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From Away.com

Skiing & Snowboard Gear
The 21st-Century Skier
Helmet & Goggles

By Nathan Borchelt

Intro/Jackets | Helmet & Goggles | Mp3 Players | Digital Cameras

Giro Fuse Audio Series
The Giro Fuse helmet sans TuneUps (left) and with the Skullcandy link-ups (right)
Concert in the Dome
Helmets seem like a hassle—until you angle into a narrow glade run and miss your line. After shaking off the effects of head-butting a spruce, wearing one becomes just plain practical. Happily, Giro has elevated that pragmatism into the realm of luxury, and we're not talking fur-lined collars or gold-inlay designs. The Fuse Audio Series ($180; www.giro.com) is a lid that frees you from the random, rambling lift-ride conversations by pumping crystal-clear audio through its ear pads.
How To Get It All There
The expansion of must-have gear may mean you've gotta have it all, but you've definitely gotta get all you've got to the slopes. For an overview in the best ski-related luggage, CLICK HERE.
This year's Tune Up model ups the convenience via "Link Technology" from Skullcandy—marketspeak for the ability to connect the speakers to both your mp3 player and your cell phone or two-way radio. A simple control on the speaker wire lets you adjust the volume and a toggle button to shift from one device to the other. The helmet itself offers all the protection and functionality you'd expect from the industry leader: durable in-mold construction, comfortable fit, and a variety of temperature controls, from six pop-out vents and removable ear pads to six additional slide-action vents that can be sealed off, left half-open, or fully agape. One word of advice, however: Try on several sizes (with both the ear pads in place and removed); ski helmets typically fit much tighter than comparable bike helmets.

Smith Optics Prodigy Turbo Fan
I Can See Clearly Now
Some of these 21st-century gear items are more indulgence than necessity. But anyone who's had their goggles fog up seconds before dropping into some Wyoming couloir knows that obscured vision is no joke. Let us therefore praise the snow-spitting heavens—and Smith Optics—for the innovation known as the Prodigy Turbo Fan ($160, $180 with mirrored lenses; www.smithsport.com), which uses a continuously running, micro-electronic fan to suck air out of the goggles through the vents. No moisture-laden air, no fog. Turbo Fan goggles have actually been on the market for a few seasons, but this year marks a remarkable gear benchmark: not only has the Prodigy—leader of the three 2004 models—been computer-redesigned and equipped with an option of mirrored, rose copper, and gold lenses, but the price has dropped as much as $70 from the previous season. That's the price of a lift ticket, ya hucksters. The goggles offer up to 50 hours of electro-secure defogging on two AAA batteries, along with a high-speed mode for extreme moisture conditions and a rigging system that can be worn with or without a helmet.

Next Page: Mp3 Players

Intro/Jackets | Helmet & Goggles | Mp3 Players | Digital Cameras


Nathan Borchelt is the lead editor for Away.com
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