Yes! Generally, each type of helmet is being designed for a particular purpose. However, some can still manage to serve dual purposes. For instance, climbing helmets and ski helmets share some common features. Both normally have Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) plastic shells, and, most important, they do not have too many of vent holes which prevent the penetration of sharp rocks or ice chunks.
What To Consider When Choosing Helmet
Fit
You need to consider fit first. Irrespective of the kind of helmet, a perfect fit is highly significant in order to provide protection. However, in a situation whereby the helmet is oversize making it too large and glides around your head. With this your brain will definitely not be protected and might also leads to the falling of the helmet in the event of a fall or summersault. Check out the fitting of your helmet by sliding the helmet onto your head, ensure you tighten the strap in the rear and quiver your head around overturned. If you can do this successfully without the helmet falling off even when the chin strap is unbuckled, your helmet is perfectly fit.
In the process of checking out the helmet, always put into consideration your comfortability. It might actually be in the form of form or padding within the helmet or the contour of the straps and also fit your head perfectly. You are not supposed to utilize an unsuitable or uncomfortable helmet. Various helmet put forward numerous uncomplicated adjustment points (rear and sides), whereas others provide fewer adjustability or fit systems that are more difficult to adjust accurately.
As a final point, always ensure that your helmet is adjustable to some extent in order to achieve a better fit even with or without you wearing a warm hat underneath it.
Intended Use
Large percentage of first time rock climbers do ask if they can use their already acquired ski helmet for climbing Mount Rainer as a replacement for a climbing helmet? This a very important question that needed to asked. Manufacturers build helmets for particular purposes. To achieve safety, it is highly expected that you only make use of your helmet for its intended use.
The main work of the testing agencies is to certify helmet in order to ensure that your head is being protected from different unforeseen factors. For instance, the climbing helmet is built in such a way to absorb any form of falling object like a piece of rock. A ski helmet is however built to help safeguard your head from hitting packed snow or trees.
Another major reason to make use of any designed helmet for its use is simply comfort. A ski helmet is being built to have insulation and not as much of air circulation. However, if you are using such helmet for climbing uphill, be rest assured that your head will be overly warm and sweaty. We should always prevent overheating while hillwalking.
A known fact is that ski helmet are weightier than climbing helmets, making them uncomfortable for a long walk. Ski helmets are the best alternatives just for the purpose of skiing, but for the sole purpose of climbing and hillwalking, it is very important to make use of the specific personal protective equipment that will guarantee your safety and make you feel comfortable while on the hill.
However, take note that some helmet possesses a dual functions which can to some extent serve the purpose of skiing and climbing. Check out our recommendation at the conclusion of this article to see some of our preferred multipurpose, dual-rated helmets.
Features
It will not be good enough if we fail to consider features. There are numerous features to put into consideration when selecting a helmet, so let us talk on a few of the most significant here.
1. Protection: It is common that helmets offer protection. Yes, but some provide protection more than others. Try and purchase a helmet on the top and side of the offer protection. This will go a long way to guard your head.
2. Weight: This is a significant factor, a weightier helmet can be extremely uncomfortable for a long day, it leads to neck pain and stimulate the desire to not put on a helmet when you should be. You can purchase the lightest helmet which comes with an astonishing weight of 6.1 ounces (Petzl Siccoro). Also, the heavier helmet comes with a weight close to one pound (Mammut Skywalker 2).
3. Headlamp Clips: it has been observed that almost all helmet these days possess headlamp clip for those brutally early alpine starts, always ensure that the kind of helmet you are bearing in mind has clips are not complicated for use. A lot of ski helmet does not possess headlamp clip. However, for climbing, headlamp clips are very essentials as it will not be possible for the headlamp to stay secured on your helmet without clips
4. Durability: In most of the time we have a feeling that the helmet should be durable, there are various particular advantages and disadvantages in considering durability. It is quite obvious that durable helmets typically made with harder plastic will certainly be heavier. You will not be too careful about breaking it whenever you have it in your backpack or when you are in transit. However, a less durable helmet built of dense foam will obviously have reduced weight but require you to be extra careful with it, most particularly when you are not wearing it on your head.
5. Ponytail-Friendly: In recent days, people that rock a ponytail in the backcountry might consider a model shaped to permit a normal-height ponytail to exit the rear of a helmet. An option is wearing a ponytail very low with a normal helmet is somewhat less comfortable.
Limitations To Multi-Use Helmets?
“Multi-use” commonly translates to “not ideal for either job.” The enormous difference between a distinctive helmet purposely used for rock climbing versus a multi-use helmet is cumbersome. It is commonly known to users that multi-use helmets have lesser air circulation, more padding, and added foam to safeguard users leads to reduced breathability when climbing rock during warm weather. There is some helmets out there that possess enough ventilation which is awesome for mountaineering but the additional air space for air circulation can make them frosty on colder ski periods.
It is a known fact that multi-use helmets are generally weightier than their mountaineering alternative due to the fact that they need more materials to pass the certification requirements. So, the lightest and also with excellent air circulation of the multi-use helmets; the Grivel Duetto is programmed to have 195g while the best fit for skiing; Mammut Alpin Rider has been programmed to have 400g.
The price range for multi-use helmets is also expensive than ski specific helmets, ranging from the least expensive Mammut Alpine Rider at $99.95 to the $300 plus Cebe Trilogy. There are a lot of reasons that makes the multi-use helmet to be more expensive which includes more research and development time, more materials in general, plus additional testing and payment’s to accomplish both climbing and ski certifications.
Some Examples Of Certified Helmet That May Serve Dual Purposes
| S/N | Multi-Use Kind Of Helmets | Price |
| 1 | $99.95 | |
| 2 | $64.95 | |
| 3 | $59.95 | |
| 4 | $119.95 | |
| 5 | $119.95 | |
| 6 | Salewa Vert | $146.99 |
| 7 | $119.95 | |
| 8 | $149.99 |
In conclusion, it however better to use a climbing helmet while skiing than not to use any form of protection but I hope you are aware that it will not protect the cranium against collisions and most common kinds of skiing accidents. If you still want to make use of a single helmet for climbing and skiing. I will advise you to go to helmets that been certified for both climbing (EN 12492 / UIAA 106) and (EN 1077).
Last update on 2024-04-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
