If you’re like me, two of the things you enjoy most in the world are snowboarding and listening to music, and having both at the same time is pure joy.
It is very important to realize, though, that there are very few pairs of headphones suitable for snowboarding – normal over-ear or in-ear headphones won’t work with helmets, and can even be dangerous to wear and use while you’re boarding.
Luckily there are a few headphones made just for us, and in this article I will recommend the best of the best snowboarding headphones.
If you’re in a hurry to get to the slopes, here are my top picks:
- Best Headphones for Snowboarding Overall Outdoor Tech Chips 3.0 Wireless Ski & Snowboard Helmet Audio
- Best Headphones for Snowboarding – Budget VR Robot Bluetooth 5.0 Helmet Headset
- My Favorite Snowboard Headphones Wildhorn Alta Wireless Drop in Ski Helmet Headphones
How Are Snowboarding Headphones Different than Normal Headphones?
I spend a lot of my winter on the slopes – probably way more than I should – and I have a lot of pairs of headphones – probably way more than I should – but sadly the vast majority of headphones I have are not at all suitable for snowboarding.
In fact, almost no headphones on the market today are fully safe, or really even comfortable or useful, for snowboarding (or skiing, for that matter) because of how they fit – or don’t fit – into snowboarding helmets.
Even thin and small headphones are too big for helmets, and can easily get damaged. or cause injuries if you fall and spill going down the slopes. The same is true of in-ear headphones for snowboarding, which also often do not fit, or are not comfortable, inside a ski helmet, and can really hurt you if you fall or have an accident.
Luckily there are at least a few excellent headphones designed for snowboarding, which are different in several basic but essential ways:
- Safety – snowboarding headphones are made to fit inside the earpad pockets of helmets, and will not break apart or impact your ears, face or head even with serious spills.
- Comfort – because of how they fit into helmets, you don’t even know they are there – except for the great sound you hear, of course!
- Sound – Also, because of their position, skiboard helmet headphones let you enjoy fantastic sound but still hear the sounds of other skiers and their activity all around you – very important to ensure your safety and theirs as well.
- Convenience – the best headphones for snowboarding have big buttons that are smartly laid out and easy to use even with ski gloves on.
Getting back to sound, even given their different design the best boarding headphones should still offer fun and fantastic sound, with deep bass, tons of detail and real clarity, and with an engaging and musical sound quality. Plus, the best headphones for snowboard helmets will sound just as good even when they get a bit wet – or, of course, very cold!
How Can You Find the Best Snowboard Helmet Headphones?
Actually it’s a bit tricky to find the best snowboarding headphones, because there are only a handful of companies making them – and even then, some of them are, well, not so hot.
The big companies, like JBL, Sony, Bose, Apple, Beats, Sennheiser and the others, can’t help us here – they make some of the best headphones going, of course, but none of them make headphones for snowboarding helmets, and none of their products would be safe, comfortable or easy to use when you’re shredding.
But there are a few headphone companies peopled by designers and engineers who clearly love skiing and boarding as much as we do, and their products are just exactly what we’re looking for.
I recently purchased a pair of snowboarding headphones. Ok, if I’m totally honest, I actually purchased two different pairs of snowboarding headphones – a pair of pairs, if you will.
During this time I did a lot of research, and tried out and listened to different headphones, realizing that some of them are just too cheaply made to consider, some are ok but don’t have the exciting, high quality sound I want when boarding, and some were ideal in every way.
A small handful of them, for sure – my final list of best snowboarding and skiing headphones consists of only six choices, but these six have perfect designs, sound fantastic, are extremely well made, strong and durable, and come in at all price points from super-cheap to premium.
So let’s hit the slopes, or at least hit the list, and look more closely at the six best headphones on the market today for snowboarding and skiing.
The Best Snowboarding Headphones in 2024
Best Snowboard Headphones – Budget
VR Robot Bluetooth 5.0 Helmet Headset
At a Glance:
- Connection: Bluetooth
- Waterproof / Cold Rating: Not Specified
- Warranty: 2 Years
I call the VR Robot Bluetooth helmet headphones the best budget choice for snowboarding, but in fact they’re not just budget, but downright cheap – at least in price.
