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

Climbing equipment review: Mammut Skywalker climbing helmet is a post from: Rock Climbing UK, an online UK climbing magazine, written BY UK climbers FOR UK climbers.

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