This winter I will be teaching both AIARE 1 & 2 Avalanche Courses for Northeast Mountaineering based out of Jackson, NH. I am really excited to bring an avalanche education program to the growing list of mountain adventures that Northeast Mountaineering already offers. This will be my 8th winter leading these courses and I really can’t wait for the first one to start!
On-site lodging is included with the course tuition!
A word of advice. These courses (regardless of provider) tend to sell out before the season even starts. Last year most providers in the area were at 80+% capacity before New Years Eve. So want to pick the dates yourself? Book early! Now is good.
AIARE 1
January 6-8
January 13-15
January 20-22
February 3-5
February 10-12
March 17-19
March 24-26
AIARE 2
February 17-20
March 10-13
When booking use promotional code “DavidNEM”. If used before December 1st it will discount the already competitive rate by 10% and you will be entered into a monthly drawing for a free one-day climb of your choice for two people!
Another word of note… while we have decided not to schedule December dates due to historic snow conditions I can still highly recommend early season dates. The reasoning behind this is thin snow-packs are often the most dangerous snow-packs and we often see conditions in our late December early January snow-packs that are very conductive to learning. So don’t think you need “deep snow” to have a valuable learning experience. Remember this 5 person incident happened next to one of my courses last mid-January during a record low snow year!
Other snow worthy topics to be aware of:
Registration is open for the Eastern Snow & Avalanche Workshop on November 5th. This is an amazing event with a kickoff party Friday evening at International Mountain Equipment and then an information packed day on Saturday with some of the industry’s top minds when it comes to snow safety (not to mention lots of free swag opportunities in the raffles). I’ll be setting up an AIARE information booth at both the social hour at International Mountain Equipment and at the main event Saturday so stop on by and say hello!
Here’s a few links for all snow travelers to have bookmarked both on the home PC for trip planning and smartphones for field access (when you do have service):
Before I sign off I want to thank EMS Schools for 12 years of great adventures and opportunity. The list of seasoned EMS guides who have helped shape who I am today is long and varied and I wish all of them, along with EMS Schools, the very best.
While I am excited about all the products I’ll be testing this winter I am perhaps most stoked to put this duo together and get on some early season ice as soon as possible! I’m hoping I’ll get enough field days in to have a full review post for each by early-mid January. I realize though by then a lot of ice climbers may have already geared up and wanted to share my first impressions on these before the season arrives.
“A pinnacle of design for mountaineering, ice and mixed climbing, the Acrux AR is the lightest, most durable, and lowest profile insulated double boot available.”- Arcteryx.com
That is a strong statement, and it happens to be true. Let’s compare some of the other lightweight double boots on the market:
The obvious difference here between these and my Batura’s is that these have a removable liner.
ACRUX AR MOUNTAINEERING BOOT PREVIEWACRUX AR MOUNTAINEERING BOOT removable liner
These liners “feel high-tech” in hand. I wore them around the house and they feel like a comfy slipper designed for astronauts. From arcteryx.com:
“Arc’teryx Adaptive Fit technology uses a removable bootie that employs stretch textiles and minimal seams to create an instant custom fit with no pressure. With protection extended beyond the cuff of the boot and the highest level of breathability in this category, the bootie’s GORE-TEX® membrane optimizes climate control and waterproof benefit. The perforated PE foam’s quick dry properties improve comfort, and a rubberized sole allows the bootie to be used as a camp shoe.”
Arc’teryx partnered with Vibram® and created the AR outsole using Vibram® Mont rubber which keeps its frictional properties in sub-zero temps.
The Vibram® AR outersole uses Vibram® Mont rubber to perform well even in extreme cold
“The specially developed Vibram® AR outsole is designed for support and sure footedness. The tread and construction feature a semi-blocked toe, with anti-slip grooves, a medial climbing support zone, and heel created to provide braking on steep descents. The Vibram® Mont rubber compound maintains its performance in sub-zero conditions.”
I’ll share a promotional video on the boots and move onto the crampons I’ll be pairing with them this winter!
These are the most aggressive fully adaptable to any situation crampons I have seen. I used to love my older Petzl M10 crampons because I could swap out the front points for either dual, mono, or mono-offset. The Blade Runner’s do all that but CAMP also makes optional “snow points” so you can turn your vertical ice crampon into a multiple purpose mountaineering crampon. It really does make these incredibly versatile! My demo pair arrived set for offset mono and I plan to test them that way first with our thin early season ice conditions. Included with the crampons were two more vertical front points and semi-automatic toe bails allow for use on boots without rigid toe lugs.
Included extra parts
Fit
How well a crampon can attach to your boot is paramount. You want them to feel like they were designed for each other and no one else. Right out of the box the fit on the Acrteryx AR was quite good. There is plenty of adjust-ability to make it “perfect” starting with three possible toe bail positions, two possible heel lever bar positions, full vertical adjustment on the heel lever itself, and, something I haven’t seen before, the asymmetric bottom that more closely follows the contours of the boot outer-sole.
