Salomon Snow Helmets 2024/25 Preview

Retail Buyers Guide: Snow Helmets FW24/25 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Salomon
Interviewee: Benjamin Raffort, Helmets Line Manager & Awena Jouannic, Protective Marketing Manager

What are the main customers’ demands when buying a snowboarding helmet?
Knowing that most of snowboarders don’t wear a helmet, design is a very important criteria as well as the level of protection. When they do wear one, it has to match their standards in terms of shape (sleek, street-inspired, personalizable) and colorway.

Do you target specific customers / rider types?
Not really. We have products to match everyone’s needs from freeriders to park lovers and side-hit riders.

What were your biggest sellers in 2023/24 and why?
Our Husk Prime Mips helmet is very popular among the freeride community as it’s very light, breathable and available in a wide range of colors. It carries all the best technologies that you can find on the market: Boa fit system, Mips safety technology, Fidlock magnetic buckle… On top of that, it integrates recycled materials such as the 100% recycled PET liner.

In which type of helmet do you expect the biggest growth?
Our ambition is to grow on the freeski/snowboard segment, targeting a younger audience. Our Brigade helmet, launched in 2023/24, has been specifically made for this type of consumers. Sleek shell, snug fit, integrated goggle retainer, removable ear pads, available with and without Mips…

What are the design and material highlights of your 2024/25 collection?
For 2024/25 we focused on the alpine on-piste segment with a new visor helmet but we’re also about to launch a big innovation towards sustainability.

What colours and designs are you featuring in your 2024/25 collection? Any standout collaborations?
For this season, a huge work has been done on cross-merchandising to ensure a consistency in the range and a transversality of the colorways between the models. We have kept our basics and the “free” colors added last season which worked pretty well (Rainy Day, Olive Night, North Atlantic…). We have nevertheless refreshed the offer with the addition of more feminine colorways (Evening Haze, Pink) and unisex ones (Grape Shake, Grey Violet) to offer plenty of possibility in terms of combos. Also, in order to ensure consistency between the different winter sport categories here at Salomon, we developed colors linked to the main freeski seasonal story: Echo

Are you implementing sustainability in your products and production processes?
We’ve been working very hard for the last couple of years on a new concept. We wanted to approach sustainability from a different angle and focus on the end of life management knowing that most helmets (if it’s not all) are buried in landfills or incinerated. That’s why we developed a new helmet that is fully recyclable. Stay tuned, it will be released in feb 24. Also, we tend to use more and more recycled materials into our products. For example, our latest visor helmet integrates more than 60% of recycled materials (PC shell, EPS core, PET/merino liner, PET straps…).

Do you offer accessories to your helmets?
Yes, we offer spare lenses for visor helmets and make sure that we can ensure a solid after sales service by making a maximum number of spare parts available.

What are your marketing stories for 2023/24?
More than just a headgear, our brand-new helmet is a symbol of our commitment to a more sustainable future. We focus on all-terrain riders aged 20 to 35 who possess an awareness of the ski industry’s environmental challenges, yet remain committed to making a positive difference. The marketing campaign seeks to shift perspectives, transform the approach to snow helmet consumption, and ultimately reverse the trend. On the other hand, the on-piste segment represents a significant part of our sales, so we will also highlight our new visor helmet (Osmo) which will allow wearers to experience unparalleled convenience on the slopes and focus solely on the joy of skiing.

How are you supporting retailers to sell this category?
Dedicated training book and catalog are provided to our sales force and retailers bringing together detailed information on products, technologies… We offer a full range of PoP materials highlighting Salomon’s key products and explaining and demonstrating our technologies. Dedicated protective content have also been developed for the retailers to be able to create a real universe around our products in shops (visuals and videos).

New Products

HUSK PRIME Sepia Tint

MTN Lab : Designed for outdoor enthusiast looking for more safety and less weight, Salomon’s MTN Lab helmet meets safety norms for alpine, mountaineering and biking. It is made with recycled and natural materials

MTN LAB Evening Haze Grey Violet

Brigade Mips: Stylish yet technical, Salomon’s Brigade helmets merge a street-style look with the high-safety standards you need on the mountain. Packing the EPS4D safety technology, with and without MIPS, into a minimalist shell, they feature a removable liner and integrated goggle retainer that seamlessly tucks away, so your style stays sharp and helmet sleek when wearing goggles beneath the shell.

BRIGADE MIPS Grape Shake

Our new fully recyclable helmet will be a massive game-changer as it rethinks completely the traditional helmet construction. The big release will be end of January.