Your Guide to Helmets Equipped with Mips Safety System

Learn more about the latest helmet technology for your next bike ride or run down the slopes.

October 31, 2023
Skier walking in snow wearing a Giro helmet

It’s no surprise that safety is the number one priority when choosing a helmet. Today, many helmets are equipped with Mips® technology. Mips safety system (which stands for Multi-Directional Impact Protection System) has become increasingly popular in the design of helmets, such as those used for biking and snow sports. Read on to gear up with the latest technology.

 

What is Mips Technology?

Many crashes involve angled impacts that can cause rotational motion to the wearer’s head. Traditionally, helmets have mainly been designed and tested for straight impacts. Helmets that incorporate the Mips safety system have been tested for angled impacts, which is intended to be more realistic to how you might fall in the event of a crash.

Illustration of helmet testing Illustration provided by Smith.

Most new helmets that contain Mips technology are built with a lightweight, low-friction layer between the helmet’s shell and the liner. This thin addition to the helmet is intended to allow the wearer’s head to move slightly inside the helmet and to mimic the function of the cerebrospinal fluid between the skull and the brain. This system is intended to help reduce rotational motion to the head, which can be harmful.

Illustration of strain Simulated deformation of the brain from angled impact when the user is wearing a helmet with and without Mips®. Illustration provided by Smith.

It’s important to note that not every helmet on the market is equipped with this additional system that is intended to help mitigate rotational motion. 

 

Learn more from our partners at Mips Academy:

 

 

Once you’ve got a helmet equipped with the Mips safety system, check out the Pro Tips Complete Biking Checklist to get ready to ride and learn more essential safety tips for your next trip to the mountains.