CAMP Cassin Blade Runner Crampons- a snug fitVertical heel lever adjustment
Obviously we can’t talk much about performance just yet but they are definitely a very aggressive crampon! One could argue this is a 19 point crampon (20 if set up in dual front-point mode). The design looks like it will excel on steep & cauliflower ice.
Cassin Blade Runner Crampons- aggressive, included anti-balling plates
The front points are made from Chromoly Steel and taper from 5mm down to 3mm. A “wear indicator” of sorts lets you know when it’s time to swap in new front points.
Think the Arcteryx Acrux AR boots might be good for you?
You can purchase them on Amazon here. Ordering through that link will help support this blog.
Stay tuned this winter for lots of gear reviews and giveaways! I’ll be raffling off brand new climbing harnesses, ice screws, carabiners, and more. Don’t miss a review or giveaway! Subscribe/Follow this blog at the top right so you get all the details!
I have a special place in my heart for the climbing on Hounds Hump in Franconia Notch. This alpine crag across the street from Cannon Mountain has some of the most spectacular rock climbing in the region and one of the most iconic rock features in New Hampshire, The Eaglet spire.
Yesterday Tom and I headed up there in unseasonably warm weather for a 7 pitch trifecta of the best moderate routes around. I usually tag Route 66, Salt Packed Pig Sack, and The Eaglet when I head up this way but Tom wanted to do a bit of maintenance on a relatively new 2 pitch route below Route 66 so before we reached the talus field below the Flatiron we bushwhacked north for about 10 minutes and reached the edge of the slabs.
Our day broken down into pitches
The bushwhack point is around the green arrow and is non-descript. When you think you’re getting close to the boulder field look closely for where people may have headed north through some semi-thick pine and moss. It would be a good spot for a small cairn or survey tape.
I’m not sure what the first route we climbed is called but it starts on mellow slab and works its way up to a steeper swell with great pro. Here a dead tree had fallen over the route and Tom’s mission was to saw it off so climbers wouldn’t have to scramble over it mid-climb. He left me with the saw as it would be easier to clean it while seconding.
Tom about to climb over the dead tree
With the security of a tight belay I was able to keep the saw in the pack and pull/kick the dead tree down and out of the way. It’s still up there but now it does not interfere with the climbing, which was pleasant 5.5-5.6ish crack & face.
Following the first pitch, photo by Tom C.
After finishing the first pitch a quick thrash through the woods brought us up to the 2nd pitch. Tom grabbed this lead as well and I switched into climbing shoes as it’s definitely an edgy 5.7. A bit of a slabby start leads to a bolt, then some decent gear, then excellent climbing on an arete with a few bolts at decent intervals.
Tom finding some protection on the 2nd pitch
The top of this pitch is right near the original start of Route 66 so I took the rack and ran us up to the 1st pitch anchor.
Tom follows the first pitch of Route 66
I led the next pitch, which has a great move pulling over an awkward chock-stone followed by engaging climbing all the way to a new double bolt anchor just left of the corner. Using Tom’s new Sterling 7mm Tag Line we rapped down to the base of the bolted New Variation start (and our stashed packs). After grabbing our packs we made one single rope rap down through the brush to reach the start of Salt Packed Pig Sack.
Tom starts up the ultra-classic Salt Packed Pig Sack
This is by far one of my favorite routes in New Hampshire. Steep face climbing on mostly positive edges leads past a couple bolts, a pin, some good small gear, and more bolts. It’t a fantastic climb at the grade (5.8) and I fondly remember on-sighting it over ten years ago.
From a new bolted anchor about 15 feet right of the old anchor we double rope rapped back to the starting anchor then carefully trended down the right side of the buttress (some loose rock) and landed right on the approach trail for the Eaglet. There is a little drag when pulling the ropes when choosing this option but it’s nice to “cut the corner” when heading up to the Eaglet.
We reached the base of the Original Route and met Cole, a familiar canine I had seen on many 4000 Footer hiking forums.
Cole, 4000 footer veteran Shiba Inu- photo by Ben M.
Running short on time we skipped the first pitch by scrambling up the gully to the left and caught up to my friend Ben and Cole’s human counterpart Alton. They were starting the 2nd pitch chimneys and while we were considering our time line Ben graciously offered to let us play through. After I made those chimney chock-stone moves look less than graceful we topped out.
Nothing but airBen leads the last bit of the Eaglet with Alton below
I rapped the spire and ran up the hill to grab a couple quick shots of Tom rapping and Ben and Alton summiting.
Tom about to rappel over the roof that makes the rest of this rappel free hangingAlton and Ben on the summit
We hiked out at about 3:30pm, about 5.5 hours from leaving the car. Hounds Hump, and the greater Franconia Notch climbing area is a real mecca for climbing. From the easily accessed single pitch moderates at Echo Crag to the commiting and often scary routes on Cannon Cliff, this area has something for just about everyone!
Following a climbing fatality last month in Yosemite that involved a climber rappelling off the end of his rope and a more local albeit less tragic accident last month at Rumney, NH I want to focus this week’s Tech Tip on one simple but important subject.
Closing Your System!
