HARNESSES HAVE COME A LONG WAY IN THE LAST FEW YEARS. AVAILABILITY OF MATERIALS LIKE SPECTRA HAVE GIVEN RISE TO LOTS OF DESIGNS THAT CUT REAL WEIGHT AND HAVE ENHANCED FUNCTION. MANY ARE AIMED AT THE HIGH ALTITUDE MARKET, BUT – LIKE LOTS OF OTHER GEAR – NOT ALL ARE DESIGNED FOR HIGH ALTITUDE ALPINE CLIMBING.
THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT ALPINE ASCENTS NEED A LOT MORE GEAR ON YOUR HARNESS THAN TWO TAILS AND A FEW BINERS, AND SOME SUPERLIGHT HARNESS ARE LIGHT BECAUSE THEY DON’T FACTOR THAT IN. OUR ARTICLE HERE SHOWS WHAT A BASIC HIGH ALTITUDE ALPINE HARNESS SET UP STARTS WITH, BEFORE YOU ADD SPECIFIC GEAR FOR THE SECTION IN FRONT OF YOU. ALPINE HARNESSES ALSO NEED TO BE VERY STREAMLINED AS THERE’S EVERY CHANCE YOU WILL BE SLEEPING IN IT AT SOME POINT. IN THE ABSENCE OF LARGE CAMPS TO STANDING AROUND IN, ALPINE ASCENTS MEAN GETTING YOUR GEAR ON AND OFF OFTEN IN CRAMPED CONDITIONS WHERE THINGS LIKE BUCKLES & CHUNKY PADDING GET IN THE WAY.
WE LIKE THE PETZL FLY BECAUSE IT DOES ALL THAT BETTER THAN ANY OTHER HARNESS OUT THERE. THEY’VE LEFT ENOUGH GEAR LOOPS ON IT TO FIT THE PERSONAL GEAR YOU WILL ALWAYS CARRY, THEY’VE AVOIDED BUCKLES THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO USE IN THE COLD, THE REAR ELASTIC RISERS CAN BE REMOVED WITHOUT SCISSORS, AND THE OVERALL PRODUCT HAS ENOUGH STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY TO RETAIN IT’S FORM WITH EXTENDED USE. THE LACK OF A FULL BELAY/RAPPEL LOOP IS ACCEPTABLE BECAUSE THE DESIGN STILL LOADS INTO A SEATED POSITION, AND THE PATENTED ADJUSTERS FOR THE WAIST AND LEGS WORK AS WELL AS, IF NOT BETTER THAN, OTHER SYSTEMS.
SOMETHING WE LIKE TOO IS THE OVERALL ‘FEET ON THE GROUND’ DESIGN. THERE’S SEVERAL VERSIONS OF THAT CONCEPT ABOUT BUT THE FLY’S ONE IS PERHAPS THE EASIEST, REQUIRING NO THREADING THROUGH LOOPS AND MINIMIZING PROBLEMS FROM TWISTING. BY TOUCH, IN THE DARK, OVER BULKY CLOTHING, THE PETZL FLY IS HARD TO MESS UP. AN ADVANTAGE THAT COMES WITH THIS DESIGN IS THAT THE TWIN LOOPS PRESENTS THE EASIEST TIE-IN METHOD WE’VE EVER SEEN – INFINITELY EASIER THAN THE VERTICAL PASS-THROUGHS NEEDED WITH A REGULAR BELAY LOOP, THAT’S A MAJOR HASSLE WITH GLOVES ON & BULKY CLOTHING. FOR THIS ALONE WE THINK THE FLY IS WORTH IT. ONCE TIED IN TOO, THE KNOT SITS AWAY FROM THE BODY, OUT IN YOUR FULL FIELD OF VIEW, CARE THOUGH MUST BE TAKEN WHEN CLIPPING TO RAPPEL, THE DOUBLE HORIZONTAL LOADING EASILY CROSS LOADING A BINER, BUT SOMETHING EASILY RESOLVED WITH A CAPTURE-BINER LIKE THE GRIVEL CLEPSIDRA (WHOS DOUBLE GATE DESIGN WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND).
LIGHT & SMALL IN MASS IS JUST A GIVEN WITH THE FLY (AS WITH EVERYTHING ON THE LIST WE PRESENT), BUT WHERE THAT PLAYS OUT IS THAT THE FLY IS COMPACT ENOUGH CARRY IN A POCKET OR LID OF A PACK, MEANING YOU CAN ALWAYS CARRY IT, NOT STASHING IT AT THE BASE OF THE ROUTE – SOMETHING WELL KNOWN FOR RESULTING IN LOST OR BURIED GEAR. WHEN THE NEAREST REPLACEMENT MIGHT BE A WEEK AWAY IN CHENGDU, HAVING GEAR YOU CAN KEEP ON YOU AT ALL TIMES IS IMPORTANT.
