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Mammut Wall Rider MIPS Review

A beefed up version of our one of our favorite helmets, but with MIPS technology added in
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Mammut Wall Rider MIPS Review (Since it is so light and comfortable, the Wall Rider MIPS is one of our favorite helmets for wearing while sport...)
Since it is so light and comfortable, the Wall Rider MIPS is one of our favorite helmets for wearing while sport climbing, as we hardly even notice that its there.
Price:  $180 List
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Manufacturer:   Mammut
By Andy Wellman ⋅ Senior Review Editor  ⋅  May 16, 2023
73
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#5 of 13
  • Comfort - 30% 8.0
  • Adjustability - 20% 6.0
  • Weight - 20% 7.4
  • Ventilation - 10% 8.0
  • Features - 10% 7.0
  • Durability - 10% 7.0

Our Verdict

The Mammut Wall Rider MIPS was the first ever climbing helmet to incorporate this game-changing technology that has been common in downhill ski and biking helmets for many years now. While wearing a helmet may be enough to protect you from fracturing your skull by taking a rock to the head, or by hitting your head in an out of control fall, it doesn't ensure that you won't sustain internal damage to your brain, such as a concussion, in these instances. The MIPS Brain Protection System adds only 0.5 ounces to the regular version of this helmet, but has features that have been studied to potentially reduce the rotational forces and potential for brain injuries from lateral impacts. While this technology does add a hefty amount to the price tag, we can't help but ask, “how much is your brain health worth?” See how the Wall Rider MIPS stacks up to the other top climbing helmets we tested in our review.
REASONS TO BUY
MIPS technology
Lightweight
Well-ventilated
Comfortable
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
Not super adjustable
Editors' Note: We updated this review on May 15, 2023, to update our rating metrics and to include additional buying advice.

Compare to Similar Products

 
Awards  Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Climbing Helmet
Top Pick Award
Best Lightweight Climbing Helmet
Best Buy Award
Best Value for a Lightweight Helmet
Best Buy Award
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Overall Score Sort Icon
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Star Rating
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Bottom Line Extra security for your brain comes at a low cost price and weight-wiseA relatively lightweight and super protective helmet with a great fitYou will barely notice wearing this comfortable, ultra-lightweight helmetA highly adjustable climbing and ski mountaineering helmet with a low weight and fair priceA very popular, albeit clunky helmet at an unbeatable price point
Rating Categories Mammut Wall Rider MIPS Black Diamond Visio... Petzl Sirocco Petzl Meteor Black Diamond Half...
Comfort (30%)
8.0
9.0
8.0
7.0
4.0
Adjustability (20%)
6.0
8.0
8.0
9.0
10.0
Weight (20%)
7.4
6.9
9.5
7.8
4.7
Ventilation (10%)
8.0
9.0
9.0
8.0
5.0
Features (10%)
7.0
10.0
7.0
8.0
9.0
Durability (10%)
7.0
7.0
5.0
8.0
9.0
Specs Mammut Wall Rider MIPS Black Diamond Visio... Petzl Sirocco Petzl Meteor Black Diamond Half...
Measured Weight (Size Medium or M/L) 9.0 oz 9.7 oz 6.1 oz 8.5 oz 12.7 oz
Shell Style EPP Foam, Hard Plastic Top Piece EPP and EPS Foam, ABS Shell, with MIPS Liner EPP and EPS Foam, Polycabonate Top Piece EPS, Polycarbonate EPS Foam with ABS Shell
Certifications EN12492 EN12492 EN12492, CE Ski Touring EN12492, CE Ski Touring EN12492
Number of Sizes 2 2 2 2 2
Number of Colorways 1 1 1 3 4
Warranty Lifetime 1 year limited
(defects only)
3 year 3 year 1 year

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Wall Rider MIPS is a relatively lightweight foam helmet made of EPP foam with a hard plastic top piece that partially covers the outside for greater durability. It has a lightweight and minimalist webbing harness system to hold the helmet securely on the head. This system is adjustable, but not nearly as much as helmets that have plastic slider bar or click wheel tensioning systems.

The Mammut Wall Rider MIPS is also available as the Mammut Wall Rider without the MIPS system. This more basic option is essentially the same helmet, just significantly less expensive and half an ounce lighter.

Performance Comparison


mammut wall rider mips - from the sport cliff to the alpine, a climbing helmet is the best...
From the sport cliff to the alpine, a climbing helmet is the best tool we have to protect your most important piece of gear: your brain.
Credit: Andy Wellman

Comfort


This model is a comfortable, lightweight EPP foam helmet that relies on its shape for comfort. The insides cushion with thin foam pads that rest against the top and front of the head, and replacement pads come with your purchase so you can swap them out if they become too funky from sweat or flatten out over time. The shape of this helmet is fairly circular, and not as elongated. It is also shallower fitting and doesn't sit on the head as deeply as the Petzl models.


Whether this is the most comfortable helmet for you or a close second largely depends on the shape of your head. For our lead tester, it was more of the close second, not fitting as well as models with an oblong shape. He found slight pressure points on the back of the head and in the forehead, although these were virtually unnoticeable when climbing.

mammut wall rider mips - the inside of the wall rider mips has felt pads that cushion the...
The inside of the Wall Rider MIPS has felt pads that cushion the head from the helmet and work to absorb sweat. You can also see the yellow MIPS system, which is a piece of plastic that allows the shell of the helmet to move with an impact to deflect some of the force of a blow.