The common “stopper knot”, technically a “double overhand”, is a fast and common way to close your system when belaying and rappelling
I’m going to get into more detail on what I mean by “closing your system” but first some context as to why this is important. I decided to conduct a little research this past weekend to try to determine how many accidents in the last few years would have likely been prevented by the simple act of “closing your system”. I looked at data1 from the last four years of Accidents in North American Mountaineering2
Accidents in North American Mountaineering (Climbing), published yearly by the American Alpine Club
The result…
On average we have 7 reported accidents a year in North America that would have easily been prevented by closing the system.
While 7 does not sound like a lot consider that this type of accident involves complete belay/rappel failure which is likely to lead to serious injury and death. In fact the majority of the accidents I looked at from 2013-2016 involved fatalities.
So what does it mean to “Close Your System”?
Simply put, this means if there is a belay or rappel device attached to a rope there is no physical way to remove the device from the rope without unlocking and opening the belay carabiner. If you have 50 feet of rope on the ground with no knot I could essentially stand next to you and pull the rope through your belay device until the end of the rope passed through the device. This leaves the belayer (or rappeller) not attached to the rope.
This, is an “open” system, and it can sometimes cost a life.
Let us put it in context in relation to the two climber actions that are most at risk to “open systems”, lowering and rappelling.
Lowering
Being lowered on the Thin Air Face of Cathedral Ledge, New Hampshire
Lowering happens all the time when climbing. We get lowered at the climbing gym. We get lowered while top-roping outside. We get lowered after leading a hard sport climb. While we normally get lowered in a top-rope type format sometimes we get lowered from above. We’ve gotten better at backing up the brake hand in all these scenarios. Climbers are largely adapting to the Universal Belay Standard which wisely calls for two hands on the brake strand during lowers (and recommends closing the system).
Yet every year “attentive” belayers have the free end of the rope shoot through their belay device resulting in the climbers free fall to the ground.
The repeated theme in many of these accidents is that the anchor at the top of the climb is higher than half of the rope length and this is not discovered during the lowering until the end of the rope shoots through the belayer’s brake hand and device resulting in complete belay failure.
Why?
Common Misconceptions
The route is half as tall as the rope
The rope is twice as long as the route
The belayer will notice if they are running out of rope
While the dominant length of climbing rope in use today is still 60 meters, some routes are developed with 70 meter ropes in mind. With routes close to half of your rope length care must be taken as any zig-zag in rope direction will mean less rope available for the lower. There have been multiple occasions when a partners rope was shorter than the victim believed, or even more rare when climbers simply choose to climb on less than standard length ropes which led to this accident last month at Rumney, NH. Finally, “attentive” belayers are typically looking up at the climber they are lowering, so when the unsecured end of the rope approaches their brake hand they often do not notice… until it is too late.
Luckily there is one surefire way to safeguard yourself from any of these potential errors…
Close Your System!
Rappelling
Rappelling off The Eaglet, Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire
The majority of accidents that could have easily been prevented with a closed system were actually rappelling incidents, not lowering incidents, so closed systems during rappels should be strongly considered for 100% of rappels.
Why?
Common Misperceptions
The rope will reach the ground/next anchor
The middle of the rope is at the anchor point
Our ropes are equal length
Every single year we lose climbers who believed one of the above. Every. Year. Off-route, bad beta, wrong anchor, shorter than expected rope, in-accurate middle-mark, double rope setups that are not equal in length. The reasons one can rappel of the end(s) of their rope are many. The prevention is a simple single step.
Close Your System!
Solution
By now I hope I’ve made a solid case for closing your system every time you belay or rappel. There are many ways to do this and some make more sense for certain contexts than others. Since the most common lowering open system failure occurs after a climber has led a route and is being lowered back to the ground let’s look at the three possible “next steps” and what the best practice would be for each.
This knot could save your life
Lowering
Leader will not clean route during lower and belayer will clean route on top-rope.
In this case the best practice would be for the team to simply knot the end of the rope with an appropriate stopper knot, half a Double Fisherman’s Knot being appropriate and oft used for this purpose. If the climbing rope is used to form a ground anchor in the case of a light weight belayer the system is already closed.
Leader will clean route during lower and belayer will climb route on top-rope.
In this case the best practice would be for the belayer to simply tie in to the other end of the rope. This closes the system and speeds the transition when the leader is back on the ground for the belayer to get their turn climbing. A knot check should still be conducted before the belayer ascends.
Leader will clean route during lower and belayer is not climbing.
In this case the best practice would be for the team to simply knot the end of the rope with an appropriate stopper knot, half a Double Fisherman’s Knot being appropriate and oft used for this purpose. If the climbing rope is used to form a ground anchor in the case of a light belayer the system is already closed.
Rappelling
When rappelling there are two common excuses I hear against tying stopper knots in the rappel ropes:
“I know the ropes reach”
That’s great! Why not add a quick safe guard in case you are wrong? Rappelling often occurs late in the day when fatigue from climbing can encourage short cuts. Weather or encroaching darkness can cause haste. Closing your system adds only seconds to your descent and allows for manageable mistakes and misjudgments.
