"As the controversy involving Ukrainian slider Vladyslav Heraskevych suggests, skeleton helmets, like hockey goalie masks or Formula 1 helmets, are a part of the sport's aesthetic-and thus, political-culture. This is something to consider when you are choosing your sliding sport: Lugers may get to go feet-first, but they do not get painted helmets because, for whatever reason, they refuse to paint over the visors. What lugers gain in perceived safety, they lose in their ability to look sick as shit."
"Befitting the name of the sport, skeleton helmet designs tend toward faces, many of them spooky. Perhaps it is more soothing to have two pairs of eyes facing your fate. Sliders get bonus fashion points for their visors, which can either meld in with the rest of their helmet, or literally reflect the track they run on, turning the arena into part of their design. With these busier designs, there's something to be said for a simple, solid block of color- -but I personally favor well-executed abstract designs over either faces or solid colors."
"A lot of the helmets in this style are very close in quality, but if I were to pick one to award bronze to, it would be Josip Brusić of Canada. His helmet shares a similar style to the two excellent Chinese ones shown above, but I love how he has incorporated both eyes and national iconography into the design without being obvious. The best of all worlds! Despite preferring abstract designs, I award the silver medal for best helmet to Belgian slider Kim Meylemans. Meylemans's helmet does have the aura of one of those memes of a werewolf riding a motorcycle, or perhaps a van with a wizard smoking a blunt a"
British sliders won two of the three skeleton gold medals, Austria won one gold, and German athletes swept the silver and bronze medals. Helmet aesthetics function as both fashion and political expression, exemplified by controversy involving a Ukrainian slider. Lugers do not use painted visors, limiting helmet artwork compared with skeleton sliders. Common helmet motifs include faces, reflective visors that integrate the track, solid color blocks, and abstract compositions. Josip Brusić's helmet was noted for combining eyes with national iconography, while Kim Meylemans's design earned high marks for its bold, meme-like character.
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