Testing Black Diamond Helmets in the Peak District

Rob and Tim put the Black Diamond Vapour and Capitan helmets to the test on some classic gritstone routes in The Peak District, UK.
#rockclimbing #tradclimbing #climbinggear

[@kevedwards]

The captain was the first helmet I ever bought and I would wear it sport climbing a few times here and there, easy climbs or climbs that looked a bit more sketchy but probably 75% of time I would just climb lidless. It bought the old Vapour because I got a good deal on it and it’s night and day when sport climbing, now wear a helmet 99.99% of the time because there’s virtually no excuse not to now apart from vanity. I’ve just come back from Kalymnos and wore it to b every climb there except the odd time when I’ve just forgot to put it on, it’s a fantastic helmet and now I feel naked without it. This is from somewhere who never even owned a helmet for about 10 years of my climbing life.

[@ukclimbingofficial]

I completely agree, if I’m not wearing a helmet now then I feel properly exposed. I remember forgetting it up at Cloggy one time and I was constantly paranoid about something coming down from above and hitting me on a head. With a helmet on I wouldn’t have been half as worried.

[@tobyarcher7623]

I've tried both those models on and really wanted a Capitan for a winter roughty-toughty lid, but I still don't have a BD shaped head and ended up buying Petzl helmets again as I have done every decade or so since the Meteors first came out in the 90s! Annoying, but neither will be much good if your head is the wrong shape!

[@ukclimbingofficial]

It’s like climbing shoes isn’t it - you’ve got to get the pair that fits your feed (or in the case of helmets, your head).

[@reubenmace6644]

Which would you take on a Scottish winter route? Recently, I had a Petzl Sirocco caved in by a fist sized block of ice on Ben Nevis. Was glad to have been wearing a helmet of course but I imagine a hard shell would probably have survived

[@ukclimbingofficial]

The Vapor would have reacted in the same way as the Sirocco. It’s obviously hard to say that the Capitan wouldn’t as we don’t know the circumstances, but it’d certainly have a lot better odds in terms of survival. It’s also warmer in winter, which is quite nice, as the Vapor can feel quite cold due to the amount of ventilation holes it has.

[@pauljepson1249]

Come on lads, at least invert and land on your heads. What kind of test is that?

[@ukclimbingofficial]

I’m sorry, we’ve let you down 🤣

[@pauljepson1249]

@@ukclimbingofficial could have at least put watermelons in them under Robin Hoods Cave and encouraged some scrotes to throw rocks at them!

[@ukclimbingofficial]

That would have made for much more entertaining viewing. Having hacked apart a helmet with a hammer before, it is interesting to see the results, although rather selfishly I didn’t want to waste two good helmets in the process of making this video. It is tempting though…