Mammut Haute Route Helmet
Review by Graham Johnson
I really like skiing—whether it's something technical and steep or a low angle romp—it's great. And I like to wear a helmet when doing so—we've been (mostly) helmet trained as a society and as someone who uses their brain for a living I wear a helmet a lot. Up until fairly recently, there has been a gap in the market for a backcountry/ski alpinisim helmet. Lots of people wear climbing helmets to ski, but those aren't the types of impacts they are designed for and they don't fit very well with goggles. Lots of people ski with resort-oriented ski helmets—very protective for ski crashes (relative to climbing helmets) but it's almost impossible to get a headtorch on them, they tend to be heavy and warm (both a pro and a con) and not super well ventilated.
Mammut's new Haute Route helmet bridges the gap. It is ski focused but still fully rated for skiing, climbing and cycling. It's also approved for ski-mo races if you're into that sort of thing. I've been using mine for the past several months of the Northern Hemisphere's winter season and have been very pleased. The Haute Route is not totally alone, as a number of other backcountry focused helmets like the Smith Summit and the Sweet Protection Ascender have also recently entered the market.
At 380g in a medium (there are three sizes and two colours), the Haute Route is lighter than my resort helmet that I used backcountry skiing most of the time—the Smith Nexus at 550g (about average for a resort-focused helmet), but significantly heavier than my climbing helmets that I sometimes used for skiing—the Mammut Wall Rider MIPS at 225g or Black Diamond's Vapor at 155g. I think there's sort of a false equivalency that lighter is better when it comes to protective gear like helmets—but that's a rant for another day. This strikes a balance between feeling light enough that it's not a bother and heavy enough that it feels protective. An adjustable dial (more on this at the end) makes it easy to tighten/loosen the fit. There is a goggle/headtorch bungee at the back and two (which I rarely use) on the side. Two headtorch clips on the front make it easy to secure a light. There are no ear flaps, so the helmet lays mostly flat—either in a backpack or in a helmet holder sling—but there is an included light toque/beanie to keep your ears warm. I've never used this—preferring to use a buff to do the same job or go without on a warm day.
The ventilation is great—sometimes too good and I'm having to put my hood up sooner than I would have with a resort helmet. It's so good that sometimes I don't bother to take it off for the uptrack, even if it's not cool to wear a helmet skinning. It's a bit higher profile than my climbing helmets and despite looking higher on my head than my resort helmet I don't think it actually is. Needless to say, you'll want a decent-sized hood to go over it.
Goggle compatibility is poor—they will all work, but the contours of most goggles these days is round and the interface with the front of the helmet not great—I ended up buying a pair of Oakley Target Line goggles as they have a very straight upper aspect that works really well with the Haute Route. Aesthetics are almost as important as performance in my book. I suspect other straight/flat topped goggles will work too but I have not tested them.
Aside from wearing it to climb things that I'm planning to ski, I have not worn this climbing. It's a little bulky and I have more specific helmets that are better at that job. But for the times when you're going skiing and debating between bringing a climbing or skiing helmet—it's the perfect tool for the job. Just about any time I'm headed off piste I will grab this helmet. I have worn it at the ski field as well and didn't feel inappropriately dressed for the party.
This is a fantastic helmet—it's been very comfortable and while I haven't really tested it's protective capabilities I have full faith in it. I really only have two gripes: 1) the adjustment knob has popped off twice—both while jamming it into a backpack. I've been able to re-attach it with no loss of function but if you lost it the helmet would be useless. 2) The goggle/headlamp bungee doesn't come with a little pull tab to help you grab it. I was having to take my gloves off to pinch the damn thing before I added my own—a big oversight by Mammut. I also would like to see a MIPS version.
4.5/5 stars
RRP NZ$302