Helmets have a relatively simple—if not imperative—job as far as gear goes: 1) don't fall off and 2) prevent major brain damage. Given its limited roster of tasks, it'd be easy to assume that helmet innovation has probably hit a standstill by now. WRONG. Enter the Giro Combyn snow-sports helmet: a soft-shell helmet that utilizes an impact-absorbing liner that Giro promises can take all sorts of hits over, and over, and over again.


The new type of lining, Vinyl Nitrile, is soft and flexible unlike traditional expandable helmet liners. So where most helmets are pretty much done after one hard blow, the Combyn snaps right back into shape, ready to go again. While there's no set number of impacts the helmet can take, the cool part is that the user can send the helmet in to Giro and have it analyzed for its current durability—totally free of charge.

The Combyn helmet will be available this coming August at $120 each. [Gear Junkie]