A rock climbing helmet is essential for climbers of all levels, as they are not only designed to protect you from injury if you have a fall, but also to protect you from falling debris – falling rocks can cause serious injury and even death in rock climbing accidents, so you do need to be protected from all sides with your rock climbing helmet. When you’re ice climbing too, the lead climber can cause chunks of ice to fall on the rest of the party which is potentially extremely dangerous.

How to Buy a Rock Climbing Helmet

The Fit – the helmet needs to sit squarely on your head, and the front of the helmet quite low to protect your forehead. It needs to be quite a snug fit, but remember that you may need to allow space for a balaclava and a headlamp. Make sure that the straps form the shape of a “Y” just forward of and below the ears, and when the chin strap is fastened there is no slackness anywhere in the straps.

Make sure that the helmet does not tilt backwards as this will not offer the level of protection that you will potentially need. Always fasten your rock climbing helmet securely, it won’t do you much good if it falls off at high impact will it? The padding inside your rock climbing helmet should ensure that you can get a good tight alround fit. The skin on your forehead should move with the helmet, forwards and backwards, side to side if it is fitted correctly.

The Materials – rock climbing helmets are made from a high impact outer plastic shell or polycarbonate, with a closed cell foam lining for added comfort. Shell types are generally one of three types:

• fiberglass
• plastic
• carbon

The plastic helmets are extremely strong and durable, carbon and fiberglass are commonly used for ice climbing, which often have an even closer fit. As we’ve already mentioned, a rock climbing helmet is designed to protect you in at least two different ways, from injury in a fall and from falling rocks, ice or other debris. Fiberglass and carbon helmets absorb the energy from falling debris by, well, breaking, but durable plastic helmets transfer the shock to a harness system which is in the helmet.

Other important stuff – other things you need to consider when you buy a rock climbing helmet are the weight, the clips (for accommodating a headlamp etc), the strength and durability of the straps and ventilation. Comfort is a very important feature of your new rock climbing helmet, after all, you could be wearing it for many hours!

Wishing you many hours of happy, and safe, rock climbing!

Other Rock Climbing Equipment

Of course, your rock climbing helmet is probably the single most important piece of rock climbing equipment you’ll need, but there’s lots of other stuff too! Take a look at this . . .

And once you’ve got some equipment, you’ll need a few techniques to make it easier for you, before you develop your own style and technique . . .

And then you can go on to top-roping. It’s all great fun and easy if you know how . . . just don’t look down!