So, you finally got that GoPro you’ve always wanted and you’re ready to record all of your new adventures. Getting a video of your day skiing will be great.
You can relive all the cool tricks you landed, show them off to your friends, review them to learn and make improvements and maybe even make one of those cool movies out of it.
But wait, before you can get started, you need to figure out how to attach the camera to your helmet. No worries, we’ve got you covered. It’s not too difficult and we can help you to get up and running in no time.
In this blog post, I’ll be sharing a quick guide on how to attach your GoPro to your ski helmet.
Contents
Types of Helmet Mounts
There are two basic types of GoPro helmet mounts that can be used.
The adhesive type consists of a bracket with a super sticky adhesive that can be placed on your helmet. The adhesive mounts come in two different surface shapes.
A flat surface and a curved surface. You will need to choose between the flat and curved brackets, depending on the contour of the area that you want to attach it to.
The other type of mount uses a bracket that can be attached to the helmet with velcro straps. The straps must go through vent holes in the helmet so you will have less choice of where the camera will be placed on the helmet.
If you have a full-face helmet (like a motorcycle helmet), there are also strap mounts that can be attached to the chin area of the helmet.
While these strap types do work, they are far less versatile because they are very limited in where they can be placed.
For skiing, we definitely want to be able to set the camera in a prime location where we are sure to get good clear footage. For this reason, I would recommend using the adhesive type if possible.
How to Attach the GoPro Mount to Your Ski Helmet
The two types of mounts (adhesive and velcro strap) are attached to the helmet quite differently. While the strap type can be convenient in some cases, it does not attach as securely and in as many places as the adhesive type.
Because of this, we are mostly going to focus on the adhesive mounts but we will briefly cover the velcro strap ones as well.
Using an Adhesive Mount
The adhesive mounts are the most versatile because you can place them almost anywhere on your helmet.
In fact, if you want to, you can attach more than one so that you can move your camera to different locations for different perspectives. Most people choose either the top, front or side of the helmet.
Here’s what you will need to get started:
- A GoPro Camera
- A GoPro Adhesive mount (flat or curved)
- An indoor room temperature area
- A clean cloth or an antibacterial wipe
- GoPro side mount hardware (only if you are attaching to the side of your helmet)
- A tether cord (this is optional but highly recommended)
The following are instructions for attaching a GoPro camera to your helmet using an adhesive mount. For the best results, you should try to do this in an indoor room temperature area.
Step 1: Pick your location.
First, decide where you are going to attach the adhesive bracket to the helmet. Look at the location and determine if it is flat or curved. If it is flat you will need a flat bracket and if it is curved you will need to use a curved bracket.
Also, if you are going to do a side mount, you will need the side mounting hardware to be able to position the camera upright and get the correct shot. The hardware may or may not have come with your camera. If it did not, you can purchase this hardware separately.
Step 2: Clean the area.
Most likely your helmet will have dirt and dust on it from previous use. This can prevent the adhesive from sticking to the helmet.
Take your cloth and some soap and water, or use an antibacterial wipe and thoroughly clean the area where you wish to attach the mount. Let it dry before proceeding to the next step.
Step 3: Remove the backing from the adhesive mount.
Peel the plastic backing away from the back of the adhesive bracket. Be careful and try not to touch the sticky adhesive part since dirt and oils from your hands can keep the adhesive from sticking.
Step 4: Place the adhesive mount on the helmet.
Use some concentration here to ensure that you place and position it exactly where you want. Once it is placed you do not want to have to lift it from the helmet since it probably will not stick as well if you try to reposition it a second time.
Step 5: Apply pressure.
Apply very firm pressure to the mount against the helmet. Look for any place around the edges where it may not be sticking and apply more pressure until all areas of the hardware have securely adhered to the helmet.
Step 6: Let it dry.
You should let the mount set and dry for about 24 hours to ensure that the adhesive sticks very well to the helmet. I have heard of some people using it right away, but you may risk having the adhesive come off.
Step 7: Attach the GoPro.
Attach the go pro to the mount by sliding it into the bracket on your helmet. If you are using a side mount, you will need to assemble the side mount hardware and then attach it and the camera to the helmet.
Step 8: Adjust the camera.
You will want to make sure the camera has the shot framed the way you want it so you will need to spend a little time adjusting the camera. Put the helmet on and use the GoPro app to see the view from the camera.
You can then adjust it however you like but be sure to look around and even up and down, to see how all angles will look,
Step 9: Attach the tether (optional but highly recommended).
While this is an optional step, I would highly recommend it. It may only take one wipeout for your camera to go flying off your helmet and into the trees where you’ll spend hours looking for it.
The tether will allow your camera to come off for safety but will ensure that it stays with you after it comes off.
Attach the tether line to the camera and your helmet and you won’t have to worry about losing that expensive GoPro you just purchased.
Step 10: Go skiing.
Get out there and ski, do some tricks, and film some awesome videos to show to your friends and family.
Using a Velcro Strap Mount
This type can be nice because they are fairly easy to attach and remove from your helmet. This makes them easy to use but they are not as versatile in where they can be placed on the helmet. The two main types of strap mounts are the top and the chin types.
With the top mount, you will be limited to finding vent holes in your helmet through which you can fit the strap through. To attach this kind, simply thread the velcro straps through the vent holes, tighten them as tight as you can, and attach the velcro.
For the chin strap type, you need to have a full-face-type helmet like a motorcycle helmet. The straps then go around the chin piece and allow the GoPro to be attached to the front of the chin portion of the helmet.
Although this shows a motorcycle helmet, you can check out this video to see more about how the chin strap attaches.
Once you have a strap mount attached to your helmet, you can then attach the camera and adjust it with the GoPro app as described with the adhesive type above. I would also recommend using a tether to prevent losing your camera.
Final Words
A GoPro makes a great addition to any skiing adventure. Just make sure you are able to securely mount your camera and get good shooting angles for all of your footage. Once you have your GoPro fixed to your helmet, get out there and shoot some awesome footage.
Do you like to watch footage of your own skiing adventures? I’d love to hear from you, so please leave your comments.
