter, and all.

wow, obsess much over the details?

bike helmets are fine, some commuting helmets have fewer vents to keep warmth in, ski helmets would certainly work, heck, motorcycle helmets would be warmest but look for anti-fog.

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/372/prymealblk0bp.jpg

Pryme AL, laminated fiberglass, most vents you'll ever find in a DH helmet, with google rubber to keep them from slipping.
That and a balaclava, you're good to go arctic for awhile.

Full face don't seem like a good idea, what with having all that hot breath condensing in there, and causing fogging.

true enough, i had forgotten about that, nevermind

If not the details then what?

How is asking a simple question obsessing over the details?
You should see some of the lengths I go to research things. It especially pays off when I am coding a new project or trying a new challenge.
Strange...

I tried it once because it seemed like a good idea, and I'd just picked up a new ski helmet...on my bike. Anyway the wind tends to get in, and with no real ventilation it becomes trapped. The result is like riding with an open parachute on your head.

I bought a ski helmet 2 years ago and it is one of my favorite pieces of winter cycling gear. It works great from 20F to -20F which is mid December to mid March in central WI. The goggle strap is a perfect place to mount a PB Superflash. The helmet has adjustable vents and I add a face mask and goggles on the colder days. The helmets work flying down ski hills so I dont't see why they wouldn't work ar biking speeds. A good ski helmet is not overly restrictive or heavy compared to my other winter cycling gear.

I use a giro ski helmet with a vent system lever on the top that you can open or close. (cant remember the model) I bought it for winter riding but now I ski in it too. It's warm for riding, so the vents are always open, and it really has to be below 20F to not get too warm. I don't wear anything under it unless it's below 0F then a thin lycra balaclava. I like to wear ski goggles (Oakley A frames) when it's below 20 otherwise my eyes water way too much and freeze. Goggles really fit and work well with the ski helmet. A rode with a Giro e2 in the winter for a few years and that worked fine until I crashed on some ice and it cracked ( i was OK) That's when I decided to find a ski helmet, (off season, on sale, on line) for winter riding.

Conclusion: Ski helmets work pretty darn well if you ride in really cold temps, and if you ski it has a second use. Certainly not mandatory equipment, but based on my experience I would recommend a vented one as a good winter riding option if it's really cold where you live.

+1 on the Bern helmets. I have a Bern Watts Hard Hat that I use as a bike helmet and a snowboard helmet. It has a visor and a furry snap-out ear flap that goes all the way around the back of my head and a good ways down my neck. They do run small though, so either try one on or order 2 sizes too big. The Watts is also great because it has vents in the top that allow me to use it in the warmer months without the flap. The do offer one without the vents though if that's your thing.

They're kind of pricey but you can get them on clearance from REI or through the interwebs for much cheaper than normal retail.

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm thinking I am going to give a vented one a GO and see where we're at. I'll let you know my findings.

I've used my snowboard helmet in -20C and below. I like it. Goggle friendly - warm ears etc. YMMV.
I have a wool skull cap (under hardhat) from the construction or logging industries, which is the warmest skull cap I've tried. The snowboard helm works better than the wool skull cap and a bike helm, but when I put the skull cap in the snowboard helm I could withstand Antarctica I think :-)