This high-end trail/all-mountain helmet from IXS has won an award for its design and innovation, but how does it stack up against the best MTB helmets on the market?

Although the Trigger AM uses a regular in-mould, where the thin polycarbonate microshell is directly fused to the shock-absorbing EPS (expanded polystyrene), IXS does use a slightly different MIPS insert. This is called MIPS Air and it’s the lightest one the Swedish company offers. Essentially the sweat pads have a nylon-reinforced backing and attach to the helmet with small rubber bands. This web of pads then moves in the same way and the same amount as a regular MIPS liner, the difference is it’s lighter, lower profile and we imagine a good deal cheaper.

The Trigger AM has a three-position visor, which is indexed, so won’t move accidentally and there’s enough space when it’s raised for stashing goggles. On the rear there’s a strap gutter and below that an ErgoFit Ultra system. This doesn’t tighten the whole way round your head, so it can pull the helmet back slightly, but it has a big adjustment range and you can adjust the height by unplugging it from the inside.

The Trigger features adjustable side straps, which is handy because the strap holders on our sample were a little too far forward. The Fidlock SNAP magnetic buckle is a nice touch – it’s easy to operate with gloves on (you can almost throw it together) it doesn’t pinch the skin on your chin and on this one there’s also an extra pad to stop chaffing.