A basic pair of Bluetooth headphones designed to fit into the ear pad pocket of your helmet, these VR Robot headphones have large drivers and excellent deep bass – really strong and powerful, but never too much – and real clarity, detail and energy all the way up and down. Even the microphone sounds pretty great!
The VR Robot are also very well made, with very tough and durable cases and particularly strong cables.
Comfortable, durable, well designed and safe, the VR Robot helmet headphones are amazingly high quality for the money, and with their warmly musical, bassy, fun and engaging sound, they are easily the best snowboarding headphones you can get for this very low price.
Best Snowboarding Headphones – Wired
Outdoor Tech Chips Wired Helmet Headphones
At a Glance:
- Connection: Wired
- Cord Length: 4.5 Feet
- Waterproof Rating: IPX4 Water Resistant
- Cold Rating: -4 Fahrenheit (-20 Celsius)
- Warranty: 1 Year
For about twice the money as the quite good, and quite cheap, VR Robot just above, the Outdoor Tech Chips wired snowboard headphones are substantially better in pretty much every way, and to me represent a much better value.
In fact – full disclosure – the Chips are my own personal wired snowboard headphones of choice, the ones I own and use all the time, and I absolutely love them.
The Outdoor Tech Chips are, for one thing, even a little better designed than the VR Robot- the wire plugs into just the right ear, which makes them a bit more comfortable and convenient, and the big, in-wire control not only has a better mic, but also two oversized buttons, so you can control your music tracks and calls. They fit perfectly into your helmet’s liner, are strong and super-tough, cold rated down to sub-zero temperatures and fully ipx4 water resistant as well.
But to me, the big thing with the Outdoor Tech Chips is the sound – not particularly neutral or audiophiley – if that’s a word – the Chips have superbly strong, deep and fast bass with serious impact, amazing detail and presence, and high frequencies that are so bright and clear, but without a touch of glare or harshness. The Chips are a very fun sounding pair of headphones, with an energetic, engaging quality that’s just right when I’m moving.
As I’ve already disclosed, I actually have two pairs of helmet headphones – for wireless I use the Wildhorn Alta, which I’ll talk about below, but my wired connection pair are these excellent Outdoor Tech Chips – in fact, I thought they would be a kind of backup for the more expensive Alta, but with their nice design and super-fun sound I may use the Chips a lot more than I could have imagined.
Best Value Wireless Snowboard Helmet Headphones
OutdoorMaster Wireless Bluetooth 5.0 Helmet Drop-in Headphones
At a Glance:
- Connection: Wireless – Bluetooth 5.0
- Battery Life: 15 Hours
- Waterproof Rating: IP45 Water Resistant
- Cold Rating: -4 Fahrenheit (-20 Celsius)
- Warranty: 2 Years
OutdoorMaster is the same company that makes some of the best affordable snowboard and ski helmets and goggles you can get, and their Bluetooth wireless headphones carry on that tradition, and really are an amazing value to boot.
I have also tried the BE Headwear BEL3.0, which are quite nice, and about twenty bucks cheaper, but based on build quality and durability, design and wearability, and especially sound quality, these OutdoorMaster are so much better, and seem like they could easily cost twice as much.
With excellent battery life – way more than you need for a day on the slopes – as well as latest-gen Bluetooth wireless, and compatibility with Siri and Google Assistant, the OutdoorMaster are fantastic as regards tech, and their design is equally good, with genuinely usable oversized buttons, great water resistance and a temperature rating of -4 degrees fahrenheit (or -20 celsius, which sounds even more impressive!).
The sound quality is truly premium. They play more than loud enough for wireless headphones – though not dangerously loud – and they are tuned in a way that will appeal to the widest possible range of people, and sound fantastic with the widest possible range of music.
Deep, slamming bass and intense musical energy works beautifully with rock, rap, EDM and all kinds of pop music, as does the clear and warm midrange and shimmering, sweet and detailed high end. At the same time, the finesse, expressivity and low distortion make the OutdoorMaster helmet headphones a great choice for jazz, classical and acoustic music, and for the incurably eclectic music lover.
