Having started to climb outdoors, A lid is going to be useful, but I have no idea what I should be looking for in terms of features, ratings etc

Is someone able to shed some light on the matter and recomend a good helmet

Cheers
Dave

Petzl Elios is a good starter.

Dave

this all depends on what and where youintend to climb and how fashionable you wish to be !

The choice really comes down to two types, the clasic mountaineerng type helemt with an internal web which keeps the helmet away from the skull and means that any impact is taken throught the structure rather than your head! These are the Joe Brwon type such as the Ecrin Roc from Petzl. These are mountaineering helmets and designed to take repeated abusive , ie if you fall down a gully then you can expect the helmet to take and suvive numerous impacts. These tend to be a little bulky and stand proud of the head and so dont look fashionable and can also restrict head tilt, BUT they are the safest type of helmet out there.

The second choice is the lightweight type which dont use the internal cradle but instead use the plastic outer and a foam insert. These are the sort of the Helum or the Elios. These are cool to wear , low in bulk and lieghtweight. However you sacrifice some perfomance in terms of durability. Think of the bike helmet approach, a shock is absorbed via the plastic outer and the foam , transmiting as little as possible to the skull which is in direct contact with the foam. Fall off and bang your head or have something hit it and you should be fine, give it repeated hits (falling down the gully again) and the helmet will not surive and give you the protection, these are generaly a one strike and you are out approach.

I tend you use a lieghtweight foam and plastic one for cragging and single pitch stuff as they are low profile and comfy. However on the fell or mulitpitch route I always use the cradle version.

This of course means you have two, and if you dont want to do that i would recomend getting the bombproof Ecrin Roc , better safe than sory

but thats just my thoughts :)

Ecrin Roc is good but not exactly styllish.

Check out the technical documents on the BMC website for some revealing test results done a year or two ago.

PS: My understanding is that all climbing helments must pass an Euro Norm but some pass it better than others...

In fact here is the link:

"Fall off and bang your head or have something hit it and you should be fine, give it repeated hits (falling down the gully again) and the helmet will not surive"
Roflmao - If you repeatedly fall down gulleys I think the helmet may be least of your problems lol ;-)

yep keep an eye out for the peak impact test, lots of arguement is surrouding this as many lighter helmets "appear" to have been designed to pass this test, rather than designed to be all round great perofrmers.

And Jez agreed about the ecrin roc, but then I'd rather be alive than stylish and dead :) I dont actualy use the ecrin as it doesn't suit my head type, instead I use a Troll which is their take on it, but it is essentialy the same ie and internal cradle mountaineering design and there are lots around.

Maybe Dave but the chances of surving a much greater if you have the right helmet, imagine a snow filled gully you could easily survive sliding down that if your head is protected. Or indeed taking a swinger and hitting the rock a few time on the pendulim ?

But I take your point :)

Totally agree Guy

I don't think being dead is very stylish at all. Brains splattered over rock wasn't in Vogue last time I looked ;-)
My helmet is actually Jez's spare one. Again, the mountaineering design one. If you're ever going to do anything other than single pitch summer outcrop climbing, then I'd say it's worth getting something that is durable and made to last. Only have one head, and all that....

Guy, I agree totally...............just found the thought of repeatedly falling down the same gulley on the same trip quite amusing :)

pet hate of mine is the lack of a moral approach that came to light when the first light helmets came out , such as the Camp Startec. These helmets had been designed to pass the tests and as such they gave the impression they were as good as the old type.

But they were designed to pass the tests, where as the others were desined to be safe and as a consequnce passed the tests as a matter of course. Bastards how dare they do that to climbers !

Of course I realise that they are much better now, and if you look through the petzl catalogue each helmet is clearly given to a particular use, so you know what you get, but not all the companies are as clear as them.

<rant over>

For completeness my cragging light helmet is a camp Helium as its also rated for use Kayaking and Biking so it gives me a good allrounder

so that I dont get sued I'm not saying that the Camp Startec was unsafe at all :)


ps but they did refund my money when I explained my concerns and sent it back, stating that while they didn't agree, they were refunding or replacing helmets of ALL those people who had lost faith in the product, so I wasn't alone

Basically it depends if you want to do any mountaineering or just cragging. If you fall and actually hit your head, particularly sideways, then you may be better off using the newer foam type. If you expect to be in situations where things are going to fall on you (eg mountaineering) then you will definitely be better off with a hard shell as they take repeated abuse.

Also, if you want one you can use for mountaineering then make sure it has some method of attaching a head torch. I have an Edlerid Ultralight which I am pretty happy with.

If you expect to be in situations where things are going to fall on you (eg the leader fumbling his gear, and having nuts rain down on your head.....)

You're not hinkign of anyone in particular are you Cara?

Just read the BMC stuff, one question comes from it The BD Half Dome, and the Camp Startech,

What happened about them after the BMC tests?

Is the BD Half Dome good or bad?

both designs were updated, so any current version should be ok

Thanks Guy, thought it best to check as a helmet is kind of important