POC Synapsis XP Helmet - 2009 BCS

Great looking helmet. Fit is awesome. Far superior to the Giro G-9 I've been wearing for years. Real lightweight, you hardly know it's there. Peripheral is as good as it gets when paired with the POC Cornea goggle. The only small drawback is that the vents cannot be closed/opened while helmet is on. You have to take the helmet of and move two small velcro patches. Small drawback.

Sizing is very similar to Giro. I wear a medium in both.

The Synapsis XP unfortunately did not fit my head very well. Although this helmet is very light I found it to be very uncomfortable and I found that the gap between my goggles and the top of helmet was unacceptably large (I tried 3 different sets of googles to solve the problem). I exchanged the POC for a Smith Variant and couldnt be happier...the Smith fits prefectly meshes with all 3 sets of my goggles (none of wich are Smith) is exceptionally comfortable and almost as light as the POC Synapsis.

I have never owned a ski helmet before so this is my first. I was a little skeptical about my head staying warm, but man I don't ever remember my head sweating so much. The quality is A1 except for the visor you really have to work at putting it on. Ultra light with excellent visibility,goggles fit really well. In my opinion It's a solid helmet. I only wish POC would make it so you could put the slalom face guard on it.

This helmet is extremely light and comfortable. Size wise, I had to move up to an XL although I wear an M or L in most other brands. Not much padding inside. To customize the fit for my narrowish skull, I used a pair of spare pads from a cycling helmet to take up extra space on the sides above the earpiece. Love the helmet, love the fit, and never see another one on the mountain.

As one of the last hat hold-outs, I grumbled over the idea of finally replacing my 10 year old, worn out beanie with a plastic dome-piece. I also have a gigantic head so I was a bit nervous about finding something that fit well and protected my brain. I tried on some Giro and Smith helmets but wasn't satisfied with how loose they felt. I took a chance and bought the POC Synapsis and couldn't be happier. It is light as a feather and doesn't feel much different than my hat. It isn't loud when I'm ripping down the mountain and it fits very well.

The Synapsis is a bit more expensive than most helmets and not having owned any others, I can't say whether it clearly dominates the competition. However, the excellent fit combined with its great overall comfort makes it an easy recommendation for me.