If you’re in the market for a new ski helmet, you should take a look at the Outdoor Master Diamond MIPS ski helmet. We spent last winter trying out the Diamond MIPS in almost every condition.

This helmet performs and is one of the best value ski helmets available. It’s very comfortable with basic styling, and most importantly, it will keep you safe on the slopes. Let’s take a closer look.

From the Best Selling Kelvin Helmet to MIPS Diamond Helmet

The Outdoor Master Kelvin helmet is one of the most popular ski helmet with over 7000 reviews on multiple platforms. It’s a good ski helmet but it doesn’t have advanced features such as MIPS or adjustable vents.

Outdoor Master introduced the Diamond MIPS helmet to have a full featured ski helmet with MIPS safety technology. We were excited to try it out. Since then we have put in a lot of ski days with it. We haven’t been disappointed. It is an improvement over the Kelvin helmet in almost every way and worth the extra cost. Let’s get into the details.

Price

The Outdoor Master Diamond MIPS ski helmet retails for $99.99-$109.99. You can use code OMBLOG20 for 10% off and bring the price down to under $90.

Construction

The Outdoor Master Diamond helmet is constructed with an in-mold construction. This means that the polycarbonate shell and EPS liner are fused together during the manufacturing process.

This creates a helmet that is stronger and lighter than traditional hard shell helmets. The size adjuster allows for a better fit, and the removable ear muffs help to keep your ears warm on cold days.

Inside the helmet, you’ll find a fleece lining that is removable for cleaning. The neck strap uses a regular buckle and is plenty long enough.

Many ski helmets have neck straps that are barely long enough to work if you are wearing a neck gaiter or thin hat.

Styling

The Diamond MIPS has a basic skateboard helmet look to it with minimal styling features. It has a color band around the bottom edge but that is about as fancy as it gets.

I personally prefer a bit more flare and character to my ski helmet. The basic simple style is very popular among terrain park and freestyle crowds along with cylindrical lens ski goggles. The Diamond follows that trend nicely.

Safety Certifications

The Diamond helmet is certified to ASTM2040F-18 for snow sports helmets. it has a certification label inside the helmet.

MIPS – Multi-Directional Impact Protection System

MIPS is a technology that allows the helmet to rotate relative to your head in the event of an impact. This reduces the force of glancing blow impacts and impacts that rotate your head, which can help reduce the risk of concussion.

Weight

My large size Diamond MIPS weighed in at just 15 ounces which was lighter than the more expensive Smith Mission MIPS or ANON Echo MIPS helmets that we also tested last year.

This puts it a couple ounces lighter than a comparative Smith Scout MIPS (18oz for size M) and or Giro Ledge MIPS (17.6 oz for a size M) and equal to the Oakley Mod1 MIPS (15 oz for size M).

Ventilation

The helmet has 8 vents. 6 can be closed or opened with a slider on top of the helmet. The 2 vents on the lower front lip are always open. These are used to help defog ski goggles and you wouldn’t want to close them.

The ventilation amount is good for warm spring days. If you are doing a lot of hiking on a warmer day you might be wishing for more vents. The Diamond is more of a ski resort helmet that is good for colder days. It’s not so much a backcountry or touring helmet where you are doing a lot of skinning or climbing.

Audio compatible

The removable ear muffs have pockets for installing blue tooth audio speakers. The ear pieces are deeper than most other ski helmet earpieces I have tried. They are comfortable to wear with speakers installed without feeling like they are putting pressure on your ears.

This is the only helmet I have tried that I can comfortably wear speakers with. Most ski helmets give me headaches from ear pressure without speakers or anything extra in the ear pads. This is a big area of improvement for me with the Diamond.

Bungee goggle band

The Diamond uses a bungee and clip on the rear to hold ski goggle straps in place. I strongly prefer bungees for this purpose over plastic clips or rubber straps with metal snaps. The bungee is easy to hook and unhook while wearing the helmet even with gloves or mittens on. You can easily take your goggles on and off.

How does the Diamond do on the mountain?

We used the Diamond all of last winter on almost every ski day. We tried it out here in Michigan as well as out west in Utah and Montana.

Comfort

This is where the Diamond really shines. It is one of the most comfortable ski helmets out there. The fleece lining is soft and comfortable. The ear pads are wide with deep pockets so they don’t put much pressure on your ears.

