UKC

Wild Country's One Helmet That Does it All - The Alpine Shield

© Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com
Mick Ryan UKC

This has been read 29,023 times
It was only a decade or so ago when you hardly saw anyone wearing a helmet, especially at single-pitch crags. New lightweight sporty designs influenced by cycle helmets changed all that. Go to most crags these days, even sport climbing venues and you will see many, if not most climbers wearing a helmet.

This is reflected with a whole array of choices when you go to your climbing shop. Petzl, C.A.M.P, Edelrid, Black Diamond, Grivel, and DMM all have various helmets for you to have a look at: lightweight cragging expanded plastic foam (EPS) bicycle type lids, the more robust Shell/Cradle type and the hybrid Shell/Foam helmets (read the UKC Article - Helmets - Everything you need to know!).

The UK company, Wild Country Limited, have now joined the club with two new helmets and one, the Alpine Shield, was rated highly in a design and innovation competition at the recent Friedrichshafen OutDoor Show.

First off is the 360 helmet, a polycarbonate shell with an closed cell foam (EPS) liner. It's an attractive lightweight helmet with high top impact and side impact resistance.

The real innovation is however, the Alpine Shield. This is a modular helmet, the first of its kind, that is suitable for cragging to Scottish winter and anything you can throw at it, or drop on it.

Why is it special?

Designed by Neil Preston and Kevin Brown of Wild Country this is again a EPS/polycarbonate helmet, lightweight and strong enough for crag use but it has a removable polycarbonate cover. If you need extra protection in a winter or alpine environment you simply pop the clear polycarbonate shield onto the crown of the helmet and get 30% enhanced stonefall protection; it attaches by a simple coin-slot attachment system. Then remove the shield when you are normal cragging. One helmet to do it all.

It was deemed that innovative it made the short list in the OutDoor INDUSTRY AWARDS 2008 at Friedrichshafen, an award for "innovative product developments that proved surprising." Although the Wild Country Alpine Shield didn't make the roster for the gold and silver awards it did make the short list of 27 products cited for exceptional design and innovation out of 196 entries.

Both helmets pass the CEN and UIAA standard and are 3 Sigma rated. Available early 2009, the Alpine Shield shall retail at £60.00 and the 360 for £40.00.

More details at this UKClimbing.com Gear Product News: Wild Country Helmets: The 360 and the Alpine Shield

Last years winner of the OutDoor INDUSTRY AWARDS 2008 was a helmet, the Edelrid Madillo foldable helmet. Where next for helmets? Will anyone consider a helmet for boulderers perhaps designed to look like a beanie!

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Comments

Paz
28 Jul, 2008
The prices look good, but explain to me why this isn't total marketting? Helmet's that really do do it all are made by Salewa - they're rated for Kayakng and Cycling too. WC've just matched the product categories that Petzl started, both the Meteor or that cheap budget £30 ish one, and the daft Robocop one with the visor which admittedly they've made `modular' or tinkered with, and gone for a slice of the market with the buy British USP - as BD have already got in on the light weight helmet action for the Us of A for at least a year now I asume the lack of any data I can find easily, in particular with regards to product weight, is because the Meteor III's still lighter? And even if the 360 is lighter, then I'm sorry WC, early 2009 is three years too late! As I expect my Meteor will more than last until then (as long as I don't lose it or put it in airport hold baggage which is what happened to my last two).
beardy mike
28 Jul, 2008
Does seem they've created a product which doesn't need to exist... are you REALLY going to be putting in an extra plate to give you extra protection? Why wouldn't you just use the plate all the time and afford more protection whilst cragging too. If its purely based on weight then surely a few grammes here or there is not going to matter that much? Sorry Wild Country - don't want to put a downer on it but don't quite understand...
Richard Hall
28 Jul, 2008
Chaps I think you are both being unfairly critical. What is the perfect helmet? Well I think it is one that is as light and airy as the BD tracer or Petzl Meteor, and as robust and with as much top down protection as the Ecrin Roc/Vertex. Well if you want lightness and side of head protecion for cragging and a hard as tails lid for the mountains it generally means 2 helmets and a £110 investment. Nobody wants to have to but 2 helmets. I have not seen one of these new WC ones yet so I am going to reserve judgement untill I have. On the other hand I don't believe either of you have seen one either so perhaps you should do likewise. Sneering at inovation does not do anyone any favours. All the best.
beardy mike
28 Jul, 2008
Certainly not sneering. Just questioning whether people really buy two helmets and whether there is a real need for their product. I know just as well as you do what real innovation means and how it can affect what we do in the world and somehow I don't see how this helmet is THAT groundbreaking. What its doing is compromising on both specifications and more than likely being master of neither - thats the way of engineering - build one area up and lose in another. However if they really have managed to make the perfect helmet then of coure they deserve congratulations. I'm just sceptical... Now if you were to talk to me about the Edelrid Madrillo helmet, well that really IS innovative - it addresses an actual need...
Paz
28 Jul, 2008
I sneer at dubious claims of innovation,I celebrat the genuine artticle as much as anyone. Why do they go to all the effort of telling us you get a free bag for it yet neglect to simply put the prototype on some kitchen scales and tell us its weight? Trade secrets?
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