$180 A Good Ride Favorite! Super Low Profile and Incredibly Light The Vantage might be one of the most expensive helmets out there. Is it worth the price? We arent' sure but it's one hell of a low profile ultra light helmet. A couple things about the Vantage. 1 we aren't terribly stoked on the visor they put on most of their helmets. The Smith Variant is one of the only helmets that has the visor or no visor option. The Vantage does have some of the best venting out there and a very logical approach to the way it regulates. You can block off all of the helmet, the front part or the rear part. Our favorite part about Smith helmets is the goggle venting system. Not much has changed from 2011 to 2012 except for the addition of a BOA Coil for the tightening system near the back so if you can find a 2011 have at it. Check Out The Detailed Review Below.
The Smith Vantage Snowboard and Ski Helmet Review by The Good Ride We aren't impact experts so don't look to us for technical details about impact protection. We can say from what we understand is the Smith vantage seems to have hard shell on the top along with inmold. I think they call this Hybrid Shell construction. On the sides it just seems to be inmold. You can see this seperation in the line that seperates the upper an lower parts of the helmet like it has an equator. We aren't going to talk about these aspects of the Helmet in detail or any of the helmets on The Good Ride. We can talk about the features and usability of the Vantage though.
Positives- To start off the Smith Vantage is incredibly light. We didn't put it on a scale but the Vantage feels almost like wearing a hat. Right before this we were tooling around with the Giro G10, Giro G9 and RED Tantrum. Both felt so heavy compared to the Smith Vantage. Another thing that makes the Smith Vantage one of our favorite helmets is how low it rides on your head. It is incredibly low profile compared to almost any helmet out there. We previously thought the Smith Variant is the lowest profile helmets out there until we got to play around with the Vantage. We can't stress how small and light this feels on your head. After a whole day of riding you don't feel like the first thing you want to do when you get to the car or bar is take the helmet off. This Low profile and lightweight are two of the major reasons to get the Smith Vantage but there are lots of little things that make this helmet great as well. For example the ability to control the front and back half of your helmet's venting. Also the little elastic pull chord made to hold the goggle strap is much better than many of the rubber or solid plastic goggle strap holder thingers or what ever you call them. The adjustment system is very easy to tighten or loosen the helmets grip on your head. The chin strap is nothing special but is very comfortable. The ear pads are very comfortable, rap around your ears to protect you from the cold and are also audio compatible. Skull Candy does a good job with Smith Helmets. It's nothing exceptional but just as good or maybe slightly better than the competitors audio helmets. The zipper and the way the Skull candy audio inserts work with the ear pads is pretty smart because there isn't a single part that is exposed to the elements. Many of the helmets we have tried short out after too many wet days on the hill because they have a plug that is semi exposed. For example the editor went through 3 RED audio inserts with the RED Tantrum because you plugged into a semi exposed jack. Very frustrating! The quality of the helmet liner is not artwork but it's very well made for a mass produced helmet. We like that the visor is small compared to the Smith Variants. It's kind of cool aesthetically but also helps a little bit when it comes to shielding your goggles from snow. The venting system along the goggle line is the best out there. Many other companies have caught on to what Smith was doing but haven't really mastered that. We have found that previous models, even with visors, do a very good job keeping your goggles de-fogged on really hot or steamy wet days.
Negatives- Our biggest issue with the Smith Vantage is the shell on the top part of the helmet seems to be separate from the shock absorption material inside and you can feel in parts where it seems to be evident. It's not terrible but we'd like to see that bonded. Maybe its just an early model we received, maybe it's done that way for a reason, or maybe they skimped on glue? We don't know for sure but just want to point that out. The vents are one of the best qualities of this helmet but the seem like they are bigger in the pictures than when you get the helmet. In addition the vent controls are small and hard to manipulate with or without gloves on. The chin strap is also hard to adjust compared to other helmets. One of the things that make this helmet so great is also a point of concern for us long term. It is soo light that it doesn't feel durable. We can't say for sure because we just started out using it. We'll let you know as the season moves on though because we are keeping it!
As you can see the positives outweigh the negatives with the Smith Vantage Helmet. They should for $180 before audio inserts. For us we are still debating if a helmet that costs more than most bindings is worth it to the average consumer. When you get a hold of the Vantage you can see how 100+ a day riders who always wear helmets will be stoked on the Vantage. We at The Good Ride are pretty stoked on it and can't wait for this tech to trickle down to the lower end helmets.
So far after 20+days on the hill the Smith Vantage has held up well and there have been no issues. It feels so light on the head and is so low profile it makes it easier to wear. It's sad to say but we don't miss the discontinued RED Frequency in terms of venting, wear or profile size. The only thing we miss is the old ear pads that had the mute button on it's side. But that's not really anything to complain about because Burton Discontinued that as well.
Another High Quality Good Ride Video Review of the 2011 Smith Vantage..... our video camera sucks.....
Integration boundaries are pushed further by the new Vantage from Smith—the most ventilated Hybrid Shell helmet ever created. Veiled in an extremely low profile design, the Vantage’s Dual Regulator separates the ventilation into zones. The result is a seamless blend of performance and style that only Smith can deliver.
Skullcandy™ Bluetooth® and Twin-Tip Link Phone/Audio Systems Available
21 Vents
Low-Profile Dual Regulator Climate Control
Snapfit SL Ear Pads
Removable Ultra-Light Goggle Lock
AirEvac 2 Ventilation
Look closely at the features of the new VANTAGE because they will improve your on-hill experience. Lighter weight, reduced volume and our industry-leading AirEvac ventilation system integrates perfectly with our new Dual Regulator climate controls. Why Dual Regulator controls? Because the Dual Regulator allows you to separate your temperature control into zones and avoids exposing yourself to the dreaded "ice cream headache" effect.