“Tying stopper knots will slow us down and if we forget to untie them could lead to stuck ropes.”
In a multi-pitch rappel the first climber down can remove the stopper knots and pre-thread the anchor for the next rappel, all while maintaining a secure “fireman’s belay”. This best practice closes the system and speeds the next transition to the next rappel. It also reduces the chance of forgetting to untie the stopper knots before pulling the ropes.
Better yet, if you always close the system you will get used to always removing the stopper knots before the 2nd climber rappels (while maintaining a fireman’s belay).
If I haven’t said it enough above I’ll say it one more time. Close Your Systems!
The practice of closing your system takes seconds and while it won’t eliminate all risk from your climbing (nothing can) it will eliminate some potential for complete belay/rappel system failure.
Final Thought
If you’ve found this post and read its entirety consider joining the American Alpine Club to help support their mission. I’ve been a proud member since 2004 and it’s definitely an organization every climber should consider supporting!
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1 Data was looked at from the following accidents published in the American Alpine Club’s publication; 2013 ANAM pgs 35, 38, 50, 75, 80, 81 2014 ANAM pgs 69, 70, 78, 84, 85, 90, 105, 114 2015 ANAM pgs 74, 84, 87, 96, 102, 105, 115 2016 ANAC pgs 38, 47, 124 2 From 2016 edition on the American Alpine Club has re-named this publication Accidents in North American Climbing
It seems every year we lose climbers to a simple user error that can occur when joining two ropes together for a rappel. Compounding the issue is some media outlets refer to the knots (or bends) in question with various misnomers that create further confusion within the climbing community. There needs to be more widespread standardization of the options available for joining two ropes together and it starts with referring to them with the correct nomenclature.
The first thing to understand is any knot used to join two ropes together is technically referred to as a “bend knot” or simply “bend”. While there are quite a few bends that are appropriate for joining two ropes together it is the Flat Overhand Bend that has largely gained popularity for multiple reasons.
Flat Overhand Bend (FOB)
Flat Overhand Bend
Like any option this one comes with advantages and considerations.
Advantages
Fast and easy to tie, especially with thick winter gloves on
Low profile so less likely to get caught in cracks and on features while pulling the ropes
Easy to untie even after a dozen high angle rappels
Pull tests indicate a properly tied Flat Overhand Bend will not capsize unless loads exceed at least 1400 pounds, far more than any climber can generate on a rappel.
Considerations
Like any knot this one needs to be “dressed and stressed” to be safe. After forming the knot tighten all 4 strands separately.
Leave 12 inches (30cms of tail). This is more than sufficient in the unlikely event of the knot capsizing. There has been at least one fatality when a cautious climber left 3+ foot tails and then threaded a tail through their belay device ending in catastrophic failure of the system. Twelve inches is sufficient.
Use ropes of similar diameter. UIAA recommends within 3mm of each other, which with today’s modern (often skinny) ropes is usually easy to stay within. If using a thin tag line consider adding either an overhand tied with the thinner rope over the thicker rope and cinched tight to the flat overhand bend. The idea here is it will help prevent the knot from capsizing but in reality should not be needed. The practice of tying a 2nd flat overhand bend a few inches down from the first seems to negate most of the advantages (fast to tie and less likely to get stuck while pulling) so this author feels that practice is not needed.
I’ve made it this far without calling this bend knot by its more common name. I’ve decided to leave the common name out. It serves no educational purpose and its use should be considered archaic in nature.
Now we get into the two options that really exacerbate this issue. One of the two knots below can kill you.
Reverse Traced Figure of Eight Bend (Flemish Bend)
Reverse Traced Figure of Eight Bend
Like any option this one comes with advantages and considerations.
Advantages
Low profile so less likely to get caught in cracks and on features while pulling the ropes
Super strong. If you look closely you realize this is the same option we use to tie into our harnesses. We can not generate enough force to get this knot to fail.
Considerations
Like any knot this one needs to be “dressed and stressed” to be safe. After forming the knot tighten all 4 strands separately.
Leave 6 inches (15cms of tail). Since this knot can not capsize by design it is logical to follow the same guidelines as using the knot to tie into a harness. Six inches of tail on a dressed and stressed knot is sufficient.
Adding “back-up” knots to both tails greatly increases the likely hood of a stuck rope and is completely unnecessary given the strength of the main knot.
Can be very difficult to untie after heavy load, especially with gloves on and slick new ropes.
While tecnhically called the “Flemish Bend” adding the METHOD one uses to create it (reverse traced) to the common name will help differientate between the two.
Flat Figure of Eight Bend
Figure of Eight Bend aka FATAL MISTAKE!
The above knot has a proven track record of killing climbers. It routinely capsizes and fails at loads easily generated in rappelling. So why is it still being used after years of accidents showing it’s not sufficient?
New Climber Perception
I’ve had hundreds of new clients look at the FOB (first knot pictured) and say “That’s it?” Having confidence that such a simple and quick to tie bend could be sufficient for joining two ropes together and committing our full body weight out over the abyss is not so easily won. Let’s be honest, its simplicity and small volume make people nervous regardless of its more than adequate strength.