The neck strap is long enough to work with almost any head shape that will fit in the helmet. This is my favorite feature of this helmet. It just feels good to wear. The 2 other Outdoor Master ski helmets feel cramped in size large, especially the Kelvin. The Diamond fits my head really nicely without feeling like I’m squeezing into it.

Warmth

I find with most ski helmets there is enough air leakage around the openings that I’m not warm enough without wearing a hat. The Diamond is no exception. For really cold, well below freezing days, I need a hat under it.

The Seirus Heatwave Skull Liner is a very thin hat that does a great job of blocking drafts and giving you a little more insulation. It’s designed to work under helmets and is thin enough that it won’t affect safety. I wear one under every ski helmet I use.

Goggle compatibility

The Diamond works well with almost any ski goggles. I had no issues with goggle fogging while wearing the Diamond so the goggle vents work well. The brim line fits well with the Outdoor Master Ultra/Vision/Pro and Pulse goggles. We also wore it with goggles from Smith, Oakley, ANON, Giro, Glade, and others.

Other helmets to consider:

Smith, Giro, and Oakley are the 3 biggest names in ski helmets. How does the Diamond MIPS stack up to the entry level ski helmet from each brand. The 3 closest competitors are the Oakley Mod1 MIPS, Giro Ledge MIPS, and Smith Scout MIPS. All of these helmets have similar no frills basic skateboard helmet appearance. They have minimal styling to keep things simple. This look is popular in the terrain park and among freestyle skiers and snowboarders.

See our guide to the best under $100 ski helmets to learn more about other options.

Oakley Mod1 MIPS

The Oakley Mod 1 has a similar appearance to the Diamond. It has similar in-mold construction. It has goggle defog vents. The rest of the vents are fixed. The ear pads are not audio compatible. There are no pockets for installing speakers. A size medium Mod1 MIPS weighs in at 15 oz. Unless you can find a leftover last year’s model, the Oakley Mod1 MIPS will set you back $130.

Giro Ledge MIPS

The Giro Ledge MIPS uses basic hard shell construction with an ABS shell and EPS liner. It does not have adjustable vents. It uses a basic plastic clip on the back to hold your goggles. It does have goggle defog vents on the front. The ear pads are audio compatible. The Ledge weighs in at 17.6 oz for a size medium. The Giro Ledge MIPS retails for $105.

Smith Scout MIPS

The Smith Scout also uses basic hardshell construction using an ABS shell and EPS Liner. It has fixed vents with goggle defog vents on the front. It uses a plasic clip on the back for holding your goggles in place. The Smith helmet does not have a size adjuster on the back for fine tuning the size of the helmet. Almost every other ski helmet produced has a size adjuster. The ear pads are not audio compatible either. The Scout MIPS weighs in at 18 oz for a size medium. The Smith Scout retails for $105.

The Outdoor Master Diamond is the only helmet under $100 that has MIPS, in-mold construction, audio compatible ear pads, adjustable vents, and a bungee attachment for your goggles. It’s really comfortable too.

	Outdoor Master Diamond MIPS	Oakley Mod1 MIPS	Giro Ledge MIPS	Smith Scout MIPS
MIPS	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Construction	In-mold	In-mold	Hard shell	Hard Shell
Size Adjuster	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Vents	Adjustable	Fixed	Fixed	Fixed
Goggle Defog Vents	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Audio Compatible	Yes	No	Yes	No
Weight	15 oz	15 oz	17.6 oz	18 oz
Price	$90	$130	$105	$105

PROS

• Very comfortable to wear

• Wide ear pads with deep pockets reduce pressure on your ears

• Adjustable vents for warm and cool days

• Audio-compatible ear pads

• Effective goggle defogging vents

• Chin strap is long enough to work with neck gaiters and thin hats

• Bungee attachment for holding goggles

• Size adjuster for fine tuning fit

Cons

• Very basic styling (this could be a pro depending on what you like)

• Could use more ventilation for warm days where you are skinning or climbing

The Verdict

If you’re looking for a high-quality, lightweight, and reasonably priced ski helmet, then you should definitely check out the Outdoor Master Diamond MIPS ski helmet. It comes with all of the latest safety features and it’s comfortable enough to wear all day long.