I recently had the chance to get my hands on the Giro Orbit helmet/goggles combo (Giro is the official helmet and goggles of SkiTalk), wearing it for a few days to end my season at Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows. The Orbit model includes integrated goggles, which flip up and down with a slight pull. This made it very convenient to have my goggles up and down with the varying lighting during spring in California, and with the various fogging issues I've had with wearing a mask.
Here is the helmet, as shown on the Giro website.
The helmet has typical construction for the shell, foam, and liner compared to some other helmets (Smith and Anon) I've had. The earpads and liner are nice and comfortable, and the size adjustments were very positive and let me snug it up nicely fitting the shape of my head. Interesingly, may last 3 helmets have been size XL. But this is a "L" size helmet and I did not have the adjustment out to it's maximum - and it doesn't come in an XL. Perhaps something to keep in mind if purchasing one.
Overall, the helmet is light, and plenty warm for the spring skiing I did. (Though the first day at Sqauw started out at about 25 degrees.) The chin strap has a quick connect/release that can be done with one hand, and used a few times wearing gloves even.
Now about the goggles... I was interested in this helmet particularly because most of this season I've been putting my goggles up anytime I'm standing still... this is because of fogging I tend to get (on the outside) from wearing the mask I ski with. With the Orbit, it was really nice to just flip them up with a flick basically, and have them stay put without any fiddling, straps slipping, having them slides off the back and flop onto my back, etc. The lens provided is a medium darkness, and rose tinted, which was nice in the mixed lighting we had. Surprisingly, to me, the goggles sealed pretty well along the bottom edge as well. Without a strap pulling them onto my face, I was afraid that there would be a breeze whipping through the goggles and making my eyes water when skiing. But that wasn't the case at all and they sat and fit very nicely.
Overall I really liked the convenience of the helmet and not having to fiddle with separate goggles. A couple of drawbacks are there though - the logo on the lens is somewhat prominent, and was a bit distracting at first when skiing. But by the end of the day I wasn't noticing it at all. And the venting could definitely be better - I run hot when skiing, and typically buy helmets with a lot of venting. This one seemed OK, but doesn't vent as well as others I've worn. The lens is interchangable too, but I haven't gotten a chance to try that - yet. I'm planning to buy a lighter replacement lens for the darker mid-A and New England days I'm likely to get next season.
I'm very curious to use this next season in different weather, too (colder, wetter, and different lighting), and see if I still really like it. I think I probably will.
Now some real life product photos...
The helmet comes in a very nice bag... which unfortunately I probably won't use as I'll be shoving it into my bootbag instead.
Here is it, propped up, with the goggles up, and then down:
From the back and from the top:
Wearing it on the lift:
At the top in the sun...
Here is the helmet, as shown on the Giro website.
Overall, the helmet is light, and plenty warm for the spring skiing I did. (Though the first day at Sqauw started out at about 25 degrees.) The chin strap has a quick connect/release that can be done with one hand, and used a few times wearing gloves even.
Now about the goggles... I was interested in this helmet particularly because most of this season I've been putting my goggles up anytime I'm standing still... this is because of fogging I tend to get (on the outside) from wearing the mask I ski with. With the Orbit, it was really nice to just flip them up with a flick basically, and have them stay put without any fiddling, straps slipping, having them slides off the back and flop onto my back, etc. The lens provided is a medium darkness, and rose tinted, which was nice in the mixed lighting we had. Surprisingly, to me, the goggles sealed pretty well along the bottom edge as well. Without a strap pulling them onto my face, I was afraid that there would be a breeze whipping through the goggles and making my eyes water when skiing. But that wasn't the case at all and they sat and fit very nicely.
Overall I really liked the convenience of the helmet and not having to fiddle with separate goggles. A couple of drawbacks are there though - the logo on the lens is somewhat prominent, and was a bit distracting at first when skiing. But by the end of the day I wasn't noticing it at all. And the venting could definitely be better - I run hot when skiing, and typically buy helmets with a lot of venting. This one seemed OK, but doesn't vent as well as others I've worn. The lens is interchangable too, but I haven't gotten a chance to try that - yet. I'm planning to buy a lighter replacement lens for the darker mid-A and New England days I'm likely to get next season.
I'm very curious to use this next season in different weather, too (colder, wetter, and different lighting), and see if I still really like it. I think I probably will.
Now some real life product photos...
The helmet comes in a very nice bag... which unfortunately I probably won't use as I'll be shoving it into my bootbag instead.
Here is it, propped up, with the goggles up, and then down:
From the back and from the top:
Wearing it on the lift:
At the top in the sun...
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