So what does the new climber do? Well if one twist around the ropes forms a Flat Overhand Bend then two twists around the ropes must be safer right? That mindset creates the deadly Figure of Eight Bend pictured above… and kills people.
Misunderstanding
The common name I’ve heard used to describe both the Reverse Traced Figure of Eight (Flemish Bend) and the Figure of Eight Bend is the “Flat Eight”.
This needs to stop. One is a strong and suitable bend for rappelling. The other keeps killing people. We should not use the term “Flat Eight” as most climbers, especially new climbers, do not easily see the difference between the two. They tie a Figure of Eight Bend, thinking it is a “Flat Eight”.
Solution
In order to reduce or eliminate the amount of fatalities the confusion these options create, we, the climbing community at large, especially the widely read climbing magazines, need to step up and standardize our definitions of these knots and not use mis-leading negative sounding catchy names to describe safe practices. Using misnomers can encourage a new climber to switch to a different, and potentially much more dangerous option for joining two ropes together.
If every guide, mentor, instructor, and tenured climber starts referring to these knots with the correct terminology we will see a reduction in unnecessary loss of life.
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In an effort to grow the Skill Zone of Northeast Alpine Start I’m going to start posting a tech tip every Tuesday. I’ll share some personal tips & tricks but I’ll also be highlighting lots of content around the web from other blogs, companies, fellow guides, etc. For our first weekly Tech Tip we are going to take a look at the one-handed clove hitch (and to a lesser extent the one-handed munter hitch).
The One Handed Clove Hitch
But why one-handed you ask?
Without question I tie more clove hitches rock and ice climbing than any other knot. On a nine pitch route it would not be uncommon to tie the clove hitch more than a dozen times. There’s a few advantages to mastering this method of tying starting with the most important;
Security
Climbers have slipped while building anchors in all aspects of climbing. The ability to hold onto the rock (or your ice axe) with one hand while tying a clove hitch with the other increases your security when on an exposed stance at the end of a pumpy pitch. Ice climbers should especially master this skill as being able to clove into an ice screw with one hand beats taking a whipper while ice climbing (but try to stay within your ability!)
Speed
Learning to tie both these hitches directly onto the carabiner is faster than tying them any other way. For the clove hitch start by pulling the rope snug from your tie-in. This not only makes it easy to start the hitch but when you arr finished you should be at the perfect length from the master point. For the munter hitch, assuming you’re using it to belay your second, clip the first strand as soon as you are off belay. You can pull the rest of the unused rope up faster this way and when it comes tight on your partner a quick twist of the rope is added to the carabiner and your partner is on belay! Great for icy ropes!
Slick
It just looks cool. And climbing is all about looking cool.
Before heading out to the cliff to shoot a quick video of the process I did a quick search to see if anyone else had made a video on tying one-handed clove hitches. Well lo and behold this is a hot topic! So instead of adding to the insane amount of how-to videos on this skill I’ll just share them with you all here with my personal favorite first, these guys are funny!
Did I miss your video? Let me know I’ll add it 😉
That’s it for this week’s Tech Tip. Stay tuned for a new one every Tuesday… well, almost every Tuesday.
Like this tip? Got a tip you think I should share? Let me know in the comments below and see you in the mountains!
With morning temps close to freezing today it’s time to take another look at this returning piece from EMS’s Fall Outerwear line, check out my detailed review below!
The Petzl Sitta (pronounced SEE-Tah) is a stand-out harness in the very small and exclusive class of high-end technical harnesses. I bought my first top-of-the-line harness back in 1995 when I realized I was addicted to climbing. The Petzl Guru was a stand out at that time both for its notice-able rescue orange color and its high price point (it was double what most harnesses cost in the 90’s).
Despite the price tag I never regretted the purchase as it was really comfortable for the era and served me well for the start of my climbing career from Red Rocks to the Rockies and back East. Since I retired it around 2000 I’ve gone through a steady stream of harnesses, almost always Petzl; Adajama, Corax, Calidris, Sama, another Adajama, then a Hirundos (review), and now the Petzl Sitta.
Let’s take a close look at this technically advanced harness!
10.5 ounces (294 grams)
Weight:
Without question the first thing you will notice when holding this harness in hand is how unbelievably light it is. My size large weighs in at 10.5 ounces (or 294 grams) on my home digital scale. Manufacturer specifications indicate a size large is 300 grams (10.58 ounces), so I’d say the claimed weight is easily met! The only similar featured harnesses on the market in this category are the Arcteryx FL-365 which weighs in at 365 grams / 12.9 ounces (size not given) and the CAMP Air CR which weights in at 350 grams / 12.3 ounces (size medium).
That makes the Petzl Sitta the lightest full featured harness on the market designed with a broad spectrum of climbing disciplines in mind.
