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Paul Martin
Tuesday 15 September 2009 8:11:56 pm
Hi Andy
I need a little help with buying a harness for skiing, there are so many to choose from and so many conflicing reports on make and modles, could you assist by recommending a suitable make and modle likewise how much rope (length) would you recommend to carry and what size. i am always mindful of how much weight i am carrying nowdays as well as learning new techniques to ski carrying that additional weight. so heres the question too much equipment is never enough for every scenario, but what is the minium of safety equipment that you would require of your team and would it change depending on the terrain we were skiing.
looking forward to your thoughts.
all the best
Paul
paul martin
Andy Perkins
Tuesday 15 September 2009 10:09:39 pm
Hi Paul
When I started work as a guide, I used the same model of harness for both my summer alpinism and my ski mountaineering work, a Troll Alpinist. With the demise of Troll in 2001, the design know how passed to DMM and they now make an almost identical harness, the Super Couloir, which you can find at http://www.dmmclimbing.com/productsDetails.asp?pid=7&pid2=69
However, Like you I am keen to reduce weight when I'm skiing to the absolute minimum, so about 3 years ago I invested in a Cilao harness. These are used throughout the ski mountaineering racing world here in France. The model I opted for is the Cilao OZ22 Expert. It's not the lightest but does have some gear racking facility. You can see it at http://www.cilao.com/baud_oz22_e.php
As you can see, the weight of the DMM is 347 gm for a medium, whereas the Cilao comes in at 145 gm! Set against this amazing difference is the reduced robustness and comfort of the Cilao, and the fact that it needs to fit exactly as there is no buckle, only a velcro strip to secure it at the front. It also takes a psychological leap of faith to trust a harness with no buckle!
In terms of rope, I carry 30m of 8mm low stretch nylon rope (often sold as hillwalkers confidence rope in the UK) and then someone else in the team has 60m of 7mm Dyneema cord. In this way I have 90m of "range", 2 ropes in the party and the bility to handle most situations. Having said that, there are limitations that you will need to take account of as to what to prusik with on 7 mm Dyneema. If in doubt, then 2 30m 8mm ropes would cover most eventualities and would ensure that you can handle any eventuality with standard equipment and techniques.
Hope that helps! Have a good winter.
ANDY P
Michael Horner
Saturday 09 April 2011 6:45:22 pm
Hi Andy you give this harness a strong recomendation. How crtitical is the fit and will it adapt if you wear in over a jacket normally, but without on warm climbs?
Andy Perkins
Tuesday 19 April 2011 1:51:54 pm
Hi Michael. The fit is pretty critical, and the adjustment is about 10cm maximum. So I can wear mine over my normal ski touring kit from just thermals up to 3 layers including soft shell. But if I added a down jacket the harness would be underneath that.
This isn't generally an issue as the attachment loop sticks out 5cm so can be clipped when wearing extra layers.
