I am interested in buy in a new harness. I am looking for a light weight harness for mainly Alpine climbs and a little ice climbing, but i would like it to be able to use it for every thing. I am looking into the Black Diamond Couloir harness. Did anyone have any experience with it? How does it handle hanging belay with winter layer? How uncomfortable is it for rock climbing? Is it worth buying?

Nico

After reading a few posts on the forums here and talking to a few folks I pulled the trigger on the Couloir for my mountaineering harness (rather than the Alpine Bod which has no belay loop). Right now a few places have it for $10 off - got mine from e-OMC.

I use it as both a backup/extra at the local crags or ice and on mountain routes - I personally like it and feel that the weight and compressibility make it well worth it ($50?). However, I only use it for short routes or raps. The harness has one hard point and a belay loop - the belt portion may serve as a second hard point but it causes the harness to twist around and leave you slightly sideways while tugging a bit uncomfortably. Not a problem if you're doing something short and can readjust, but I can see where it would be a pain on a multi-pitch. The other loops may need a bit of reinforcement if you plan on carrying a lot of gear. If I were heavier or took it on longer climbs, I'm not sure how long I could use it and still trust it, though.

So all in all, I highly recommend it for alpine, ice, and rock if the route is short. Anything greater than a few pitches and it may get annoying.

I have used BD Couloir. It's a good light weight alternative, especially if you need a harness that can be put on while having your skis on. I don't typically use it for ice climbing though. Especially when climbing multiple pitches and you need to hang on belay stance one needs a bit more padding. What comes to light weight, there's several other alternatives, you migth be intersted of:

1) Mammut has an alpine harness but it does not have quick release leg loops.
2) Edelrid has couple of interesting ones, i.e. Randonee (has quick release leg loops)and Loopo light thas gear loops which can be repositioned freely
3) Cialo does some extremely light harnesses, OZ 22 Ultra race for instance is about 82g (I'd propably end up with this one, just because it's so light)
4) Black Diamond has couple of heavier harnesses (Bod + Alpine Bod) that has quick release leg loops.

+ Each of the large harness manufacturers have light harness alternatives. I've composed a list of harnesses that came to my mind fast, you can access the list + compare the side by side here: http://www.tribevine.com/products?open= ... 0Harnesses

I guess there are few others as well.

I have one and think it is just as comfy as a Bod. It gets way smaller though. i use it for Alpine routes when I don't want my harness taking up room in my pack. I works just fine for multi-pitch.

I'm obviously biased but another one in a similar style, the Blue Ice, Chouca.

170 gr.
features
■2 gear loops
■waist buckle
■quick release leg loops
fabrics/material
Dyneema, Polyester.

http://www.blueice.com/en/products/choucas

Available in the US here:

http://coldthistletools.blogspot.com/

Not cheap at 60 Euro but a higher quality product as well,

Does anyone have any experience with the BD Couloir for roped glacier travel. I was thinking of taking one to Denali.

I just bought a BD Couloir in M/L and a L/XL and really neither of them fit me well. My old Alpine Bod fits like a glove. Of course it depends on the clothes you'll be wearing, but I seem to be in-between sizes (34" waist). It also seems a bit 'short' from top to bottom, and I don't normally have a long rise in pants. So it's tending to be pulled down in the front more than normal.

I don't like how the main belt has to go through the belay loop before doing it up, the Bods are easier like that, and I find the smaller buckle on the Couloir harder to use.

It's a good idea, clearly a nice piece of gear and noticeably more compact than my Alpine Bod, I just wish it fit me better.

I have one and only use it for alpine stuff. I would not put a load on gear on the gear loops though. Its fits me great although the buckle is hard to work with freezing fingers and sub zero temperatures.

Hotoven wrote:I have one and only use it for alpine stuff. I would not put a load on gear on the gear loops though. Its fits me great although the buckle is hard to work with freezing fingers and sub zero temperatures.

What he said x 2 It can be difficult to get it buckled at times

lefty wrote:Does anyone have any experience with the BD Couloir for roped glacier travel. I was thinking of taking one to Denali.

I bought one specifically for usage on glaciated routes like the WB... however after using it a few times for glacier travel in cold conditions I've decided that the buckles are too small to deal with in intense cold. Threading the harness back through the tiny buckles forced me to remove my gloves and twist / pull for a few minutes. For me this isn't an option at high camp or when it's really cold as my hands have poor circulation. The Bod at least has big beefy buckles and a nice sharp piece of webbing that helps with threading - and I can put it on while wearing thick gloves.

Ramblindave wrote:

Hotoven wrote:.. fits me great although the buckle is hard to work with freezing fingers and sub zero temperatures.

[quote/]What he said x 2 It can be difficult to get it buckled at times

Threading the harness back through the tiny buckles forced me to remove my gloves and twist / pull for a few minutes.

Hey, maybe this harness just sucks!

I ran into a woman I knew climbing up on Mt. Hood yesterday, who was wearing the Couloir, and she said she was very happy with it, but only for alpine climbs.

The main drawback of this harness for me is the double back of the harness belt, which on the Couloir is incredibly difficult to accomplished when your view of it is blocked by heavy down jackets or a down suit. It really takes along time to work on it with bare hands to cinch it down and then again, release it, which obviously isn't great when dealing with ultra cold temps and frostbite risk. Leaving your tent at 10pm on summit bid and struggling with your harness buckle for 10 minutes is the last thing in the world you want. On a recent Manaslu expedition, one of the climbers was wearing a Blue Ice harness, which had us all, including the guide, salivating. This ticks a number of boxes for me, incredibly light weight, belay loop, twin gear loops, leg clips, and yes, most importantly, no double back!

But if you're not needing to put the BD Couloir on or take it off over heavy layers or in extreme cold temps, then it will work fine, and is obviously much easier than chasing down a Blue Ice harness, as those aren't sold in the US.

http://www.blueice.com/products/en/7-harnesses

DMM Supercouloir Harness is superior to the BD Couloir.

The DMM harness doesn't have the retarded impossible-to-use double buckle of the BD, the gear loops are better, and weight is about the same.

Unlike the Blue Ice harness, you can actually buy it here in the U.S.

http://www.backcountrygear.com/dmm-supe ... 9fgb_ldV8E