In previous posts, we allude to the fact that most snowsport helmets might not be much more than an expensive hat and, yes, a place to mount a lamp. Well, here you go. I’ve been testing a Petzl Duo headlamp. They sell a nice helmet mount for it, so we did an install on a Salomon hardhat. Works well, with a few reservations.
Petzl sells accessory adhesive mounts.
Lamp and battery pack are easily removed from headband harness.
Ready for the helmet.
Front mount fit perfectly, to get the rear as low as I wanted required a bit of trimming. After cleaning the helmet shell with rubbing alcohol, the Petzl adhesive stuck like an angry wolverine dining on a moose.
Stick-on mount applied.
Done.
Battery on the back.
I’ve been testing the Duo as durable, bright, waterproof headlamp that’ll double as an uphill skiing lamp that’ll double as a helmet light for occasional circumstances such as volunteering for ground search. I’m coming up with a review. Meanwhile, this is not a lightweight unit — it tips the scale at 348 grams. You get a substantial lamp out of the deal, but combined with a dual certified Salmon MTN (pictured) helmet you end up with 708 grams (25 ounces) of demand on your neck muscles. At the least, that means you want all the headlamp components as low as possible on the helmet, for less lever arm. I mounted low for other reasons as well, for example a night mission in the bush with clothesline branches lurking at every step. Configuring in such a way that googles could be stored on the helmet would have been nice, but nothing I tried for that functioned without a lot of mods. I’m not using this for skimo racing, so I’ll be fine with storing my goggles in my rucksack as I’ve done for years.
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