Pack-ability:
I’ve always preferred harnesses that pack up small. Since we usually don our helmets at the same time we put our harnesses on I’ve been in the practice of folding my harness up and storing it neatly inside my helmet like I show here in my Hirundos harness review:
Petzl Hirundos stored in Petzl Sirocco Helmet
I’ve started doing things a little differently with the Petzl Sitta. Like most harnesses the Sitta comes with a storage bag. With every harness I’ve ever owned I’ve tossed the storage bag or used it for something else; make-shift crampon pouch, random organizing stuff sack, etc. But the stuff sack that comes with the Sitta is a bit more utilitarian. First, it’s small:
About 6in x 4in x 4in
The harness packs up so small I find the space inside my helmet is too large to store the harness snugly, so I started using the stuff sack to store the harness in my pack. It’s small profile allows for more efficient packing when trying to maximize available space. After gearing up I started using the stuff sack as a mini-essentials kit since there is a conveniently sewn loop on the sack allowing you to clip it to the back of your harness if you are leaving your pack on the ground. I typically toss in some snacks, bug dope, small climbing knife, headlamp, phone & car keys!
Just the essentials
While this isn’t re-inventing the wheel I think most harness stuff sacks are too big to really hang off the back of your harness. This one isn’t and the quality of the stuff sack material and zipper instills confidence. In fact you can clip a small loop from the zipper and the carry handle with one carabiner, which adds some redundancy and keeps the zipper closed when scumming your way up a chimney!
Secure hang-ability
Comfort:
Reviewers all over the web have commented at length on how surprisingly comfortable this harness is and I’ll be echoing those sentiments. To quote Climbing.com’s review (which also granted Climbing’s Editor Choice Award to this harness):
“Lightweight harnesses aren’t supposed to be this comfortable”
I’ve worn the harness now for a little over two months and find it just as comfortable as the more padded Petzl Hirundos that I reviewed earlier this year. Petzl achieves a high degree of load distribution via their “WIREFRAME” construction. Spectra® strands are incorporated in the waist-belt and leg loops to aid with this. Basically Spectra® is a super strong static material. Because it does not stretch like regular nylon load distribution can be optimized with careful design. I would say this harness is as comfortable as any harness I have worn in the last 10 years! Another benefit of this high tech design is the harness is very breathable in hot humid weather and has a very sleek low profile when climbing with a larger backpack.
Waist-belt:
WIREFRAME ConstructionWaist belt tapers from 3 inches to 2 1/4 inches in the back
Elasticized fixed leg loops:
I’ve said it before that I prefer this style of stretchy leg loop. It offers excellent freedom of movement, less weight, and less bulk. I actually feel these shouldn’t be called “fixed” because they really are “auto-adjustable”. The stretchy adjustable part stretches up to 2.5 inches which is more than enough for me to add some long-underwear and soft-shell pants for this winters ice climbing season!
Auto Adjustable Buckle-less Leg Loops – My favorite!Leg loops 2 1/2 inches at widest
The reinforced tie-in points are made with high-tenacity polyethylene which resists fraying and wear from repeated rope movement at these high stress points. This really is a nice feature since I usually decide to retire my harness when I have notice-able “fray” in this area and this material will definitely slow any the harness “fuzz” development.
High-tenacity polyethylene for improved resistance to wear from rope friction
Rack-ability:
Here’s another area Petzl has really been innovative with! The Petzl Sitta has the traditional 4 gear loops but there are some important design considerations to take note of. First, the front gear loops are LARGE and RIGID! I can rack a standard rack easily on the right front gear loop. The rigid support facilitates clipping & un-clipping protection and quick-draws.
Right front large rigid gear loop with adjustable divider and soft rear gear loop for comfort while wearing a pack
The gear divider is interesting, it can be adjusted forward or back to give you some customization. I keep it in the middle and rack passive pro and small cams in front, and every thing bigger behind the divider. I’ve found having the divider is a really nice “blind reference” when reaching for gear without looking down. Need a .4 Black Diamond C4? Find the divider and it will be the carabiner right in front. Need a .5? Find the divider and it will be the carabiner just behind the divider.
Racked up with full double rack up to size 3 and all multi-pitch tools (along with that sweet Black Diamond Alpine Start Hoody hanging off the back!)
For ice climbing I plan on sliding the divider back since the Petzl Caritool slots are within the gear loop area. There is a spot for one Petzl Caritool on each side.
Fit:
Different but related to comfort, how a harness fits is quite personal. We are all shaped differently, so to help you choose the correct size lets start with the official size chart from Petzl:
References
C10AO S
C10AO M
C10AO L
Size
S
M
L
Color(s)
orange/white
orange/white
orange/white
Waist belt
67-77 cm
74-84 cm
81-92 cm
Leg loops
48-53 cm
52-57 cm
55-60 cm
Weight
240 g
270 g
300 g
You really should measure yourself accurately before you order, but for your convenience here’s a quick conversion of the waist sizes:
Small is for 26-30 inch waist.
Medium is for 29-33 inch waist.
Large is for 32-36 inch waist.
I have a 34 inch waist, and the large waist belt fits perfectly. My thigh, measured at it’s thickest part, is about 59 cm. I still have plenty of stretch in the leg loops to accommodate thicker ice climbing layers.