A very well made pair of Bluetooth headphones for ski and snowboard helmets, with great design and big, fun sound, the OutdoorMaster wireless snowboard headphones are an excellent value and an easy recommendation.
My Favorite Snowboard Headphones
Wildhorn Alta Wireless Drop in Ski Helmet Headphones
At a Glance:
- Connection: Wireless – Bluetooth 5.0
- Battery Life: 10 Hours
- Waterproof Rating: IP45 Water Resistant
- Cold Rating: -4 Fahrenheit (-20 Celsius)
- Warranty: 1 Year
As I’ve said, I myself ended up getting two pairs of snowboarding and skiing headphones – the inexpensive Chips wired set I reviewed above and these brilliant Wildhorn Alta Bluetooth wireless headphones, which are markedly different than anything else on this list of best headphones for snowboarders.
In most ways, though, the Wildhorn Alta are very similar to my other recommendations – they are extremely tough, overbuilt headphones that will easily hold up to even extreme conditions, they fit easily, safely and securely into almost any snowboard helmet’s earpad pockets, they are perfectly designed for use with ski gloves, and they have the best tech – the newest Bluetooth 5 wireless codecs, good battery life and Siri / Google Assistant compatibility.
So how are they different? Well, the Wildhorn Alta have a quality of sound which even the best snowboard helmet headphones from other companies don’t quite get. Don’t get me wrong – the Chips, OutdoorMaster, even the cheap VR Robot all sound great, and with their popular “street” tuning – big, boosted bass, hyped energy and beautifully bright and bold highs – will actually appeal to more people.
But the Wildhorn Alta are more, well, pure. They are really a proper audiophile headphone – more accurate and flat in frequency response, with more inner detail, more subtle (and ultimately more powerful) dynamics, more expressiveness on many different levels, more transparent and neutral sound overall. The Alta don’t blast the bass, or boost or enhance things, but simply reproduce music as it was originally recorded.
If you listen to a lot of classical music, jazz, singer-songwriter or acoustic stuff, or if you just value accuracy over enhanced excitement – even when listening to electronica, hip hop or hard rock – the Wildhorn Alta are a wonderful pair of headphones with lovely, honest and wide-open sound. They may drive bass-heads a little crazy, but actually the drivers are so good that you can equalize the bass up crazy high, play them as loud as they’ll go, and still have dynamic sound with no strain.
Still, if you are primarily listening to pop genres one of the fine products from the other companies on this list might be a better choice – and as I’ve already said, despite my deep love for these Alta, I myself listen to my wired Chips more than I would have thought.
But if you are an audiophile, or just love honest, neutral sound, and still want headphones that are brilliantly designed for the special demands of shredding and those who shred, the Wildhorn Alta are a fantastic product – my favorite snowboard helmets and personal pick
Best Snowboard Helmet Headphones Overall
Outdoor Tech Chips 3.0 Wireless Ski & Snowboard Helmet Audio
At a Glance:
- Connection: Wireless – Bluetooth 5.2
- Battery Life: 13 Hours
- Waterproof Rating: IPX5 Water Resistant
- Cold Rating: 14 – 113 Fahrenheit (-10 – 45 Celsius)
- Warranty: 1 Year
Outdoor Tech is a great company that seems to really understand skiing and snowboarding, and their products end up taking half of the spots in this buyer’s guide to best snowboard helmet earphones.
And, to heap honor upon honor – and I’m sure the fine folks at Outdoor Tech are all a-titter at the honors I’m bestowing upon their products – their fantastic new Chips 3.0 have claimed the coveted Best Snowboarding Headphones Overall spot!
To be clear, the Wildhorn Alta I discuss just above are just as deserving of this extreme distinction, and in fact have a more accurate and neutral sound quality than the Chips. But the Chips – though it pains me to say it – are just more fun.
They are also as good as it gets in terms of build quality and durability, with IPX4 water resistance, cold rating well below freezing and super-strong and tough bodies. They are beautifully designed, they stay nicely snug in helmets and project sound beautifully, and have the best and most usable controls of any helmet headphones I’ve tried.
