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Giro Range MIPS Review

by | Nov 12, 2021 | Snow Helmets

Table Of Contents

Giro Range MIPS Review: Best Ski & Snowboard Helmets

Top Notch Helmet with the Widest Range of Fit for Varying Head Shapes and Sizes

  • Comfort 90% 90%
  • Warmth 100% 100%
  • Ventilation 80% 80%
  • Safety Tech & Features 90% 90%
  • Goggle Compatibility 90% 90%
  • Weight 60% 60%

Weight: 538.65 grams

Adjustment System: ConformFit technology

Number of Vents: 12 adjustable

Removable Ear Covers: Yes

Goggle Attachment: Yes

Visor: Yes

Audio Compatibility: Yes

Price: $249.95

What We Like: Unparalleled Fit Adjustment, Goggle Compatibility

What We Don’t: Expensive, Can Cause Ear Pain for Some Riders

The Giro Range MIPS is Giro’s flagship snow helmet in a line of helmets that has reshaped the world of snow helmets over the past decade. While our tastes ran slightly toward the Smith helmets, the Giro Range MIPS brings its own set of unique features to the table, and might even be the best ski and snowboard helmet for some people, particularly those with more oval shaped heads.
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Compare to Similar Products

See Our Best Ski & Snowboard Helmet Review 2021 HERE!

Smith Quantum MIPS

Buy Now at Backcountry.com

OR Compare Best Prices

  • Comfort 100% 100%
  • Warmth 100% 100%
  • Ventilation 80% 80%
  • Safety Tech & Features 100% 100%
  • Goggle Compatibility 90% 90%
  • Weight 40% 40%

Pros

Class-Leading Safety

Top All-Around Performance

Cons

Heavy

Expensive

Weight: 623.69 grams

Adjustment System: BOA FS360 Fit System

Number of Vents: 22

Removable Ear Covers: Yes

Google Attachment: Yes

Visor: No

Audio Compatibility: Yes

Giro Range MIPS

Buy Now at Backcountry.com

OR Compare Best Prices

  • Comfort 90% 90%
  • Warmth 100% 100%
  • Ventilation 80% 80%
  • Safety Tech & Features 90% 90%
  • Goggle Compatibility 90% 90%
  • Weight 60% 60%

Pros

Unparalleled Fit Adjustment

Goggle Compatibility

Cons

Expensive

Can Cause Ear Pain for Some Riders

Weight: 538.65 grams

Adjustment System: ConformFit technology

Number of Vents: 12 adjustable

Removable Ear Covers: Yes

Goggle Attachment: Yes

Visor: Yes

Audio Compatibility: Yes

Giro Nine MIPS

Buy Now at Backcountry.com

OR Compare Best Prices

  • Comfort 70% 70%
  • Warmth 80% 80%
  • Ventilation 70% 70%
  • Safety Tech & Features 70% 70%
  • Goggle Compatibility 70% 70%
  • Weight 70% 70%

Pros

Mips Tech

Warm

Light

Comfortable

Great Price to Performance Ratio

Cons

Non-Removable Earpads

Lower Tier In Form Fit System

Weight: 436 grams

Adjustment System: In-Form Fit System

Number of Vents: 14

Removable Ear Covers: No

Google Attachment: Yes

Visor: No

Audio Compatibility: No

Salomon MTN Lab Review

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  • Comfort 70% 70%
  • Warmth 50% 50%
  • Ventilation 100% 100%
  • Safety Tech & Features 80% 80%
  • Goggle Compatibility 70% 70%
  • Weight 100% 100%

Pros

A True Ski Mountaineering Helmet

Ultralight

Well Ventilated

Cons

Non-Closable Vents

Not for Everyone

Weight: 360 grams

Adjustment System: Custom dial adjustment system

Number of Vents: 20

Removable Ear Covers: Yes

Goggle Attachment: Yes

Visor: Yes (brim)

Audio Compatibility: No

POC Auric Cut Backcountry Spin

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  • Comfort 80% 80%
  • Warmth 90% 90%
  • Ventilation 90% 90%
  • Safety Tech & Features 90% 90%
  • Goggle Compatibility 90% 90%
  • Weight 40% 40%

Pros

Cutting Edge Safety Tech

Warm

Well Ventilated

Cons

Heavy

Look is Not for Everyone

Weight: 585 grams

Adjustment System: 360-degree adjustment

Number of Vents: 10 adjustable

Removable Ear Covers: Yes

Google Attachment: Yes

Visor: No

Audio Compatibility: Yes

Smith Variance

Buy Now at Backcountry.com

OR Compare Best Prices

  • Comfort 80% 80%
  • Warmth 80% 80%
  • Ventilation 90% 90%
  • Safety Tech & Features 70% 70%
  • Goggle Compatibility 80% 80%
  • Weight 60% 60%

Pros

Price to Performance Ratio

Warm

Comfortable

Cons

Lacks Safety Features of Top of the Line Smith Helmets

Weight: 538.65 grams

Adjustment System: BOA Fit System

Number of Vents: 18

Removable Ear Covers: Yes

Google Attachment: Yes

Visor: No

Audio Compatibility: Yes

Smith Vantage MIPS

Buy Now at Backcountry.com

OR Compare Best Prices

  • Comfort 90% 90%
  • Warmth 90% 90%
  • Ventilation 90% 90%
  • Safety Tech & Features 90% 90%
  • Goggle Compatibility 90% 90%
  • Weight 60% 60%

