If you're buying a snowboard helmet, you'll see two technologies come up again and again — MIPS and WaveCel. Both address the same problem: the rotational forces that do the real damage to your brain in a crash. Most snowboard impacts aren't straight-on — you hit the snow or a rail at an angle, and that twisting motion is what causes the worst brain injuries. Here's what each technology actually does, and whether you need it.

What Is MIPS?

MIPS stands for Multi-directional Impact Protection System. It first arrived in winter sports in 2010 and is now considered a benchmark in ski and snowboard head protection, licensed across more than 100 helmet brands — including ones we stock like Anon, Giro and K2.

The system is a low-friction "slip plane" built into the helmet, sitting between the comfort padding and the outer shell. At the moment of an angled impact, it allows the shell to rotate slightly — around 10 to 15mm — relative to your head. That small amount of movement is designed to reduce the rotational energy transferred to your brain.

Why Rotational Force Matters

Most real-world impacts happen at an angle rather than straight on. Scientific research shows the human brain is especially sensitive to rotation — an angled hit creates strain on brain tissue that can cause serious, lasting damage. A standard helmet handles straight-on (linear) impacts well, but does little for the twisting motion of an angled crash. MIPS is built specifically to manage that rotational energy by letting the helmet move independently of your head for a fraction of a second.

What Is WaveCel?

WaveCel is a different approach to the same problem, available for snow exclusively in Anon helmets. Instead of a slip plane, it's a collapsible cellular structure that lines the inside of the helmet — a network of hundreds of interconnected cells that behave like shock absorbers between your head and the outer shell.

It works like the crumple zone of a car, absorbing and redirecting impact energy before it reaches your head, and managing rotational force at the same time.

How WaveCel Works — Flex, Crumple, Glide

WaveCel goes through a three-step change in structure on impact:

Flex: The cells first flex to reduce the initial friction forces.
Crumple: Then the cells crumple like a car bumper, absorbing the force of the impact.
Glide: Finally the structure glides to redirect rotational energy away from your head.

Rotational acceleration — the rapid spin of the head caused by an angled hit — carries a high risk of brain injury, and the glide stage is what WaveCel uses to manage it.

MIPS vs WaveCel — Which Do You Need?

Both technologies target the same thing — reducing the rotational force that causes the most serious brain injuries — they just go about it differently. MIPS uses a slip plane that lets the helmet rotate; WaveCel uses a collapsing cellular structure that crumples and glides.

From a buying standpoint, the practical difference is availability. MIPS is offered across a wide range of brands, so you'll find it at most price points and in most helmet styles. WaveCel is exclusive to Anon, so if you want it, you're choosing an Anon helmet.

Either is a genuine upgrade over a helmet with neither, and for the cost difference it's well worth it — your brain is not the place to save money. But neither technology matters if the helmet doesn't fit properly. A correctly fitted helmet with no rotational tech protects you better than a badly fitted one that has it. Get the fit right first, then choose the protection system. We fit helmets in store — come in and we'll get you dialled in.

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