ProView – Bern Heist Brim with MIPS

It seems odd to test a snowboard helmet without actually crashing while wearing it.

But, like all forms of safety equipment, from seat belts to airline floatation devices, the point is to never need it. I’m thankful that was the case while wearing Bern’s Heist Brim with MIPS.

Materials

Bern is one of many major helmet manufacturers across multiple impact-risk sports industries worldwide to integrate the Swedish company’s patented enhanced helmet safety technology. MIPS may be just finding its way to the slopes and chutes of the U.S. snow sports market, but it launched way back in 2007.

• 

• 

• 

• 

But Mips’ low-friction, rotation-prevention design isn’t the only thing protecting the user. Bern has plenty of its own safety smarts built into the Heist Brim. The company married a PVC-based (polyvinyl chloride) lower shell to an even more durable ABS top shell, resulting in comprehensive, feather-light 360º protection.

Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, or ABS, is a somewhat less expensive material in helmets but offers one of the industry’s highest levels of impact strength. (PVC is just below it.) Its other benefits include not being easily affected by fluctuations in temperature, making it ideal for harsh winter conditions, and being scratch-resistant, meaning you can float into the narrow thickets without worrying about what the helmet will look like when you pop back into groomer traffic.

• 

• 

• 

Features

I tested the Bern Heist Brim during the spring season on and off the resorts around Lake Tahoe and Truckee, California. The varying temps proved that the Heist Brim’s comprehensive ventilation is well thought-out, even if the removable top plugs are tedious to get to and remove. And, once removed, the thin foam plugs seem easy to lose and damage. While I’m not sure if adjustable sliding vents would compromise the MIPS or other safety tech this helmet offers, I know such a feature would offer much more convenient, on-the-fly heat release. I wouldn’t attempt to remove them on the lift or mid-run.

Yet, no helmet is perfect, and I’m highly satisfied with everything else this lid offers, especially its low weight. It rode like a swaddled newborn on the back of my Ortovox Peak 35 backcountry pack, merely invisible and much less likely to ever require me to co-sign on a car loan. My goggles slid nicely into place every time and the elastic rear security strap is held in place by a screw, not a rivet or other permanent form of attachment. This means that should it ever rip, it can be easily replaced.

• 

• 

• 

Fit

The medium Heist Brim I tested felt tight every time I slid it on, even with the Boa dial wide open. Yet, after a few seconds, I wouldn’t notice it; in fact, it felt comfortably snug, like it was taking very seriously the physical formation of my skull, which I suppose is the point. In brief, don’t worry if you experience the same feeling at first, this thing never slipped out of adjustment or position, a characteristic that can’t be understated.

Safety Features

Other safety features that the Bern Heist with MIPS offers are more of the invisible kind, such as the aluminum shields and EAR, or energy absorbing ribs, that define the removable internal liner’s design.

• 

• 

Look

The color schemes are very cool across the board, I wore the Satin Patriot. I also had no issue with the chin strap, and benefitted from the out-of-the-box positioning being just right. I nevertheless moved it around, loosening and tightening it, and found it to be surprisingly smooth. Granted, every wants a different fit, so maybe you’ll find it harder to perfect.

Room for Improvement

The liner is my last hangup with this helmet. The primary snaps, positioned at each corner, came undone a time or two, and it takes a few minutes to adjust the liner’s components for re-insertion, and this is also part of my concern with the removable vent plugs.

• 

Final Word

After several weeks of use in the afternoon sun and morning cold, and from lift-served spring crud to backcountry pow, I see no reason to not recommend the Bern Heist Brim. In fact, for the money, I argue it’s one of the better balances of safety, performance, and looks on the winter sports market.

Shop Bern Heist Brim with MIPS on Outdoor Prolink. Not a member? Apply today!