Supertopo 2010 Climbing Helmet Choice Awards

On Monday the 28th June 2010 the results of the SuperTopo 2010 Editors’ Choice Awards for Rock Climbing Helmet category were announced, listing this year’s best climbing helmets and best value for climbing helmets. The SuperTopo.com staff chose the following winners after extensive field testing in Yosemite, Colorado, and Utah. Each nut tool underwent extensive side by side tests to evaluate key performance metrics such as comfort, breathability, adjustability, durability, and other factors. The complete climbing helmet review test results for 2010 are available on SuperTopo.com

The winners are:

Petzl Meteor 3 – Winner of the Editor's Choice Award for 2010. It was the most solid but for tiny placements, especially in areas with pin scars. According to gear tester Chris McNamara, "The Meteor III was a runaway favorite of all our testers and gets the SuperTopo Editors' Choice award. This is the lightest, most comfortable helmet tested. If you can afford it and are looking for the best (and have the awareness to take proper care of it), go with the Meteor III."

Petzl Elios – Winner of the Best Buy award for 2010. This award is given to a product that balances an extremely high score in our tests and a very reasonable price. According to Chris McNamara, "This gets our Best Buy award because it scores second highest yet costs $35 less than the top-scoring Meteor III. Get the Elios if you want a durable helmet that is relatively light weight and can do anything."

CAMP Armour – Winner of the Recommended award for 2010. This award is given to products that scored very highly, and offered unique capabilities. According to Chris McNamara, "The CAMP Armour is a great all–around helmet. It stays in place (doesn't ride up on your forehead and slide back onto your neck), takes a beating well and has a slim, breathable profile. Not all helmets stay put on your head, but the Armour does."

Mammut Skywalker – Winner of the Recommended award for 2010. This award is given to products that scored very highly, and offered unique capabilities. According to Chris McNamaraIan Nicholson, "The Skywalker II is a great buy. For Chris Mac and a few others it was their favorite helmet in the $60 range. It fits well, takes a beating, looks cool and is amply ventilated. If you’re looking for one helmet to fit all your climbing needs – from alpine to sport and everything in between – the Skywalker II is an excellent choice."

Editor's Note: We at rockclimbing.com weren't too surprised by the results for the most part, pretty much coinciding with what we have seen with the user reviews... Apart from the Mammut Skywalker that is, more specifically the Mammut Skywalker II- this helmet has a few problems if the user feedback is anything to go by, including the one size that is supposed to fit all but sometimes struggled on the smaller heads and has been noted as uncomfortable for some. With an average user rating of 2.5/5. Personally I'd have thought the Dyneema or Ecrin Roc would have placed higher than the Mammut Skywalker.

Let us know what you think of the results