Review: Smith Nexus MIPS Helmet
By Ski Expert
Hunter R.
Smith Nexus MIPS Helmet
See Price and Details
8 photos
The Curated Take
4.7/5
The Smith Nexus helmet, equipped with advanced MIPS technology and additional safety features, is excellent for skiers prioritizing head protection. The helmet is incredibly lightweight, providing comfort without compromising durability. The BOA 360° fit system and a classic chin strap offer easy adjustability, even with gloves on. Ventilation might not suffice for those running warm, but it keeps the head cool on hot days. The helmet's waterproof feature ensures a dry experience during snowy or rainy weather. While pricier than other options, its advanced protection justifies the investment.
Ideal for
- MIPS technology offers top-tier safety
- Easy vent adjustability
- Comfortable, padded interior for all-day wear
- Two separate ventilation adjustments and easy connecting magnetic chin strap (Fidlock)
- Durable lightweight shell and shock-absorbing lining (Koroyd)
Not ideal for
- Vents are not fully removable, might be too hot for those who run warm
- Too heavy for touring
- Doesn't work as well with a hood as other helmets
Comfort
The Nexus is very lightweight and sleek while providing maximum protection. One of the main reasons I didn't like wearing a helmet was because they are bulky, heavy, and uncomfortable....Read more
Adjustability
The back of this helmet has a BOA 360° fit system which easily allows me to adjust the tightness of the helmet with the turn of a dial. It's way...Read more
Ventilation
Ventilation in helmets is a fine line because some might want something that keeps them cool enough on hot days. Still, others might not want a helmet with so many...Read more
Durability
This helmet is ultra-durable, which is one of the main reasons I chose it. It's Smith's most advanced helmet with tons of extra safety features to protect my noggin if...Read more
Protection
The protection features in this helmet are what drew me to it the most. It is equipped with MIPS, which is the best protection tech one can get in helmets....Read more
Waterproofing
The coating on the helmet's exterior repels moisture, and when the vents on the top are fully closed, they also keep the snow/rain/sleet out of my helmet. Helmets with removable...Read more
Expert Reviews of the Smith Nexus MIPS Helmet
Hunter R. I have used this helmet for the last year while resort skiing and found it really comfortable and warm. There are integrated vents that are easy to open with a small dial on the back if I am running too warm, and when closed, they keep water and snow out very well. The inside has a lot of padding, which adds to the safety of the helmet overall and makes it comfortable to wear for the whole day of skiing. It also has MIPS technology, the top-of-the-line helmet technology proven to prevent head injuries better when one takes a spill on the mountain. The only issues I have had with it are that the lip on the forehead above the goggles makes it a bit hard to secure even a helmet-compatible hood, and it is a bit heavier than other helmets I have used in the past, which would lead me not to want to take it on long backcountry treks as I do not want to carry it. I always run pretty cold, so while this isn't an issue for me, it also doesn't have fully removable covers on the vents, as some helmets do (to provide more airflow on warm days). Opening them with the dial keeps me plenty cool on days that I am a bit colder, but that might be an annoying feature for warmer skiers.
Product Specs
| Age Group | Adult |
| Gender | Unisex |
| Model year | 2023 |
| Helmet style | Half shell |
| MIPS | MIPS |
| Helmet venting | Adjustable Venting |
Review Ratings
Comfort
5/5
Hunter R. gave 5 of 5 stars. The Nexus is very lightweight and sleek while providing maximum protection. One of the main reasons I didn't like wearing a helmet was because they are bulky, heavy, and uncomfortable. However, this helmet addresses those concerns by making it feel light enough that I sometimes forget I have it on. However, it still provides impact resistance if I take a fall.
Adjustability
5/5
Hunter R. gave 5 of 5 stars. The back of this helmet has a BOA 360° fit system which easily allows me to adjust the tightness of the helmet with the turn of a dial. It's way easier to use with gloved hands than the other dials I have encountered on helmets, which make easy adjustments with gloves on while I'm on the hill. The chin strap is also very easy to adjust to fit sizing as it's just a classic strap; however, it's more challenging to do with gloves on, but that's typical, so that's nothing against the Nexus in particular.
