Salewa Piume 3.0, best all-round helmet?

The Piume 3.0 helmet is the lightest in Salewa’s line-up at just 175 grams. Nonetheless, it has enhanced protection on all sides, and especially on the top, including more expanded polypropylene (EPP) foam than most lightweight helmets, and a polycarbonate shell with an added insert for more protection against rock and ice fall.

With two sizes, one for heads 53-58 cm and one for 57-62 cm in circumference, a removable, aerated foam lining and an adjustable back of the head strap and sliders on the sidestraps, it’s easy to customize your helmet’s fit.

On the head, it felt light, and low-profile. I hardly noticed it, even on hard climbing, an observation shared by top alpinists who have tested it. The ventilation channels will also keep this cool on hot days, and there are channels to keep the air moving between your head and the helmet, a feature lacking on some foam helmet designs. Extra features include headlamp or goggle attachments, making it a versatile piece of kit that could be used for alpinism and ski touring as well as rock climbing.

Salewa was founded in 1935 in Munich and now makes its headquarters in Bolzano in the Dolomites. Their product testing team includes some of the Alps’s most experienced climbers, including Simon Gietl, Christoph Hainz, Anna Stohr, so it’s no surprise the Piume, like so many of their products,  is so well designed.