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product trends seem to change faster than the weather these days. Just as a weather forecaster watches the barometer, retailers keep a close watch on shifting market forces that shape their product offerings. It's the same for every product, including helmets. This winter, our editors ventured to two climbing and skiing hubs to examine the elements that influence how retailers are carrying the helmet category. Here's what they discovered.



What's Driving Sales in Park City, Utah? Walking up and down Park City's main drag during Winter Market's On-Snow Demo seemed a little strange this year. While retailers carved and stomped the slopes with the latest winter gear, including helmets, the Sundance Film Festival injected a different atmosphere into the town—movie execs wheeling and dealing in the alleys, cell phones bleeping, lots of black leather and glittery, purple neck scarves. We stuck out like a couple of Gore-Tex thumbs, but regained our sense of reality when we ducked inside White Pine Touring, a local outdoor specialty store.

"Three years ago, [winter helmets] were a really tough sale," says Derek Newton, hardgoods buyer for White Pine Touring. "This last year or two, helmet awareness is really on the upswing."

Adding to sales, White Pine's customers discovered that helmets not only protect their melons from trees and rocks, but also from other skiers and snowboarders on a crowded day. On top of that, the fear factor helps, as well. "I hate to say it, but each time you have a serious injury here in town, it definitely helps sales," says Newton.

White Pine stocks winter helmets on the back left-hand wall of the store next to the backcountry and Nordic ski gear—a subtle hint to those interested in a new pair of skis or boots. The ski and snowboard helmet selection includes three Boeri models (Myto Air, Short Shell and Rage) in two to three colors, retailing from $100 to $140.

"It's an easy add-on sale at times," says Newton. "It goes hand-in-hand with the ski and boot sales. Besides, I have them trapped in a pair of boots and they can't go anywhere." This is the first year that White Pine has a manufacturer-supplied display for the helmets, and Newton says it allows the store to display more helmets and keep them tidy.

Customers can also find winter helmets conveniently outfitted with goggles next to eyewear cases near the register. "I've had pretty good luck with getting folks into a new pair of goggles when they are picking up their helmets," says Newton. "It's another easy add-on sale when they see how well it fits on the helmet."

Down the street at Destination Sports, Store Manager Bruce "Goose" Juhl says that helmets are probably the easiest sale and one of the better margins in his store. He's also noticed another trend explaining the interest in helmets. "A lot of parents around here are getting forced into buying [winter] helmets," says Juhl. Apparently, kids won't wear the helmets unless the parents do, too.

Destination Sports carries three brands of winter helmets—Carrera, Boeri and Giro. With these three brands, the store covers a wide variety of styles and each brand fits a different shaped head. They're on the right-hand side of this wide store next to the Alpine skis and boots. Some back-up inventory is under a bench nearby.

Destination Sports carries two models (Nine and Ravine) from Giro, the store's best-selling brand. Juhl says that customers like the removable earflaps, the lightweight construction and the fact that these helmets aren't shaped like a lightbulb. They also recognize the brand name because of the company's bike helmets. None of the helmets, including the Carrera and Boeri brands, are under $100. The $125 range is Destination Sports' strongest sale.

According to Newton at White Pine, price resistance isn't really a problem when selling winter helmets. "A lot of people are using [helmets] in Alpine skiing, and they're not thinking twice about dropping $60 on a day pass," say Newton. So, buying a $100 helmet that'll last a few seasons must seem like a pretty good deal.

"I'm having very little price resistance," agrees Juhl. "I think people are putting a pretty strong value on their head."

Choosing the Right Style. Last season was the first year White Pine carried winter helmets. "A lot of the Alpine shops in town have been carrying them for a few years," says Newton. "We were a little slow to catch on."

White Pine decided to bring in a wide selection of Boeri helmets this year because of the fitting and conservative looks. "We try to stay away from the really bright flashy reds and yellows," he says. "[We want] something that'll appeal to the older folks, but also something their kids wouldn't mind wearing."

Destination Sports sees the same trend. "We've been doing the best with basic neutral colors—carbons, pearls and blacks," says Juhl. "As far as anyone trying to give their helmet any personality at all, it seems like they're taking a basic color and putting stickers on it."

The style is also important, though, when it comes to what Juhl's customers want. He used to carry Burton's Red helmets, but found that it didn't cross over to skiers nearly as well as the Boeri and Giro crossed over to snowboarders. "I'm just trying to visualize our customer and give them a variety without over doing the SKUs," says Juhl.

Crossover sales are important with activity and age. "You can sell the same helmet to a 17-year-old kid and turn around and sell the same helmet to a 60-year-old a half hour later," continues Juhl. "If I can offer everything they need in a helmet with two or three brands, then I've done it."

Broadening Their Offerings. This year, both stores ordered three shipments. "We bring in a small sampling in mid-fall," explains Newton. "Usually, we have a substantial order at Thanksgiving, and the last ship date is right before Christmas to fill in whatever I need to have."

For next year, due to the growing popularity of the product, Newton is thinking about expanding his offering with a selection of Giro winter helmets. The Giro fits differently than the Boeri, and White Pine can cover more heads.

But, with the Olympics coming to town next year, Newton's hardgoods budget has been slashed by more than 30 percent. "My buying strategy is getting turned upside down," he says. "We're ramping up on more of the accessories, softgoods and souvenirs just for next winter."

