The lightweight Salamander II from Grivel is a alpine, rock and ice climbing focused helmet, with a composite construction of a hard ABS outer shell and shock absorbing polystyrene foam. Designed to be highly durable, the Salamander II can take the daily knock and scrapes of mountaineering, as well as providing life saving protection for high energy impacts when needed.
Ventilation is superb, allowing a free flow of air to circulate around the head, keeping you cool on sun baked crags. Headlamp clips keep your lighting firmly in place during knarly after dark descents or early starts on alpine ice. The adjustment system tucks into the helmet for compact storage in your pack or haul bag. The slight lip on the front of the Salamander II offers a degree of shade, as well as deflecting rain, ice or grit from above.
A climbing helmet is designed to protect you from more than just rock fall. Type the words “climbing whippers” into a search engine and you won’t have to watch many before you swear never to climb without a helmet ever again!
Fundamentally, to wear a climbing helmet is personal choice. However, your head is THE most important part of your body so to help you protect it, we have gathered lots of information below so you can choose the best helmet for the type of climbing you enjoy……
- What are the different construction types of climbing helmet?
- I can use my ski/bike/water/Rope Access helmet for climbing right?
- How are helmets tested?
- Do I need to check my size?
- What features should I look for?
- Why does my helmet have a shelf life?
- How can I tell when my helmet should be retired?
- How can I recycle my helmet?
Top Tips to make the right choice:
The best helmet is the most comfortable one that fits your head. If you can’t feel it on, then it is absolutely the right one for you (and you are more likely to wear it!)
Try on as many different styles as you can. If you wear a ponytail when you climb, make sure you try your helmet on with it. If you are planning on wearing a hat underneath – make sure you try your helmet on with it. If you plan on keeping your sandwiches in between the cradle and helmet shell – errr, don’t bring them into the shop.
Wearing a brightly coloured helmet can make you quicker to find in an emergency (and looks great in the pics!)