Fit
Usage:
The above features make this harness an excellent choice for a slew of climbing disciplines. I’ll briefly give a 1-10 rating with a short explanation based on the features for each discipline before jumping into a summary:
Gym Climbing 5/10– If all you need is a gym harness this is overkill. Get a cheaper harness.
Sport Climbing 9.5/10– I can’t think of what else a dedicated sport climber could want from a harness. This is an excellent pick for sport climbing!
Traditional Climbing 9.5/10– Again, this harness has everything I would want for multi-pitch trad climbing
Ice Climbing 8.5/10– I’m REALLY looking forward to this ice season but wish they added just one more Petzl Caritool slot, preferably under the back of the right rear gear loop
Mountaineering 8.5/10– A great choice if skis and glaciers are not involved!
Glaciers & Ski Mountaineering 7.5/10– Closed leg loops make this less than ideal for glacier travel and ski mountaineering, but it’s not the end of the world. Just wear your harness all day, with this one you will forget it’s on!
Bouldering 1/10– What are you thinking?
Summary:
It’s really hard to fairly compare this harness with what else is on the market.
Price-wise it is at the far upper end in the recreational category, but its incredible light-weight pack-ability and comfort can make it easy to justify the purchase. As mentioned near the beginning of the review only the Arcteryx FL-365 and CAMP Air CR come close and I’m hoping to get samples of those to review here soon. For now I’m eagerly awaiting the cooler temps and early season ice climbing. Perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself and should just enjoy the quickly approaching foliage climbing season, definitely my favorite time to rock climb in the White Mountains!
After finishing another Wilderness Navigation Course today for the Appalachian Mountain Club in Pinkham Notch I decided it was finally time I post a review on the one piece of equipment I have carried in the mountains for over two decades. My compass, the Sunnto MC-2.
The compass is the 2nd piece of equipment listed in the often referred to “Ten Essentials” and is a must for anyone heading to the mountains for a bit of adventure. A great gear list for hiking & backpacking can be found here on http://www.hikesafe.com
Since this piece of equipment is so important it’s wise to put a little thought into your choice. For the money, I have not found a more fully functional compass that can do as much as the Sunnto MC-2 anywhere, which is why I have happily replaced mine three times in the last 20 years when I misplaced (or loaned) it to someone and never got it back.
Without getting into the intricacies of accurate map & compass work I want to call out exactly what sets this compass apart in the field.
Sighting Mirror
Suunto MC-2 Compass Review
How important is a sighting mirror? Depending on the range to your target the sighting mirror can play a significant role in accurate bearing reading. It allows you to hold the compass at eye level and arms length and still read the information given on the dial/bezel. Two “sights” are present, a higher “gun notch” and a level gap below the mirror, so you have better accuracy based on relative elevation to your target. I find I can get a bearing 3-4 degrees more accurately with this style than a regular “base-plate” type compass. In my lectures I compare the accuracy of this style compass to a rifle aimed from the shoulder vs. a pistol fired from the hip. A sighting mirror is more accurate hands down. It also has the added benefit of being an excellent signal mirror for search and rescue aircraft and allows me to easily put my prescription contacts in on multi-day trips!
Extended Baseplate
Suunto MC-2 Review
While technically an off-shoot of the sighting mirror the fact that a fully opened Sunnto MC-2 can cover 7 inches across a map makes it really convenient for taking bearings and plotting location with known points (re-section & triangulation). These skills, when used with smaller base-plate compasses, often involve estimation, map folding, or the use of a straight edge to get an accurate reading. With the Sunnto MC-2 plotting on a map is simple.
Large clear dial
The orienteering lines are highly visible under the bezel/dial, making accurate measurement possible from any north-south lines on the map or along the edge of the map.
Clinometer
Suunto MC-2 Compass Review
A clinometer measures slope angle. This is extremely important for those travelling in avalanche terrain as a difference of 5 degrees of slope can often mean the difference between a slope being stable or unstable. Savvy mountain travelers in avalanche terrain are constantly checking slope angle, and to do so accurately one needs a clinometer. The Sunnto MC-2 has one built in that can function on the slope like the photo above, or in conjunction with the sighting mirror while looking up or down a slope.
The above photo of me measuring slope angle was coincidentally taken moments before a human triggered size-able avalanche caught 5 people on Mount Washington. One of the people caught is just disappearing out of the safer area we where at before the incident occurred. My write up of this incident is here.
Adjustable Declination
The Sunnto MC-2, like many top tier compasses, allows one to set the magnetic declination for the area of operation. I am not going to dive into a detailed conversation on declination in a gear review but simply put this is a solid feature for a vast majority of recreationalists and mountain professionals. There are many professionals out there that feel it is almost required. Since I teach courses to people with various pre-owned compasses my personal opinion is if one truly wants to understand solid map & compass work one needs to be able to navigate with an adjustable or non-adjustable compass. That being said, the fact it is an option on this compass is win-win, I just choose not to use it.
Magnifying glass
A small feature, but helpful none-the-less! This feature really helps when decoding small print & icons on a faded map!
