REASONS TO BUY
MIPS technology
Lightweight
Well-ventilated
Comfortable
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
Not super adjustable
Mammut Wall Rider MIPS Review
A beefed up version of our one of our favorite helmets, but with MIPS technology added in
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.
RELATED: Best Climbing Helmet of 2023
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?"
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
 This Product
Mammut Wall Rider MIPS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  |  | | |
| Price | $169.95 at REI Compare at 2 sellers | Check Price at REI Compare at 2 sellers | $114.95 at REI Compare at 2 sellers | $89.95 at REI Compare at 2 sellers | $59.95 at REI Compare at 3 sellers |
Overall Score  |
|||||
| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | MIPS technology, lightweight, well-ventilated, comfortable | MIPS protection, perfect fit, highly adjustable, great ventilation | Super light, comfortable, great ventilation, versatile for use while ski mountaineering, protects all sides of head | Lightweight, adjustable, durable, inexpensive | Affordable, extremely durable, easy to adjust |
| Cons | Expensive, not super adjustable | Expensive, not the lightest | Not durable, expensive, magnetic buckle attracts dirt | Magnetic buckle collects dirt | Heavy, not very comfortable, poor ventilation |
| Bottom Line | A beefed up version of our one of our favorite helmets, but with MIPS technology added in | This helmet performs well across the board, making it our favorite helmet for any kind of climbing | One of the lightest, most comfortable, and most enjoyable climbing helmets to wear | A great helmet at an unbeatable value, it strikes a balance between low weight and durability | A durable and adjustable option that excels as an entry-level helmet or for users on a budget |
| Rating Categories | Mammut Wall Rider MIPS | Black Diamond Visio... | Petzl Sirocco | Petzl Meteor | Black Diamond Half... |
| Comfort (30%) | |||||
| Adjustability (20%) | |||||
| Weight (20%) | |||||
| Ventilation (10%) | |||||
| Features (10%) | |||||
| Durability (10%) | |||||
| 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 |
Show full specification detailsHide full specification details
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
You Might Also Like
Ad-free. Influence-free. Powered by Testing.
GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews. Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. No cherry-picked units sent by manufacturers. No sponsored content. No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing and comparison.
Learn More