The Maze helmet from Smith is the lightest certified snowsports helmet on the market at only 270g.
It feels almost impossibly light in the hand, and that obviously translates to a feathery light feeling when worn.
You can choose to style the helmet up as either minimalist park rat smooth, or as a more fully featured item, using snapfit earpads and the removable rear goggle lock.
The Maze has a total of nine vents. Two small rectangular vents at the front channel air across the top of the head as well as down the front of the stubby peak onto the top of goggle frames. This air permeates into your goggles vents which helps to keep them clear so you can charge hard on the slopes without worrying too much about steaming up.
Exit vents are positioned at the top and bottom of the back of the head, again they're small and rectangular in keeping with the style of the rest of the helmet. This system channels a reasonable amount of air, but if you run hot and value substance over style then perhaps go for something with more ventilation.
The fit system on the Maze is simple but effective, there's no dial lock to adjust tension, just simple elasticated webbing. This keeps the helmet in place surprisingly well, obviously you can't dial in more or less tension depending on your preference so make sure you buy the right size in the first place. It's in keeping with the super clean lines of the helmet though, a chunky dial would have looked out of place.
The in-mold construction is light but strong, Xavier de le Rue took a substantial hit to the head in the Maze helmet last season and survived to tell the tale so we trust in its ability to protect.
The Maze is available with or without MIPS, in no less than nine different colour combinations so there should be something here for everyone.
If you appreciate the style of the Maze helmet as well as its light weight and simplicity then it's a good bet for the upcoming season.
