Helmet Standards and Certifications, Explained: Mountaineering and Whitewater Helmets

Different uses and environments require different helmet testing methods

You wouldn’t wear a bike helmet into battle or a ski helmet while white water rafting.
 
Each type of helmet has its own testing methodology to ensure your head is protected from the most likely form of impact in your activity of choice. The differences between helmet designs are shaped by the standards to which each helmet is tested and certified, which is dictated by various governing bodies depending on the activity.
 
The world of helmet standards is immense. I’ll walk you through them in this three-part series.
 
For starters, Team Wendy helmets are certified to the following standards related to outdoor activities to give members of the military, law enforcement officers, adventurers and search and rescue teams leading-edge head protection.
 
Canoeing and Whitewater Sports: BS EN 1385:2012
 
The BS EN 1385:2012 standard for whitewater helmets involves testing not only a helmet’s impact protection, but also its buoyancy and the strength and effectiveness of its retention system. Furthermore, it covers guidelines for constructing the helmet, such as allowance for ventilation holes in the shell.
 
To test shock absorption, these bump helmets are fitted to a headform that is dropped onto a fixed steel anvil. In addition to observing obvious physical damage to the helmet, the tests measure the impact velocity of the headform and plot acceleration over time to estimate the likelihood of serious injury. The test helmets are conditioned to high temperature, low temperature, water immersion or artificial aging through UV exposure before the first of multiple drops.
 
The effectiveness of the helmet retention system (referred to in some standards as a “roll-off test”) is determined by how much the helmet shell moves out of place on the headform when a pulley system delivers a shock load by a four-kilogram weight to the back of the helmet. This reflects the risk of forces unintentionally removing the helmet from the user in the event of entanglement or a bump. The strength of the retention system is analyzed by measuring how far the chin strap stretches as force is applied to the artificial chin of a headform or mounting frame.
 
It’s important to note that this standard only covers helmets for use in Class 1 through Class 4 river rapids. The EXFIL^® LTP, EXFIL^® Carbon, EXFIL^® SAR Backcountry and EXFIL^® SAR Tactical all meet this standard.
 
 
Mountaineering: BS EN 12492:2012
 
Mountain climbing can be exhilarating, but falling rocks and uneven terrain pose serious safety threats.
 
To successfully test to this standard, researchers essentially mimic the conditions of natural objects falling from above by dropping a flat striker and a hemispherical striker onto a headform.
 
Impact tests are performed at the front, rear and sides of the helmet and measure the amount of force transmitted to the headform. The standard for mountaineering helmets also requires ventilation.
 
Mountaineering helmets are further tested for their ability to protect against pointed objects through two drop tests using a sharply-pointed weight known as a conical striker on different points around the shell. As with other standards, force is applied to the chin strap and helmet to test the retention system’s strength and efficiency.
 
The EXFIL^® SAR Backcountry and EXFIL^® SAR Tactical are both certified to this standard.
 
This is just the tip of the helmet testing iceberg. Next up: combat helmet standards and ski and snowboard helmet standards. 
 
By Ron Szalkowski
Director of Product Development and Research Collaboration