Not wearing a helmet while rock climbing in the wild is extremely dangerous. On one hand, there is always the risk of falling rocks, which is unpredictable. On the other hand, during lead climbing, there is a risk of hitting your head before the first quickdraw is clipped. There was once an expert climber who was climbing in Yangshuo and suffered a skull fracture from hitting his head after not wearing a helmet during lead climbing. Although wearing a helmet doesn’t guarantee absolute safety, no amount of protective measures or spending on personal safety is ever too much.
When climbing, especially in the wild, everyone should wear a professional helmet. After all, a few hundred grams in weight and a few hundred yuan in price are nothing compared to our lives.
Why should you wear mountaineering-specific helmets for climbing?
Mountaineering-specific helmets produced in Europe and the United States must meet the standards of the European Union (CE) and/or UIAA. In Europe, the European Union requires all helmets sold on the market to pass CE standard testing. In the United States, although there is no corresponding mandatory government regulation, due to market competition and legal considerations, virtually all mountaineering helmets sold in the U.S. have passed CE and/or UIAA standard tests.
UIAA refers to the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation, Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme. EN12492 is the European Union (CE) standard for mountaineering helmets, and the UIAA’s corresponding standard (UIAA Standard 106) is based on the CE standard but is slightly stricter. The CE and UIAA standards consist of four criteria, briefly introduced as follows:
1. Direct Impact Test: A 5-kilogram blunt object (with a 5-centimeter radius) is dropped freely from a height of 2 meters onto the top of the helmet. The impact force on the dummy's (wooden) neck must be less than 8 kilonewtons (UIAA standard); it must be less than 10 kilonewtons (CE standard). One kilonewton is approximately equal to 100 kilograms-force (9.8 Newtons = 1 kgf). In other words, the impact force on the dummy's neck must be less than 800 kilograms-force (UIAA standard), and must be less than 1000 kilograms-force (CE standard).
2. Side Impact Test: At a 60-degree angle to the vertical direction (top of the head), tests are conducted from the front, two sides, and back. A blunt object is dropped freely from a height of 50 centimeters. The impact force on the dummy’s neck must be less than 8 kilonewtons (UIAA standard); it must be less than 10 kilonewtons (CE standard).
3. Penetration Test: A 3-kilogram conical object (with a 0.5-millimeter tip) is dropped freely from a height of 2 meters. The helmet must withstand at least one such impact. The helmet is allowed to be damaged, but the sharp object must not come into direct contact with the scalp.
4. Stability Test (also called Front-to-Back Displacement Test): A 10-kilogram weight is dropped onto the helmet from the front and back. The helmet must still remain properly fitted on the dummy’s head (the angle of movement after impact is recorded during testing). Note that for test criteria 1 and 2, the sensor measures the impact force on the neck. This shows that the helmet is required not only to resist impact but also to absorb kinetic energy and reduce the impact—similar to how a dynamic rope functions. The shock-absorbing function of the helmet aims to minimize the impact on the wearer’s cervical and spinal vertebrae.
Additionally, note that for test criterion 3, although it is a one-time “pass/fail” test, a good mountaineering helmet (such as HB’s Dyneema) can withstand up to 10 such impacts. Durability is especially valuable during long alpine climbs or big wall climbing. Unlike typical rock climbing, if your helmet is damaged during a climb, you can just go back to town and buy a new one at night.
Besides mountaineering and rock climbing, other activities such as road and mountain biking, rollerblading, and cross-country skiing also require helmets. It is advised against using helmets designed for other sports while mountaineering. False security may lead to unexpected consequences. Bicycle and rollerblade helmets will not pass at least the third criterion of mountaineering helmet standards. Construction site safety helmets definitely won’t pass the fourth.
One more thing: good professional helmets are designed to split into several pieces upon receiving a certain level of impact, precisely to relieve neck shock. Military steel helmets, on the other hand, will never crack—but your neck might break.
Currently, the market mainly offers three types of helmets: hard shell, foam, and hybrid. Hard-shell helmets are made from high-strength engineering plastics or fiber-reinforced polymers. Their advantage is durability and resistance to impact (you don’t have to worry too much when packing them), but they are heavier. Foam helmets aren’t actually “soft.” Their advantage is being lightweight, but they are not as sturdy as hard-shell ones. Hybrid helmets use a thin hard shell with a foam inner lining, and their design and feel are closer to those of foam helmets. For your safety, please use mountaineering-specific helmets that have passed European Union and/or UIAA standard tests.