He promises that won't hurt selection, though. "My total units will be down from this year, but I'm going to have more models, colors and styles. Hopefully, that'll appeal to more folks," he says.

Trying to Get Ahead in Denver, Colo. Tim Sheffield, manager of Grand West Outfitters, doesn't take climbing helmets lightly. He wishes his customers wouldn't, either. "It's always good to wear a helmet, regardless," says Sheffield, who suffered a serious climbing accident in 1986 and almost died from cranial lacerations and loss of blood. "Even with all the safety evidence, there's still a reluctance with climbers to view helmets as essential equipment. About 90 percent of climbers feel that helmets are useless during falls, and only protect you from falling objects," he adds.

On top of this, Sheffield says helmets are a tough sell because climbers tend to be value-conscious, always looking for sales. Plus, helmets are low on the priority list and are an "either-or" purchase that often lose out to other gear, he says.

"Virtually every climber walking in has something else he needs to buy, and helmets are always at the bottom of the list," says Sheffield.

Grand West is a major player in Denver's climbing market, with an expansive department loaded with everything from sport-climbing hardware to mixed-climbing gear for expeditions to 8,000-meter peaks. Selection is its strong point. As for helmets, variety offsets any purchasing objections.

Grand West tries to overcome resistance by eliminating objections, the top two being price and lack of selection. The store usually carries five helmet brands—Black Diamond, HB, Grivel, Kong and Petzl. It's trying to represent many brands, models and price points to cover the gamut, says Sheffield.

"We overcome these objections by having a wide selection of inexpensive models," he says, noting that customers rarely key-in on materials such as Kevlar, single-impact polystyrene/polycarbonate micro shells, etc. "Right now, it's the $50 to $70 helmets that are big sellers," he says.

Another roadblock to helmets comes from the climbing culture itself. Sheffield says that rank beginners out of climbing gyms and sport climbers doing clean pre-bolted routes just don't develop the helmet habit. "The industry hasn't done a good job promoting helmets, and customers still see them as something they buy out of fear."

It's All About Quality and Price. Located just down the street from the REI flagship store in Denver, Wilderness Exchange is owned and run by die-hard climbers, so there's no mistake about where the product emphasis lies.

To survive in REI's backyard, Wilderness Exchange uses quality and price as top draws. It's all high-end gear, priced to move. About 20 percent of the shop's items are previously owned or marked-down because of blemishes, while the remaining inventory is bought through a buying group.

In this retail environment, it's not surprising that climbing helmets get shopped on price. In fact, Salesman Brian Baucom says price is absolutely huge. "Customers could care less if a helmet is new or used," says Baucom. "Price, then weight, are the biggest things. So is durability. Customers are a bit leery of bike-style, single-impact helmets that depend on destruction of material to be effective."

Like others report, Baucom says climbers as a rule put helmets on the end of their equipment purchase lists. That's partly due to the types of climbs they're doing. Yet, Alpine and ice climbers are virtually 100- percent compliant with covering their noggins, he says.

Standard brands carried by Wilderness Exchange include Cassin, Petzl, Climax, Kong and a few others that the shop rotates, depending on the season. Being small and buying low volume, the shop has the luxury of turning on a dime when it spots a good seller. "We try to hit several different shell designs," says Baucom. "Right now, Kong's dual-impact shell that's more ice-specific is popular. Even then, ventilation is an issue, and ice climbers like the shingled design that breathes. They're the most helmet-conscious of all climbers."

Most reluctance to helmets, adds Baucom, is traced to climbers coming out of gyms who don't consider helmets necessary equipment. And he says that's partly fueled by the perception—real or not—that helmets only protect from falling debris, not falls. "This makes it harder for us to emphasize the safety aspects of climbing helmets," he adds.

What are They Buying in Boulder? Climbing customers aren't in short supply at Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder, Colo. Drive five minutes from Gary Neptune's store and you're at the foot of the Boulder Flatirons or ready to put up at El Dorado Canyon. Another hour puts you at the trailhead leading to the Diamond on Longs Peak.

With a steady stream of year-round traffic, Neptune sees a marked split in climbers who buy helmets at his cavernous store. "Rock and sport climbers don't feel the need to buy helmets much. But for ice, mountaineering and Alpine rock climbers, [helmet purchases] approach 100 percent," he observes.

Helmet hopefuls usually survey price before checking fit. Getting a good fit can be a stumbling block, though. "Having a good fit and whether it adjusts over a hat are big considerations," notes Neptune. And even with all the adjustment features, including the newer adjusting dials attached to straps, many customers complain about bad fit and just give up, he says.

If the helmet passes these tests, the next issue is usually ventilation, followed by weight, says Neptune. "Ventilation is a huge factor, the reason why many climbers don't buy helmets in the first place," he feels.

Petzl, HB, Black Diamond, Grivel, Kong and Edelrid represent most of the brands carried on an island display at Neptune Mountaineering. Neptune says he tries to monitor the better sellers and keep them in stock. And compared to rock shoes, which come in any number of styles and sizes, helmets in theory are a relatively easy category to manage. But there's still room for the occasional hiccup that has no bearing on performance. "They all work. Sometimes it just comes down to style and color," he says.

As for materials and construction techniques, customers rarely ask, he adds. "Customers figure if a helmet's got a UIA/CE European standard rating, that's good enough. They assume that all helmets are designed to protect correctly, and that's why all the other issues come up first."