1:24k and 1:62500 scales
The Sunnto MC-2 has two distance scales along the side calibrated to the two most popular USGS map scales. Combined with the included lanyard it should be quite easy to accurate estimate distances on your maps.
In case you want some manufacture specifications here they are:
High grade steel needle with jewel bearing
Balanced for northern hemisphere
Adjustable declination correction
Liquid filled capsule for stable operation
Mirror for sighting bearings and signaling
Sighting hole and notch for accurate bearings
Non-luminescent bezel
Clinometer
Luminescent markings for working in low light
Metric scales and inch ruler
Baseplate with magnifying lens
Detachable snap-lock lanyard with wristlock. Easy to detach for working with the map
Suunto limited lifetime warranty
Made in Finland
Summary:
There is little improvement to suggest on such a well crafted piece of outdoor gear. For global travel Suunto does offer a slightly more expensive global version but for anyone staying in the northern hemisphere you can pick this compass up at a great price on Backcountry right here. Using that link will help support this blog and earn you karma and increased karma means less chance of getting lost*.
I’m giving a away a mint condition Suunto MC-2 through Rafflecopter! You can get up to five entries in the contest, just click the Rafflecopter link for details!
isclaimer: David Lottmann has bought this compass, more than once with his own money, because he thinks it’s the best damn compass out there. This post contains affiliate links that help support this blog.
*not getting lost depends on trip preparation, not karma, but ordering through those links can’t hurt
For the last two decades Black Diamond Camalots have been a mainstay of my rack. When the new C4’s came out in 2005 I upgraded my whole rack and saved over a pound in the process. While I’d been aware of the DMM Dragon Cams for a few years it wasn’t until I needed to replace a few well loved cams on my rack that I decided to give them a try.
DMM Dragon Cams Review
I picked up the 2, 3, 4, and 5, which is equivalent to the Black Diamond C4 .75, 1, 2, and 3.
Since the numbers the manufacturers assigned for the sizes do not correlate well we will be happier if we refer to them by color (which thankfully correlates). So I picked up the green, red, yellow, and blue size.
A welcome addition to the rack
While they felt light in hand manufacturer specs and my home scale confirmed they are almost identical in weight to the Black Diamond C4’s. A full set of each weighs within one ounce of the other, with the Dragons coming in a hair lighter.
While I was not able to obtain a set of Black Diamond Ultralights for this review using the manufacturer specifications I calculated one would save about 8 ounces, half a pound, over either the DMM Dragons or the Black Diamond C4’s for a full rack. That weight savings comes at considerable cost, about $200 more for a full rack. The weight savings are noticeable throughout the size range but the largest gains are made in the biggest sizes.
Breaking down the numbers
When comparing weight savings we have to take a look at probably the most noticeable feature of the DMM Dragons, the inclusion of an extendable dyneema sling.
Expandable sling not extendedExpandable sling extended
The advantages & disadvantages to this unique feature are a bit specific to the route & type of climbing you predominantly do, but lets take a look. First, you can gain 12-14cm of “free” extension on your placement without having to carry an extra quickdraw. How much weight can that save? Well 7-8 average quick-draws like the Petzl Djinns weigh close to 2 pounds, so that’s significant. On a straight up route where the gear is in-line this advantage is less pronounced as you’ll be clipping the sling un-extended, just like the sling on a C4. On a wandering line or alpine route this feature could probably save you a few draws and slings further reducing total pack weight.
Hot forged thumb press
There are a few considerations with this design. First, the “thumb loop” found on the Black Diamond C4’s is considered to be one of the easiest to manipulate when pumped or trying to surgically get the best possible placement in a weird situation. Personally I feel the thump press on the DMM Dragons is plenty sufficient to keep control of the cam while making difficult placements. The thumb loop does provide a higher clip point on the protection, which should only be used for aid climbing applications, so this point is quite obscure for non-aid climbing applications. The last concern is the more complex cleaning process for the second. If the sling is extended it can be tricky to re-rack the cam one handed without it hanging low off the harness. With a little practice it can be done, but it is definitely not as easy as re-racking an unextended sling.
As for holding power there has been anecdotal comments since they were released in 2010 that the slightly thinner surface area might be a concern in softer rock (sandstone). I have not seen any evidence of DMM Dragons failing in softer sandstone conditions when a thicker cam head may have held, so I think that theory can be debunked at this point.
DMM Dragon Cams Review
While I can only compare tech specs on the currently sold out Black Diamond Ultralights I am looking forward to reviewing them (and the Metolius Master Cams) in detail once I get my hands on them. I’m hoping the above spreadsheet is helpful for some when deciding if the additional weight savings is worth the additional moo-lah. For some it will be a resounding yes, and others will be happier with the flexibility of the DMM Dragons, or the time-tested standby of the C4’s (especially if also aid climbing).
Right now both DMM Dragon cams and Black Diamond C4’s are on sale on Amazon here and here! You could pick up a full set of Dragons for around $450 or C4’s for around $400!
I’m giving away a brand new Black Diamond Camalot C4 Size #1, a $79.95 value! The contest is being run through Rafflecopter and ends at 12:00am September 30th, 2016! Enter up to four times!