And these Outdoor Tech headphones have the best tech as well, with 13 hour battery life, absolutely the latest, most stable and best sounding 5.2 generation Bluetooth circuitry, compatibility with Siri and Google Assistant and a fantastically clear noise-rejecting microphone.
But the sound is where the Outdoor Tech Chips 3.0 really shine – yes, the Wildhorn Alta are more neutral and accurate, but the sound coming from the Chips is bigger, more powerful and more exciting.
Really strong and perfectly boosted bass, and even good sub-bass, are as dominant as anybody could ever hope for, and make all music so intense, and yet that bass never drowns out the mids or the highs, and the overall sound ends up being somehow both dark and bright, both bass-heavy and beautifully balanced. Vocals are clear and present, with amazing realism, and high frequencies are almost liquid in their sweetness, and never even the tiniest bit harsh or fatiguing.
The OUtdoor Tech Chips 3.0 will also play really loud – not too loud, which would be really dangerous on the slopes or park, but they have more than satisfying maximum volume that can be intense and powerful, and without a touch of strain or distortion. This dynamic energy and power also makes lower volumes really come alive, but when you crank them the Chips are right there with you.
With not just the most popular sound signature, but a tuning that is perfectly executed, and clearly premium quality audio and wireless circuitry behind it, the Outdoor Tech Chips 3.0 are the best sounding headphones for pretty much everybody, and are also the best built and most useful. Super-tough, super-useful and super-fun, the Chips 3.0 are the perfect companion and the best snowboard helmet headphones overall.
Best True Wireless Snowboarding Headphones
Outdoor Tech Chips Ultra True Wireless Ski & Snowboard Helmet Audio
At a Glance:
- Connection: True Wireless (TWS) – Bluetooth 5.2
- Battery Life: 16 Hours
- Waterproof Rating: IPX5 Water Resistant
- Cold Rating: 14 – 113 Fahrenheit (-10 – 45 Celsius)
- Warranty: 1 Year
The last time I wrote about the Outdoor Tech Chips Ultra true wireless snowboard headphones I had to admit that I hadn’t heard them, and yet was so sure they were the cat’s pajamas that I decided to recommend them anyway.
Back then, several months ago, when times were simpler and people used phrases like “cat’s pajamas,” I had a friend who had a pair, and he was so in love with them, and so excited about the recent acquisition, that he wouldn’t let me near them.
Since then, ski season long over, he has let me borrow his, which I immediately placed in my snowboard helmet and auditioned – walking around the house literally with helmet and ski gloves on, looking, I’m sure, a bit more than dorky.
But I didn’t care how I looked, because I was too involved with how the Ultra sound – somehow they sound even better than the wired Chips 3.0, with not just tons of low end but bass that is fast, controlled and super-punchy, and mids and highs that seem even sweeter than the wired Outdoor Tech headphones – and just a tad more revealing and detailed as well.
Simply said, the Outdoor Tech Chips Ultra have sensational sound, with a fun, popular v-shaped sound signature, and so much musical energy and excitement, but with more accuracy and musicality than most headphones from other premium brands (which wouldn’t work in a helmet anyway).
And the Chips Ultra TWS headphones play really loud – in fact, it seems almost too loud for a ski / snowboard headphone, since you do want to be able to hear everything around you, but I reckon that when you’re actually out there, working the park or carving down the hill, they would be just right – super-powerful, even a bit intense, but not dangerously so.
It shouldn’t go without saying that the Ultra have tech that’s as good as it gets, with the longest battery life of any product on this list of best ski helmet headphones, absolutely up to date 5.2 Bluetooth, the best waterproofing, with a full IPX5 rating, Siri and Google Assistant compatibility and a lot more.
Bottom line, the Outdoor Tech Chips Ultra true wireless helmet headphones are the best headphones for skiing and snowboarding I’ve ever tried – tough, highly advanced, perfectly designed and easy to use even with gloves, perfectly water and cold resistant, and with fabulous sound.
In fact, I have chosen their less expensive brother, the Chips 3.0 wired headphones, as the best overall, but that takes into account the fact that the wired version is almost a hundred dollars less expensive. Price no object, these Ultra are the best hands down.
Am I a bit jealous of my friend? You bet I am!