What's Great (and What's Less Great) about the Pret Fury X Ski Helmet

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What does a ski helmet need to be perfect? Well, for starters, when you put it on, it shouldn’t be noticeable. That means it fits your noggin, provides compatability with a variety of goggles, and offers bombproof impact protection. And, let’s not forget, it can’t be dorky (otherwise who would wear it).

With all this in mind, I spent the second half of the 2020-’21 ski season testing the Pret Fury X helmet. And it was so, so close to being perfect.

What’s Great about the Pret Fury X Ski Helmet

Park City-based helmet company Pret designed the Fury X to be a lightweight cap with a very comfortable fit. The company’s proprietary Ripcord System (RCS) dials in micro-adjustments for hard-to-fit heads as well. In fact, I usually tell brands I can’t test helmets because my head is pretty weird, but the Fury X fit like a dream the moment I put it on.

The curvature of the Fury X’s low-profile brim blends well with the majority of ski goggles on the market today, preventing gaper gaps (I should know—I was also testing various goggle throughout the season). More importantly, the brim’s vent system also lines up with a variety of goggles, which means it catalyzes airflow and prevents fogging.

The Fury X—and all of Pret’s X model helmets—incorporate MIPS technology, which provides added protection against falls with forward and sideways momentum. The brand’s proprietary Advanced Composite Technology, or ACT (no, there’s no test later), is what gives the helmet such a feathery weight but, when combined with MIPS, still offers advanced impact protection. I never hit my head while testing the Pret Fury X, but I trust it nonetheless.

What is MIPS?  If Your Helmet Doesn’t Have This Feature, It Might Be Time to Upgrade

What’s Less Great about the Pret Fury X Ski Helmet

While the ventilation switch is effective and simple to use, what keeps the Pret Fury X from being a perfect helmet is doesn’t dump heat as well. This is actually an advantage during cold ski days in the winter, of course, but during sunny days of early spring at Loveland Ski Area, I found myself sweating more than usual compared to some of the other helmets I’ve worn for the last few years. I was testing a grey version, and I’m guessing the black version may have been even hotter if the sun was really blazing.

Again, this heat retention is a good thing on cold days, which means I’ll definitely keep using the Pret Fury X in the middle of winter. And if you are someone who gets cold all season long, this helmet might be a perfect fit.

Shop for the Pret Fury X Ski Helmet: Pret | REI | evo

Keep Going: The Best Helmets and Goggles of the Season