Ventilation
3/5
Hunter R. gave 3 of 5 stars. Ventilation in helmets is a fine line because some might want something that keeps them cool enough on hot days. Still, others might not want a helmet with so many vents in it that it compromises the durability of the helmet. I run cold, so vents are totally fine for me and do exactly enough to dump some heat on warm days. But the vents in this helmet could be better at getting airflow in than some other helmets with more vents or removable pad vents.
Durability
5/5
Hunter R. gave 5 of 5 stars. This helmet is ultra-durable, which is one of the main reasons I chose it. It's Smith's most advanced helmet with tons of extra safety features to protect my noggin if I take a spill. Luckily, I have not taken any spills and hit my head in this helmet yet. Still, a few careless skiers accidentally hit me with their poles in the lift line. There are no scratches or evidence of those occurrences on my helmet!
Protection
5/5
Hunter R. gave 5 of 5 stars. The protection features in this helmet are what drew me to it the most. It is equipped with MIPS, which is the best protection tech one can get in helmets. It has bonus features such as an impact-resistant shell, a bulked-up shell on the sides of the helmet, and an energy-absorbent middle layer. I have yet to come across other helmets offering quite this much protection.
Waterproofing
5/5
Hunter R. gave 5 of 5 stars. The coating on the helmet's exterior repels moisture, and when the vents on the top are fully closed, they also keep the snow/rain/sleet out of my helmet. Helmets with removable pads sometimes allow water to seep in even when the pads are in place. However, with the vent system, my head stays dry whether I crash and get snow on me or if it's just a snowy or rainy day on the mountain.
FAQs
What was your favorite moment with this gear?
Hunter R. I luckily haven't had any crashes or head impacts with this helmet yet. Still, my favorite moment with this gear so far was a day of skiing at Brighton in Utah this past winter. Utah had record snowfall, and there were tons of terrain open and well-covered that I have never seen open in my 20+ years of skiing here. This day in particular, I traversed to the side of the resort with a friend and skied some incredible untouched powder in a spot I had never been to. It was an incredible day of skiing, and although it was super cold, my head stayed super toasty because I had my Nexus vents closed, and wearing a helmet protected me from the snow and wind.
Why did you choose this product?
Hunter R. I chose this product because it is the top tier of safety that one can get in a helmet. One of my best friends had a life-altering brain injury from a ski accident a few years back, which really changed how I looked at helmets. He was wearing a helmet that broke into several pieces at the time, but it saved his life. Even with that, he still got a TBI that he will have to deal with for the rest of his life. The Nexus was fairly expensive compared to other options, but after watching everything he has gone through the last few years, it seems like a small price to pay to keep my head safe. I had previously had a bulkier helmet that I honestly didn't like wearing because it was hard to turn my head and heavy enough to give me a bit of a headache after all-day use. I have had a few concussions from skiing while wearing a helmet and knew that I had to start getting serious about finding something durable and with good protection but still comfortable, lightweight, and give me a good range of motion in moving my head.
What is the value for the money versus other options?
Hunter R. As I mentioned above, the Nexus is a bit pricier than other options out there. It is over $300 when many MIPS helmets are closer to $150. That price difference comes from the extra protection it offers in the impact-resistant shell, the energy-absorbing inner layer, and the bulked-up protection on the sides. It's also way lighter than the $150 options, making me more likely to wear it. It is a chunk of change, but I value my brain and don't want to take any risks with life-altering traumatic brain injuries, so if someone considers how much they'd spend on medical services trying to get their life back to normal after getting a TBI if they don't wear a helmet, or opt for something cheaper with minimal protection, it's actually an incredibly good value.
What do you love about this product?
Hunter R. This super durable helmet will protect my noggin if things go awry on the slopes. It has top-notch MIPS helmet technology, plus an impact-resistant shell on the outside with thicker protection on the sides of the helmet. The Nexus will soften the blow no matter which direction I hit my head. I also like that it's still an ultralight helmet compared to other similar models, which given the advanced protection technology, is super impressive. One of the main reasons I hear that people don't like wearing helmets is that they are heavy and bulky, so I love that the Nexus has considered those two factors and made something light and streamlined that still gives great protection.
Share article:
