Comments on: Rap Master http://straightchuter.com/2008/06/rap-master/ Backcountry Skiing & Beyond by Andrew McLean Fri, 18 May 2012 01:16:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Andrew http://straightchuter.com/2008/06/rap-master/comment-page-1/#comment-27 Andrew Wed, 16 Jul 2008 04:11:00 +0000 http://www.straightchuter.com/?p=73#comment-27 Hi Chris, People (including myself) have used harnesses without belay loops for many years and millions of falls without a problem. Probably one of the most popular harnesses of all times is the Bod Harness (endlessly copied), which is a "diaper seat" harness sans belay loop. The issue with a belay loop is that it doesn't allow the leg loops to be dropped, which means that you have to take your skis off to put the harness on, or thread/rethread the leg loop buckles, which is a danger in itself. I think the chances of triaxially loading a biner on a diaper seat harness are minimal, and if you are using a locking biner, it won't make that big a difference (although if you were using a super-light wire-gate carabiner, it would be a problem). My harness of choice for ski mountaineering is a stripped down Alpine Bod harness. I like it as I can put it on while wearing my skis and also drop the leg loops to pee while still being clipped in (a nice feature for glaciers). Hi Chris,
People (including myself) have used harnesses without belay loops for many years and millions of falls without a problem. Probably one of the most popular harnesses of all times is the Bod Harness (endlessly copied), which is a “diaper seat” harness sans belay loop.

The issue with a belay loop is that it doesn’t allow the leg loops to be dropped, which means that you have to take your skis off to put the harness on, or thread/rethread the leg loop buckles, which is a danger in itself.

I think the chances of triaxially loading a biner on a diaper seat harness are minimal, and if you are using a locking biner, it won’t make that big a difference (although if you were using a super-light wire-gate carabiner, it would be a problem).

My harness of choice for ski mountaineering is a stripped down Alpine Bod harness. I like it as I can put it on while wearing my skis and also drop the leg loops to pee while still being clipped in (a nice feature for glaciers).

]]> By: Chris http://straightchuter.com/2008/06/rap-master/comment-page-1/#comment-26 Chris Wed, 16 Jul 2008 02:54:48 +0000 http://www.straightchuter.com/?p=73#comment-26 Hey Andrew - What is your opinion on harnesses without a belay loop - specifically for ski mountaineering? I've heard many differing opinions, but many say it is an absolute necessity in order to avoid triaxial loading in the carabiner. However, a lot of the minimalist alpine harnesses don't include it. What do you think? Thanks, Chris Hey Andrew –

What is your opinion on harnesses without a belay loop – specifically for ski mountaineering? I’ve heard many differing opinions, but many say it is an absolute necessity in order to avoid triaxial loading in the carabiner. However, a lot of the minimalist alpine harnesses don’t include it. What do you think?

Thanks,
Chris

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