Pros

Most of the Features of the Quantum at a Lower Price

Cons

Lacks the Ultra-Premium Protection of the Quantum

Weight: 501.8 grams

Adjustment System: BOA FS360 Fit System

Number of Vents: 18

Removable Ear Covers: Yes

Goggle Attachment: Yes

Visor: No 

Audio Compatibility: Yes

Oakley Mod5 MIPS

Buy Now at Backcountry.com

OR Compare Best Prices

  • Comfort 80% 80%
  • Warmth 70% 70%
  • Ventilation 80% 80%
  • Safety Tech & Features 70% 70%
  • Goggle Compatibility 90% 90%
  • Weight 40% 40%

Pros

Modular Brim System

BOARetention System

Comfortable

Cons

Cold Earpads

Average Ventilation

Poor Quality of Goggle Clip

Weight: 601 grams

Adjustment System: BOA 270 fit system

Number of Vents: 11 on MIPS helmet

Removable Ear Covers: Yes

Goggle Attachment: Yes

Visor: Yes 

Audio Compatibility: No

Comfort and Fit

Virtually everything about the Giro Range MIPS snow helmet comes down to its ConformFit retention system. Rather than using a band or BOA system within the helmet to adjust the helmets inner liner to fit the shape of your head, Giro has taken a completely new direction.
The range is made of two completely separate EPP foam pieces. The first piece runs from about the top of the forehead all the way to the back of the helmet, and the second essentially wraps around the rest of the helmet as well as running under the first piece.
Rather than adjusting an internal retention system, the InForm wheel in the back of the helmet actually opens and closes the sides of the Range’s wrap around half of the shell, which tucks into or opens away from the centerpiece like a pair of wings. This is what makes the Giro Range MIPS truly revolutionary. It actually adjusts the entire helmet itself to the fit of your head, rather than relying on an internal retention system.
This adjustment accounts for a full 6cm of adjustment, which is absolutely massive, and is what allows it to fit the oval-shaped heads that Giro helmets usually favor, as well as a wide variety of other head shapes. It also allows for a high degree of front to back adjustment, which means that it can ride lower on the forehead for smaller framed goggles and higher for those with larger frames.
There is one downside to Giro’s new and improved ConformFit system. Because the sides of the helmet themselves actually clamp tighter to your head, the cheek pads can put more pressure on your ears. Riders like myself, who struggle with ear pain after wearing helmets or over the ear headphones for long periods of time will find this helmet causing their ears to ache much earlier than normal.

Warmth

The front-facing six of the Giro Range MIPS’s 12 vents close off and create a tight seal, blocking cold air from rushing into the helmet while you charge down the mountain. Meanwhile, the back four remain open and do a good job of keeping the helmet from retaining as much moisture, without sacrificing much warmth.
Meanwhile, the ConformFit adjustment system of the Giro Range MIPS means that it is about the best there is when it comes to creating a tight seal between the sides of the helmet and your head. Couple this with soft, generously padded earpads and an X Static liner and the Giro Range MIPS snow helmet will keep your noggin nice and toasty on even the coldest days on the mountain.

Ventilation

The Giro Range’s ventilation is well above average, with well-placed vents that let air flow adequately, if not exceptionally, well through the helmet.

Safety Tech and Additional Features

The nod for innovative safety has to go toward the Giro Range MIPS’ ConformFit retention system, as a better fitting helmet is always a safer helmet. But Giro doubles down on safety by adding a MIPS liner to better protect riders from rotational impacts that are thought to significantly add to the risk and severity of concussions.
The Giro Range MIPS also features the magnetic FidLock buckle that makes dealing with the chin strap with heavily gloved or frozen fingers a breeze, as well as generously padded earpads that are compatible with disk-shaped in earpad audio devices such as the Chips 2.0 by Outdoor Tech.
Finally, the Giro Range MIPS has an extremely small form factor for a full-featured ski and snowboard helmet. I am not terribly bothered by the mushroom head look that snow helmets tend to give, but smaller riders and style conscious riders will love the sleek look of the Giro Range MIPS.

Goggle Compatibility

Because the Giro Range MIPS ski and snowboard helmet features above average front to back adjustment, it will work well and create an airtight seal with a wide range of goggles. Meanwhile, its stack vents will help suck moisture away from your goggles keeping them fog free.

Weight

At 538g, the Giro Range MIPS is about an average weight top of the line ski and snowboard helmet. Unlike some sports where the top of the line helmets have features stripped away in the name of weight savings, the top snow helmets often go heavy on features that add a bit of weight, and we are more than happy with the Giro Range’s weight in exchange for the treasure trove of features that it boasts.

The Bottom Line

Our tastes and the way we judged ski and snowboard helmets for this review left the Giro Range just shy of being our top pick for best ski and snowboard helmet of 2021. However, it boasts its own set of features, both safety and luxury, that puts it on part with any ski and snowboard helmet on the market. Riders who value a smaller form factor and unparalleled fit for non-circular head shapes might find that the Giro Range MIPS is the best ski and snowboard helmet for their needs.


Finally, its $250 MSRP is not cheap, but it can sometimes be found in the neighborhood of ~$180, which is a bargain for such an innovative, top of the line ski and snowboard helmet.

Compare Prices From Retailers Below

Backcountry
Moosejaw
Amazon
Steep & Cheap

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We participate in affiliate programs to help us fund Gear Hacker. Some of the links in this website are affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product using our link, we will earn a small commission. Don’t worry! This comes at no additional cost to you, and we will never base our reviews on whether or not we earn a commission off of a product. With that said, if you find our review helpful and decide to purchase an item we review, we would be very appreciative if you use our links to do so. It will help us bring you more awesome content in the future!

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Best Ski & Snowboard Helmet Review 2021

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Smith Variance MIPS Review

Oakley Mod5 MIPS Review

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