Between OR Show and SIA, I had the pleasure of interacting with Pret Helmets on Twitter. Those interactions led to a scheduled interview, and that scheduled interview led to helmet to test out.

Since I know each and every one of you read each and every one of my posts, I know that you’re familiar with my history of TBIs. I love snowboarding, but I’d never do it without a helmet.

Since most active sports have an associated helmet, and most of them are single-impact helmets, one of the first questions I asked was, “how do I know if I should replace a helmet?”

Unfortunately, there’s never anyway of knowing. You don’t have x-ray vision to lookin at the foam inside your helmet. The answer I received was, “if you think you’ve taken hard enough falls to damage the foam, it’s probably time for you to replace it.”

Ummmm…under those conditions, I should have replaced my old snowboarding helmet 12 falls ago. Thank goodness I met with Pret!

Pret Helmet SelectionThey have 4 different models for men:

  • Cynic
  • Shaman
  • Effect
  • Carbon Effect

And 3 different models for women:

  • Lyric
  • Luxe
  • Facet

Pret prides their construction on being lighter and having a lower profile than their competitors, but still meeting all industry impact ratings and certifications. They are obviously doing something right as they have seen 100% growth in sales from Year 1 to Year 2 and expect similar numbers in Year 3.

Pret Helmet TechnologyThe helmet I got was the Carbon Effect. You’ll notice that the “rubber lime” color I have on in the video below isn’t on the website for that model. That’s new for Winter 2014.

What you will notice is the reinforced carbon composite protected areas. These are areas where impacts to the head can do the greatest damage.

And finally, the “nice to haves”…

  • X-liner, removable, anti-microbial helmet liner….to reduce the stank.
  • VTT3 – Their most advanced ventilation system that allows you to control the heat escaping your dome.
  • Removable ear covers, for fashion and function (on warm, spring days)
  • Audio ready ear covers, for listening to your sweet sweet tunes as you slash the powder.
  • Magnetic buckling system – No snaps, no clicks, no need to take your gloves off.

All in all, very glad to have Pret protecting my head. You’ll see why below. Enjoy!



Don’t Miss Your Chance

I was stuck in Corporate America for 9 years. I was miserable.

Then I took control.

You can too, and it starts right here.