I hate this climbing helmet! Sorry Mammut, please don’t take it personally, I would probably hate any climbing helmet. I am completely committed to the idea of wearing a helmet for climbing, I’ve just never quite got along with actually doing it.
I bought the Mammut Skywalker climbing helmet about a year ago. Brother David and I found ourselves primarily climbing multi-pitch routes where rock-fall is a real possibility, so we thought it high time we invested in helmets.
I don’t recall hating mine too much to start with, I think it might have been a bit of a novelty. I probably fell out with the helmet when I saw our first pictures with them on; David and I with our helmets at jaunty angles, both looking like we’re a few sandwiches short of an picnic.
I later started to notice that the helmet kept slipping backwards whilst I was climbing. I have tried adjusting it but it either slips to the back of my head every time I look up, or the chin strap cuts into my windpipe! I have also noticed recently that the lining velcro keeps coming undone, so the lining keeps slipping about, making things matters worse.
To be fair to Mammut, I think that the majority of problems that I have had with their climbing helmet are down to fit. I should have taken more time to try different helmets, rather than just picking the first one I saw. Everyone has a different shaped head; a helmet that fits one person’s head beautifully will slip backwards and annoy the hell out of another.
I won’t point you to an online link to buy a helmet. If you’re going to buy one, go to a shop and try a bunch of them on. Move your head about, look up and down, make sure it doesn’t move. It will drive you crazy later if it does. A mate of mine has a Petzl Altios, which fits me like a glove (for the head) and doesn’t slip around.
If you have a helmet or any other piece of kit you would like to review, please send it to me, gareth(at)rockclimbinguk.co.uk
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Hi gareth i own this helmet too i love it i have tried others namely the rockstar and wild country 360. The mammut has its faults agreed but you could do far worse. The design in my opinion is modern and a welcome break from the usual bowl type helmets on the market. I have climbed with it many times and found it to be a cool helmet and the padding inside the helmet helps soak up any perspiration that might be there after the crux move.
Many thanks
John.
Hi John,
Thanks for the comment. Glad the Mammut Skywalker is working out for you. I completely agree on the aesthetics – it’s a cool looking lid. Unfortunately for me, it wouldn’t seat properly on my noggin at all, so I ended up looking pretty far from cool.
Last weekend I caved in and bought a Petzl Altios (full review to follow). It fits my head perfectly, and is a joy to use.
It just goes to show what a personal thing a climbing helmet is, and it makes a very strong case for trying it on in the shop. I did try the Mammut when I bought it but I didn’t fasten it up and I didn’t try tilting my head back, a mistake I was keen not to repeat when I bought the Altios.
Thanks for reading.
Gareth
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