Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25179
• • • • gear ROCK CLIMBING THIS YEAR'S OFFERINGS ARE ROCK SOLID Text: Lou Mezzante & Simon Friedman The last thing climbers want to think about when they're hanging 60 feet up a rock face is whether their rope will snap or their harness will break, Fortunately, climbing gear manufacturers know this and over the years have produced equipment that climbers trust with their lives, Rock-climbing gear has evolved from simple bombproof designs into advanced equipment that is easy to use, lightweight and, yes, very dependable, Recently, manufacturers have concentrated on innovations for novice climbers who spend much of their time perfecting their form top-roping (running the climber's rope through an anchor atop the rock, reducing the distance climbers fall if they slip off the rock). This year's new products, however, show an unprecedented range of versatility. Some of the new harnesses. shoes Testing Ground: San Luis Obispo, CA These crags have a reputation for being difficult climbs but have easy set-ups for top- roping, making them a great place to test harnesses. Hamesses are the crucial link between the rope and the belayer. The best hamesses are comfortable and supportive with- out inhibiting a climber's mobility, and offer a wide range of adjustability in the hips and legs. Recent hamesses have form-fit- ting designs with closed-cell foam padding waist and leg straps. Our team of climbers tested how the harnesses affected mobility and how well they fit different body types- group members ranged from petite women to linebacker-sized men. We tested how well the waist buckle secured the harness and whether the harnesses were still comfortable after belaying climbers all day. OSlUEPICKO Petzl Corvus The Corvus was the sleekest harness we tested and the easiest to use. Its space-age styling is backed by bombproof construction and Micro-vent padding. Petzl's patented self-locking Double Back buckle doesn't rub and makes for quick, f lawless adjustments of the waist belt, a nice safe- ty feature for new climbers. The Corvus' only downside is that its skimpy padding made it less comfortable than the Momentum or Adjustable Vision . PETZL, 440 GRAMS, WWW.PETZL.COM. 801-327-3805, $65 Black Diamond Momentum The Momentum is a no-frills harness that strikes a superb balance between comfort, weight and value. Its 7 mm closed-cell foam waist belt and leg loops are thicker than those on most other harnesses, making the Momentum the most comfortable harness tested, though it's somewhat cumbersome. It is a great harness for novice climbers. BLACK DIAMOND, 400 GRAMS, WWW.BLACKDIAMONDEQUIP- MENT.COM, 801-278-5533, $42.50 Wild Country Adjustable Vision Everyone who tested the Adjustable Vision was impressed with its fit and range of adjustability. Its leg and waist straps are easy to adjust, allow- ing the harness to fit a vast array of body shapes, and the ergonomically shaped closed-cell foam pads make a fairly comfortable seat. All that adjustability, however, makes it quite bulky, a problem when attempting advanced moves on the rock. WILD COUNTRY, 504 GRAMS, WWW,WILDCOUNTRY.CO.UK, 603-356-5590 $60 -Adam Vincent HARNESSES -+ -------- and ropes not only are comfortable and easy to use, they have enough high-performance characteristics to satis- fy the most seasoned climbers. We put the latest gear through the ringers at some of southern California's best crags. We tested shoes on the legendary and abrasive cracks in Joshua Tree National Monument and put belay devices through the grinder on the slabs of Big Rock, outside Los Angeles. A little to the north we dodged snowstorms and froze our fingers while testing harnesses at several crags outside San Luis Obispo, and put up with 100- degree heat testing ropes at the Falls in Cleveland National Forest. just west of Orange County. Read on to see how the gear rated. And remember. this gear just may save your life. 62