Why wear a helmet when ski touring?

Whether a high-mountain guide or new to ski touring, you have probably asked yourself this very question. Although widely adopted by alpine skiers at the resort as a necessary piece of safety gear, systematically wearing a helmet while ski touring has yet to catch on with backcountry skiers. Yet when the snowpack is thin, sticks and especially stones never lie too far beneath the surface, creating a potentially dangerous situation in the event of a fall. When ascending a couloir, rock fall and losing your footing also represent serious risks. With all this in mind, putting on a helmet when ski touring or ski mountaineering seems more than reasonable.

Video interview with Vivian Bruchez: Why wear a helmet when ski touring?

A helmet for ski touring that addresses skier demands

Ventilation: 

Ski touring involves a considerable physical effort on the ascent, and requires the right gear. A lightweight, well-ventilated helmet is comfortable to wear for the entire outing, both when skinning up and skiing down.

Head protection:

All throughout a tour, whether on the climb or the descent, skiers may be exposed to the following risks: 

• rock fall: 

As with mountaineering, skiers may be exposed to rock or ice fall, such as when climbing up a steep couloir.

• side, front, and rear impacts: 

A fall on the ascent, whether on a steep or icy slope, or above a rocky outcrop.

A fall on the descent caused by such terrain hazards as rocks, trees, blocks of ice, crevasses, avalanches...

New CE certification for helmets designed for ski touring

To create the best balance of ventilation/protection and to promote the wearing of a helmet for ski touring, Petzl worked with a certification body to introduce the first CE certified ski touring helmet, using:

• the requirements of the mountaineering helmet standard (EN 12492), to provide rockfall protection while ensuring maximum ventilation for comfortable wear during ascents
• requirements for enhanced protection against lateral, front and rear impacts (as described in the PCSR-001 testing protocol)

Learn more about Petzl’s helmets

METEOR: Goggles or a visor provide this helmet with a clean style that works perfectly for any backcountry tour or ski-mountaineering adventure. 

SIROCCO: Designed for those who seek extremely lightweight head protection with excellent ventilation, the SIROCCO performs well on any backcountry tour or ski-mountaineering adventure. 

Neither helmet is suited for on-piste skiing at the resort since they do not comply with the EN-1077 standard for alpine skiing. For competitive ski-mountaineering, refer to the rules and regulations that apply in your country.

Learn more about our TOP and SIDE PROTECTION label: