Thursday, November 19, 2015

Bern Watts helmet update

So I've skated five busy public sessions while wearing my green beanie and can comment on its suitability for figure skating.  It does stay in place while skating if the chin strap is properly adjusted.  This includes during single foot spins.  I have not tested jumping while wearing the helmet but my expectation is that the helmet will be fine when I do start jumping again.

One thing that surprised me is that I don't get sweaty while wearing the helmet.  The sessions I've skated are two hours long so that's another check on the plus column.  Lightness is another positive feature of the Bern Watts.  Weight-wise I'm barely aware that I'm wearing it. 

The short visor which my helmet came with is perhaps the only point that I don't like.  The little brim does have the tendency to direct one's eyes down rather than ahead.  Where the eyes go, the head follows, so this is not a good thing while skating.  If I could hit the rewind button I'd order a Bern helmet, without the visor.  They offer them.

Last Sunday while skating I bumped into a father-daughter combo whom I know and the daughter was wearing the standard version of the Ice Halo.  This was the first time I got to see and touch one up close.  Basically, it's high density foam covered with a synthetic cloth and it comes as a flat strip with a velcro closure which one can adjust for head size when placing the halo around one's noggin. 

The daughter didn't like it at first (she's about ten years old) but now no longer notices it when skating.  I must admit, the Ice Halo looks a lot less geeky than my helmet.  I may order one although I'm a little reluctant to wear safety equipment solely based on appearances.  I'd really like to see some test data or learn if the Ice Halo actually complies with a pertinent safety standard--I can't afford another TBI at this point in my skating career.