Adjustability


This helmet uses a straightforward and minimalistic webbing harness to hold it firmly on the head and to preserve the low weight. It's adjustable in the back by two webbing buckles which can rather easily be pulled tighter once the helmet is on the head if you know where to grab. While allowing for minimal adjustability, it is nice that there are two buckles to help keep the helmet centered, rather than just one.


The positioning of the chin strap along the V-yoke is effortless and easy to adjust with a sliding buckle, and likewise, the chin strap itself can easily be adjusted. These adjustments are far more user-friendly than the buckles found on all of the Black Diamond helmets.

mammut wall rider mips - the adjustment system in the rear of the helmet is a simple strap...
The adjustment system in the rear of the helmet is a simple strap, shown here, that is adjustable by pulling on the tabs on either side that run through the yellow buckles. This is a pretty simple system and it's easy to adjust even while wearing the helmet.

Weight


Our size large helmet tipped the scales at 9.0 ounces, which is 0.5 ounces heavier than the version of this helmet without the MIPS. So, for added brain protection technology, you only add 0.5 ounce of weight, which seems like a very fair trade in our opinion.


Despite this, the helmet is not exactly featherweight for using EPP foam. The harder plastic top piece adds some weight when compared to polycarbonate models, and so this helmet is merely average, rather than lightweight.

mammut wall rider mips - the wall rider mips weighs 9.0 ounces, which is fairly light for a...
The Wall Rider MIPS weighs 9.0 ounces, which is fairly light for a helmet, but isn't nearly as light as the lightest in this review, the Sirocco or BD Vapor.

Ventilation


This model is fairly well-ventilated, perhaps even aided slightly by the MIPS harness on the inside.


There are 16 vents scattered about on both sides, the rear, and even two in the front to allow air flow through the helmet. Despite being small, the vents in the front seem to add to the feeling of coolness as any breeze directly cools the forehead region.

mammut wall rider mips - this helmet has a lot of ventilation holes on the sides of the head...
This helmet has a lot of ventilation holes on the sides of the head, including two in the front over the forehead region, as well as plenty in the back. While it isn't the single “coolest” helmet we reviewed, it is still one of the best.

Features


To accommodate a headlamp, there are two small plastic clips on the front of the helmet and an elastic bungee in the back. This layout is essentially the same as those used on other top lightweight models and is meant to be versatile for use with ski goggles as well.


While this system is effective for headlamps and goggles, we also noticed that the underlying tension in the front clips is far higher than on other helmets, which makes it harder than necessary to slide a band underneath them. This is, however, a relatively small gripe. The MIPS system is really the star of the show. The internal MIPS harness allows the helmet shell to move on the head, deflecting a large percentage of the impact forces that would otherwise be absorbed by your head, and potentially, your brain. While we can't verify these claims independently, we can say that one tester took an upside-down fall, banging his head and sustaining a concussion while wearing a different helmet. So the need for this technology in the climbing helmet market clearly exists.

mammut wall rider mips - the yellow headlamp clips shown in this photo are effective at...
The yellow headlamp clips shown in this photo are effective at holding the headlamp strap in place, but are a bit too tight compared to the competition, forcing us to work sorta hard to slide the strap up underneath them.

Durability


The helmet is made entirely of EPP foam, known for being lighter, more resilient to taking multiple blows without cracking, but not quite as solid as EPS foam. To help add to the durability, Mammut covers the entire top and front of the helmet in a rather burly shield of hard plastic. While the exposed foam on the sides and rear can handle a little abuse, it is best to be careful how you treat this helmet in your pack or on the ground for best longevity.


We can't comment on how many blows this helmet can take before needing to be retired, but it is EN certified as a climbing helmet. We have spent plenty of days tossing it around at the crag, and have not seen any adverse wear that suggests that it needs to be excessively babied.

mammut wall rider mips - wearing your helmet is always a good idea, as it can't help you if...
Wearing your helmet is always a good idea, as it can't help you if you don't wear it. For the runout bolt-protected faces of Smith Rock, it not only adds protection but a bit of confidence.

Should You Buy the Mammut Wall Rider MIPS?


The Mammut Wall Rider MIPS is worthy of recognition because it was the first climbing helmet to incorporate the MIPS system. However, this technology has become well-incorporated within the climbing industry. As a result, cheaper helmets now exist that feature the same, once-innovative technology. Other high-end helmets are on par with the price point of the Wall Rider MIPS, which is expensive. But we firmly believe that the difference in price can reasonably be viewed as a relatively cheap insurance against a potentially disastrous head injury. Even MIPS technology aside, this is still a pretty great helmet.

mammut wall rider mips - rappelling back to the base of a climb while wearing the wall rider...
Rappelling back to the base of a climb while wearing the Wall Rider MIPS. We felt that the extra $60 for this version of the helmet was well worth the investment considering the extra protection it gives.

What Other Climbing Helmets Should You Consider?


Since the introduction of the Mammut Wall Rider MIPS, this technology has become nearly ubiquitous across high-end climbing helmets. Our overall favorite helmet, the Black Diamond Vision MIPS, improves upon nearly every performance metric compared to the Wall Rider MIPS. Black Diamond has also introduced a more affordable MIPS helmet, the Capitan MIPS. And for those who want to invest in a dual-certified helmet for rock climbing and skiing, our top choice is the Smith Summit MIPS.

Andy Wellman