Review: Mammut Wall Rider MIPS

Mammut created a new genre of helmets when they introduced the original Wall Rider helmet a few years ago. This first hybrid helmet combined an EPP foam body with a polycarbonate cap in a construction that was quite innovative at the time but has quickly become quite familiar. Since the release of the original Wall Rider helmet a couple of years ago a number of other climbing brands have released their own hybrid helmets including Petzl and Edelrid. Black Diamond will be releasing their models in the spring of 2020.

Continuing to innovate, Mammut released the MIPS version of the Wall Rider helmet this summer in another climbing industry first. While the MIPS system is commonplace in ski and bike helmets, Mammut’s Wall Rider MIPS will be the first climbing helmet to offer the popular safety technology. For those not familiar with MIPS, it’s basically made up of a thin sliding layer mounting within the helmet. In the event of an angled impact to the helmet this layer slides and allows some torsional movement independent of one’s head. This means that some of the rotational forces are absorbed and redirected rather than being transferred to the wearer.

The MIPS version of the Wall Rider Helmet is identifiable by the yellow headlamp clips on the exterior. If you look on the inside you can easily see the yellow MIPS later under the padding.

The only real downside to the MIPS version of the Wall Rider is the weight. It’s a bit heavier than the regular version of the Wall Rider, 260g instead of 220g, and heavier than the Petzl Sirroco (185g) or the Edelrid Salathe (215g). However, the extra protection offered by the MIPS makes it quite a versatile helmet that works well rock climbing, alpine climbing and even ski touring (though it’s not specifically rated for it in part due to the large vents holes that are not allowed on ski helmets).

Line-up of currently available hybrid helmets: Petzl Sirocco (left), Mammut Wall Rider MIPS (center) and Edelrid Salathe (right). The BD Vision will come out in 2020.

Other features on the helmet remain unchanged and since we’ve already reviewed the non-MIPS version of the Wall Rider I won’t go into details. If you’re interested in the more detailed Mammut Wall Rider review click here.

Summary:

Pros: Additional protection, white color great for sunny days
Cons: Slightly heavier and more expensive
Overall: The extra protection afforded by the MIPS system is worth every extra gram and a few extra bucks.

Black Sheep Adventure Sports was provided with a sample for review but of course this didn’t influence us in any way.