Ski-Doo Oxygen Review

This is my review of the Ski-Doo Oxygen helmet. 

Hello, I’m Chaz, a snowmobile fanatic who spends most of every winter on the back of a sled. I’ve used many different helmets over the years and had the chance to try out the Ski-Doo Oxygen on a trail riding trip last winter. 

Overall, the Oxygen is a high-quality helmet built to perform under any conditions while offering a ton of comfort along the way. I was impressed with the fit, visibility, and strong construction. I was not impressed with the price tag. 

I’ll take an in-depth look at my experience wearing this helmet here to show you exactly what I like and dislike about it. 

Let’s get started. 

Ski-Doo Oxygen Overview

The Oxygen is a top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art helmet. Ski-Doo built this thing to be up there with the best of the best, and I think they came pretty close to getting there. 

If you want a helmet that offers supreme comfort and performance alongside modern features and tech, it’s a great option. If you want an affordable helmet, look elsewhere – this quality comes with an astronomical price tag. 

If money isn’t a concern, then the Oxygen will deliver for any type of rider. I was particularly impressed with how sturdy and comfortable the helmet was without being bulky. It has the fit of a low-profile option with the capabilities of an astronaut helmet. 

It’s a full-face helmet with an outstanding field of view. I think it probably allows for the widest field of vision that I’ve ever seen on a full-face helmet. The lens is panoramic, and it’s almost like it isn’t there at all. 

M-FORGE construction keeps the helmet lightweight but highly durable. It feels lighter than it looks – which is great for long, all-day rides. This material is plenty strong when it comes to impact protection.  

Additional features such as a heated visor, noise reduction system, and rear LED light make the Oxygen versatile and come in handy in a wide variety of situations when you ride. These all work together to enhance performance and value. 

This is certainly one of the best snowmobile helmets around, based on performance, comfort, and capability. But I can’t give it a perfect score because it costs so dang much. It loses some marks in value because of this and is out of reach for the everyday rider.   

Detailed Review

The Ski-Doo Oxygen is an awesome helmet. It earns high marks for its comfort, performance, and visibility. It feels like a helmet from the future and is built to keep your head protected from severe impact without weighing you down. I recommend it – if you can afford it. 

Construction

With safety, strength, and durability in mind, the Oxygen excels across the board. This helmet is very well built and engineered. It represents innovation and years of expanding improvements from one of the best-known brands in the industry. 

M-FORGE Composite makes up the shell, and this material offers outstanding protection against impact while also being very lightweight. I didn’t put the helmet through an impact test, but the DOT approval and Ski-Doo’s reputation were enough for me to trust it would hold up. 

The entire design of the helmet is smooth and efficient. From the way it fits over your head to the mechanically locking visor positions to the neck gaiter, all of the build elements complement one another very effectively. It’s built to last and perform through harsh conditions. 

The seal of the visor, when fully secured, was impressive. I’ll get into this more in later sections, but it’s another factor that demonstrates the quality construction that went into every element of the Oxygen.   

Visibility 

The Oxygen earns high marks for visibility. It has one of the best fields of view that I have experienced with a full-face helmet. You can expect to get near complete peripheral vision, which means you can see everything in the snow while you ride. 

The visor is heated, which keeps fog and ice from building up and adds to the performance in various conditions. I used the helmet on a warmer day and a colder day and had zero issues with moisture building up from my body heat or the outside conditions. 

A retractable amber-colored sun visor adds protection from sun and snow glare to improve vision and clarity on bluebird days as well. This visor was easy to use and effective at providing UV protection without limiting depth perception. 

There is also plenty of room between the visor and your face, making this a great helmet to wear with glasses. I wore my glasses as an experiment, and they did not get in the way in the slightest. 

Comfort/Fit

The Oxygen is beyond comfortable. It’s one of the most comfortable options that I’ve used in some time. Its lightweight nature created by the M-FORGE construction is critical here, and I barely noticed it was on my head even after hours of riding. 

The helmet fits snuggly over your head and ears without being too tight or too loose. It provides a good blend of comfort and performance fit. It runs pretty true to size, and while I don’t think you need to wear a beanie with it, you might want to size up if you like to wear one. 

The neck curtain and extremely secure visor seal add a lot of comfort as well. The curtain keeps out drafts effectively but is also somewhat breathable to prevent body heat from seeping into the main compartment. 

The visor seals into place with the precision of your car’s windshield. It’s another highly impressive feature of the Oxygen and blocks out wind and snow even in harsh conditions when you are riding fast. 

Additional Features

A handful of additional features showcase the high-end performance and attention to detail built into the Oxygen. Ski-Doo went above and beyond to make this helmet a top option, and these features are part of the reason why. 

The heated visor with a retractable sun shield keeps the outstanding visibility traits in play, regardless of the conditions outside. You can adjust the heat with remote controls, and there are heat level indicator lights to help you get things dialed in. 

An NCS system reduces noise and dampens the constant howl from your engine. I like this feature a lot because I value my long-term hearing and often need to wear earplugs when I ride. The Oxygen provides this built-in, and I was impressed with the noise-reduction it offers.

The main chamber is also heated to help reduce fog and add comfort. The helmet also comes with a battery-less read LED light to assist with night riding or when visibility is poor. You also have a front LED utility light option, but it’s an add-on that will cost more. 

Value

Here is where I’m torn. The Oxygen is a great helmet. It’s highly functional, and extremely comfortable, and I definitely recommend it. It’s a helmet that will keep you safe and last for many years of consistent riding. 

That all should translate into being an excellent value. But I can’t entirely give an excellent rating here because the helmet is so expensive. It’ll cost you half as much as buying a cheap used sled. That’s hard for me to justify, and I know other riders feel very much the same. 

If money isn’t a concern, then the Oxygen is certainly a good value for all of its additional features, supreme function, and lasting comfort. Money is a concern for a lot of us, so the Oxygen only gets my good value rating with that in mind. 

Ski-Doo Oxygen Alternatives

If the Oxygen seems to be out of your price range or you just want to see what else is available, check out some of these recommended alternatives. The Oxygen is incredible, but the helmets below are also some of the best, with other considerations taken into account. 

1. Castle X EXO-CX950 Electric

This is a personal favorite helmet that delivers excellent quality and comfort and is a lot more affordable than the Oxygen. Castle X is another well-known snowmobile-focused brand, and this is one of their top-of-the-line helmet models. 

The EXO-CX950 is comfortable and built to withstand severe impact. It has good visibility but not quite the full panoramic view the Oxygen provides. The electric double-lens shield is effective at reducing fog and moisture from building up. 

2. 509 Delta R3 Carbon Fiber Ignite

This is another very lightweight helmet that will provide comfortable protection all season long. The Carbon Fiber shell gives you serious protection from impacts without adding a lot of bulk or weight. 

It’s a favorite helmet for snowmobile racers and is also popular because it comes in multiple colors and has a lot of style. It’s also very versatile and can be used as a dual-sport helmet, full-face, or open configuration. 

The Ignite heated shield is another nice touch that reduces fog effectively. This is a high-end option and a little cheaper than the Oxygen, but still relatively expensive. 

3. Ski-Doo Modular 3

The Modular 3 is another top option from Ski-Doo that comes with a more approachable price tag. It’s a comfortable and reliable option that utilizes strong construction and design features to offer excellent all-around performance. 

It also has excellent vision, made possible in part by Clear Vision Technology built into the visor. You won’t get as wide of a field of view as the Oxygen provides, but the Mod 3 comes pretty close. It’s comfortable and versatile as well. 

My Verdict

The Ski-Doo Oxygen is a great helmet. It lives up to its reputation as one of the top options currently on the market thanks to its lightweight but strong construction, alongside a wide variety of excellent additional features. 

I don’t own this helmet for one big reason – its price. It’s also one of the most expensive helmets on the market, and while that’s the only real downside to mention, it’s a considerable one.

I’m a snowmobile fanatic. I live for riding and am out on the trails or backcountry as often as possible during the winter months. I was born and raised in the Rocky Mountains and have snowmobiled in dozens of North American locations. When the snow is falling, you’ll find me on a sled.