Smith Rodeo MIPS® Snow Helmet Reviewed in 2025

Why Choose the Smith Rodeo MIPS® Snow Helmet?

The reason to wear a helmet while skiing or snowboarding is to protect your head from impacts. This is best done with a multi-feature approach and has usually been expensive.

Up until now if you wanted strong head and brain protection you would need to buy a helmet at least in the $150 range. Smith has designed their new Rodeo MIPS® Snow Helmet with strong protection with a pricepoint under $100.

We took the Rodeo out on all kinds of ski days – knee deep powder that got us sweating, zigzagging through trees with branches whizzing by, and wind and snow creating low visibility with holiday crowds. We loved its look (especially the bright color in those crowds), its comfort with good venting, and its great Smith goggle integration so no fogging between hot laps and cold lifts!

Great All-Round Snow Helmet

This is just a nice simple, stylish, safe snow helmet. It has good protection against impacts and a modern look, with removable ear pads. We are also happy that Smith is using recycled and upcycled materials for more sustainable manufacturing of their newly designed helmets.

Safety Features at a Great Price

When we think of what a snow helmet should have to provide head and brain safety on the mountain, we think about:

• shell construction
• rotational force and angled impact protection
• goggle integration to keep strong visibility

Shell Construction

The Smith Rodeo MIPS® Snow Helmet uses an injection molded ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) shell. This provides great durability and protection against outer dings, dents, and scratches. There is also an EPS core for shock absorption. The downside of this type of construction is that it is a bit heavy.

MIPS® Brain Protection System

The Rodeo also comes with MIPS®, a Low Friction Layer that can help reduce the impact of a rotational force to the head. This addition really sets the Smith Rodeo snow helmet apart as it is the only under $100 helmet we have come across with this safety feature.

Goggle Integration for Fog-free Clear Visibility

The Smith Rodeo MIPS® Snow Helmet has perfect integration with Smith goggles for the vents to line up and keep your goggles fogless with clear – safe – visibility. This stood up to our hardest runs, building up a sweat, and then standing in cold lines and riding the lift on cold, windy, snowy days.

We found our Oakley goggles and Giro goggles also fit well with vent integration working. Our Zeal goggles did not fit well though, so it is worth trying the helmet with any goggles you love that you aren’t ready to replace yet.

Nice Look and Comfortable Fit

The Smith Rodeo MIPS® Snow Helmet has a low profile simple modern look with a good range of colors. It comes in regular fit or a round contour fit for rounder head shapes.

Good fit is important for snow helmet safety. It shouldn’t slip or slide around. The Rodeo comes with a convenient dial adjust fit system which is easy to adjust even with gloves on. There is some light padding at the temple and the top of the head inside the helmet for comfort.

The chin strap has some light padding. Its buckle is simple with simple tightening, but it does not slip easily – which is very important.

Ski & Snowboard Helmet Warmth

Ski and snowboard helmets need to provide some warmth, especially on cold pow days. The Smith Rodeo MIPS® snow helmet comes with warm ear pads that extend well down the base of the head to provide a nice warm fit. With the easy dial fit adjustment it is also easy to fit a neck gaiter or balaclava underneath this helmet.

The Smith Rodeo ski and snowboarding helmet comes with 10 fixed vents. If you run hot then you will feel great with this minor airflow. There is a removable padding section inside the helmet that does block some of the air for colder days, and can be removed if the helmet feels warm on spring days.

You can also remove the ear flaps when the weather turns warmer. There are tight, strong velcro strips holding the ear flaps in place. Take care removing the ear flaps from the velcro as there have been reviews stating other owners have pulled out more than just the earpads. Some have reported the earpads are difficult to put back as well.

Price/Value of the Smith Rodeo MIPS® Snow Helmet

Smith makes high quality, good fitting, safety focused ski and snowboard helmets. Their Rodeo MIPS® snow helmet uses their high quality technology with the MIPS® brain protection system at an affordable price under $100. We think this a great deal!

Do We Recommend It?

Yes, we highly recommend the Smith Rodeo MIPS® ski and snowboarding helmet!

This helmet is designed with recycled materials and it has a great look. It is simple without a lot of extras, like adjustable vents or lightweight construction, like the Smith Vantage, but still built with safety in mind. If you are looking to not spend too much but have solid protection the Rodeo MIPS® is the best option out there.

If you are looking for more protective features you can look at the Anon WaveCel system, Giro Spherical Technology, or the Smith KOROYD® system.