Looking back, there seemingly wasn’t a time in my life where I was drawn to sit on a motor and ride. Call me what you will; “Mud-Junkie”, “Sled-Head”, “Speed-Demon”, whatever season it was, I was spending it riding.   I couldn’t say at what time it was, but increasingly over the years I’d find myself pining for the snows of winter to hit so I could get on the sled and leave life behind for days at a time. Maybe it was something about the clean sheets of snow representing… New starts? Nah, I’m not going to overthink that. I just love the snow. Like any invested interest, I have spent a lot of years and a lot of money on a LOT of gear, helmets (probably) taking top spot.

Small accessories can go relatively unnoticed in the rotation, but helmet has been one thing I’ve never cut costs or efforts in buying. I have one neck, and me and the boys go hard in the powder. I’d have to say over the years I’ve probably tried 100 helmet and helmet/goggle combos. Same brands, mixed brands (when it came to my snow-cross setups), heated modular, non-heated full face… I always owed it to my riding to try to strive for the best setup.

Heated modular/full-face required feet of wire I could never seem to ignore when standing (which was most of the time), and on more than one occasion, dislodged and shorted the damn thing. As for my snow cross setups, while lighter and more conducive to my riding style, I still found a pain that I got to take up valuable storage space on my sled with a padded bag with five pairs of goggles. FIVE! And I STILL ended most rides with frozen lenses (not to mention a sore neck and headache). We don’t stop for very long when we’re at it so getting a helmet on and off with cold hands SUCKS, but I had basically just accepted that this was just going to be what I had to deal with as my love of riding outweighed these negatives.

I’ve always found that with my Snow-Cross setups an XL is way too tight, and I’m just able to fill the gaps on a 2XL with a balaclava. This fit a lot more flush with my forehead and cheeks which allowed for a thinner, sweat-wicking balaclava.

Short warm up rides justified my purchase pretty quickly, but I’ve had good helmets before. I’d reserve true judgement until an intense out-trip. I had opted to purchase a set of the 509 Sinister X6 Ignite heated goggles as well (this would be my first foray into heated lens world) which I brought into the back-country with a few sets of Scott goggles, which to this point I had had the most success with.   

 I rode in with the 509 goggles, though hadn’t used the heated element up until we got to the valley. When it came time to go hard, I chickened out and went back to the Scott goggles because they had been tried and true. I was surprised by how well the fit of those goggles was on this helmet (and to this day, you won’t convince me that any helmet takes on goggles as universally as 509. I’ll die on that hill).

Once we were at it, I didn’t have anything to say about the 509 Altitude Carbon Fiber… The reason being, I honestly forgot I had it on… It was so incredibly comfortable and light it was just like an extension of my head. The first few stops for chats and snacks, I definitely spent time fumbling to get it off, not realizing that this helmet had a Fidlock® magnet system, which with one pull allows a magnetic release of the chin strap and for the helmet to quickly come off (Game-changer). Best part? Gloves get to stay on. I’m sold. 

At the time I didn’t notice it, but looking back, but the sheer lack of neck fatigue I had experienced had me riding more aggressive, with more passion and longer than I had in the past. I had more wits about my surroundings and was able to ride in the moment a bit more by having a far better range of vision.  

 I’ll really have to test them next time with a bit more aggressive riding, but in these conditions they did everything they were meant to.     Well after twilight we were back to the trucks – And finally to the rented cabin. Drinks, Dinner and stories from the day. Best part about it? No headache/sore neck. It had my stamp of approval (which was a stamp I tend to not hand out too frequently).

There’s definitely a certain person that will benefit wholly from this helmet. If that person is you, you'll know it. It is an investment… You get one neck, and at the end of the day, there are specific aspects of ride-comfort that you can’t ignore. You owe it to spend as much time as you can focusing on the ride and what slope comes next, and night fighting with your gear. At a price of $599CAD (though discount codes are abound) it sits higher in terms of snow-cross setups, but realistically it's going to last you, considering the lack of features that can fail in a snow-cross set-up. If you are in the market to switch-up your set-up, the 509 Altitude Carbon Fiber is a featherweight contender fighting the industry heavyweights and I highly recommend.   

  - J. Silver

Review: 9/10

 ^{“True-to-Size” fitment}

 ^{Extremely Lightweight}

 ^{Fidlock System stays closed and opens easy (with gloves on)} 

^{Helmet opening fits multitude of goggles well} 

^{509 Goggle fitment makes a great seal} 

^{Sleek and streamlined look} 

^{Go-Pro Mounting Setup}