Petzl Sirocco climbing helmet

The plastic quick release chinstrap buckle has magnets added to allow for “one-handed” closure. To be honest, this feels like a bit of a gimmick – but generally works well though there is a very slight possibility of the magnet ‘holding’ the strap shut without the buckle actually engaging. The buckle makes a reassuringly loud click when it closes properly. The only other minor thing to beware is that the silky smooth (no stubble catch) webbing is a bit slick to start with so the chinstrap adjustment can loosen a bit until the webbing roughens up.

So, onto the one major issue... the colour! In a similar fashion to the French writer Guy de Maupassant who allegedly ate under the Eiffel tower as it was the only place he couldn’t see Eiffel's metal monster, only the wearer won’t notice the tangerine beacon on their head. For everyone else, in the words of a climbing partner, it’s like seeing a fishing buoy adrift on the crag. Visibility is no bad thing in plenty of circumstances, but needless to say if you like keeping a low profile it’s worth waiting for Petzl to bring out a less obtrusive shade.

As a climbing helmet, the Sirocco is pretty much everything needed. It is however at the expensive end of the price range (RRP £85) with loads of perfectly capable cheaper competition. Perhaps then the Sirocco’s real niche is where every gram counts – it’s been rapidly adopted by ski mountaineering racers, and equally works well for ski touring, adventure races, long mountaineering days or any other time that carrying a helmet seems a chore but probably also a good idea.