Editing Climbing harness

{{Short description|Item of climbing equipment}}
[[File:Baudrier.jpg|thumb|Sit harness]]
A '''climbing harness''' is a piece of equipment that allows a climber to [[tie in (climbing)|tie in]] to the safety of a [[rope]].<ref name="freedom">{{cite book | edition = 7 | editor = Cox, Steven M. |editor2=Kris Fulsaas | title = [[Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills]] | publisher = The Mountaineers | isbn = 0-89886-828-9| location = Seattle | date = September 2003}}</ref>  It is used in [[climbing|rock]] and [[ice climbing|ice]] climbing, [[abseiling]], and lowering; this is in contrast to other activities requiring ropes for access or safety such as industrial rope work (such as window cleaning), construction, and rescue and recovery, which use [[safety harness]]es instead.

==Overview==
While an improvised harness can be created out of a length of rope or nylon [[webbing]], commercially produced harnesses specific to climbing rock and ice are the norm.  These characteristically include a dedicated tie-in loop, padding, and amenities such as gear loops.  Most commercial climbing harnesses meet the guidelines and manufacturing standards of organizations such as the [[Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme]] (UiAA) or [[European Committee for Standardization]].

Harnesses of users involved in climbing should be attached to dynamic ([[kernmantle]]) rope, which has a natural shock-absorbing stretch. In [[via ferrata]], the harness is attached to metal cables via a [[Via ferrata#Via ferrata set|shock absorber]] that can absorb some of the impact of a fall.

The most common knot for attaching a harness to a rope is the [[figure-eight follow through]], characteristically backed up by a stopper knot. Although it is harder to untie after a fall than some alternatives, it is inherently more secure,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SI-CBAAAQBAJ|title=How to Rock Climb!|last=Long|first=John|date=2010-06-15|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=9780762766741|quote=the double figure eight is a cinch knot: The tighter you pull, the tighter the knot cinches on itself.}}</ref> easier to tie, and easier to verify that it has been tied correctly.<ref name=":0" />  There are many variations of the bowline knot, including a variation of the [[double bowline]],<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JxuaCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA26|title=Climbing: Knots|last1=Fitch|first1=Nate|last2=Funderburke|first2=Ron|date=2015-10-15|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=9781493015061|pages=30|quote=the double bowline with a Yosemite finish is a less common way to attach the climbing rope to a climber}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H6hiCwAAQBAJ|title=Rock Climbing: Technique {{!}} Equipment {{!}} Safety – With an Introduction to Indoor Climbing|last1=Heise-Flecken|first1=Detlef|last2=Flecken|first2=Gabi|date=2016-03-28|publisher=Meyer & Meyer Verlag|isbn=9781782550358|pages=20|quote=double bowline is more complicated than the Figure Eight and partner checks are harder to verify. ... single bowline is not safe while the double bowline is difficult to tie but is easier to undo after taking strain}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/112122298/incident-climbers-bowline-came-untied-while-climbing-at-rifle|title=Incident: Climber's Bowline Came Untied While Climbing at Rifle|website=Mountain Project|access-date=2018-07-14|quote=there are many versions of the bowline, some of which are unsafe for climbing ... Bowline on a Bight, Retraced Through Harness w/ Yosemite Finish ... is the safest option}}</ref> and some will untie themselves when repeatedly stressed and unstressed, as is common in climbing.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/rockclimbingoutd00wild|url-access=registration|title=Rock Climbing|year=2009|publisher=Human Kinetics|isbn=9781450409001|quote=Because this knot unties so easily, sometimes even by simply rubbing against your body}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r3bahfDuBEIC|title=Knack Knots You Need: Step-by-Step instructions for More Than 100 of the Best Sailing, Fishing, Climbing, Camping and Decorative Knots|last=Tilton|first=Buck|date=2008-09-02|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=9781599217598|quote=A knot that can be shaken loose to spill of its own accord, such as the bowline ... is an insecure knot.}}</ref>

A harness' gear loops, used for carrying such equipment as protection devices, carabiners, etc., are not weight-bearing; nor are the elastic cords which restrain the leg loops from slipping down while not under load.

== History ==
The invention of the climbing harness has been attributed to [[Jeanne Immink]], a Dutch climber in the late nineteenth century.<ref name=fembio>{{cite web|url=http://www.fembio.org/english/biography.php/woman/feature/jeanne-immink/europaeische-juedinnen|title=Jeanne Immink|author=Harry Muré|year=2008|work=FemBio.org|access-date=19 April 2014}}</ref> Some of the first climbing harnesses were devised in the U.K. in the early 1960s by Alan Waterhouse, Paul Seddon and Tony Howard who went on to form the [[Troll (company)|Troll]] climbing equipment manufacturers.<ref>http://ktml.freeservers.com/Misc/Troll.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref> A harness designed by British climber [[Don Whillans]] was made by Troll for the 1970 Annapurna South Face Expedition. It went into mass production shortly afterwards and soon became popular worldwide.<ref>{{cite journal |first=David |last=Hillebrandt |date=12 June 2007 |title=Letter: Suspension Trauma in UK Climbers? |journal=Emergency Medicine Journal |volume=24 |issue=4  |url=https://emj.bmj.com/content/24/4/237.responses}}</ref>

The sit or seat harness was invented in the 1960s by Yosemite climbers.  The first innovation was the Swami Belt, which was multiple loops of webbing around the waist.  Then quickly came the Swami Seat, a sit harness tied from webbing revealed to the climbing world thru an article in Summit Magazine in the mid-60s, which included leg loops and an integrated waist loop.  Once the seat/sit harness came to be, suppliers of climbing gear started making them with stitching replacing the knots.

== Types ==
[[File:Bandschlingen Sitzgurt.gif|thumb|Sling harness]]
A '''sit harness''' consists of a waist belt and two leg loops which are normally connected in the front of the hips through a permanent webbing loop called a ''belay loop''. Belay loops are extremely strong, but nonetheless still a single point of failure that caused at least one notorious death.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.climbing.com/news/loss-of-a-legend/|title=Todd Skinner: Loss of a Legend|last=Samet|first=Matt|date=2006-12-18|work=Climbing Magazine|access-date=2018-07-14}}</ref> For rock climbing, the rope typically goes through the two "tie-in loops" that are above and below the "belay loop". The [[figure-eight knot]] is mostly used for rock climbing. These are the most commonly used harnesses for recreational activities such as abseiling and rock climbing, as they afford a wide range of movement while still maintaining a high level of safety. Ensuring the harness fits correctly is key to avoiding pain in the upper thigh area caused by the leg loops being too tight around the upper legs and groin area, while at the same time ensuring that a climber flipped over in a fall does not slip out. The waist belt should be tightened snugly.

A '''chest harness''' is worn around the shoulders, usually with a sit harness so as to provide an additional attachment point. This attachment point allows for better balance in some situations such as when carrying a heavy pack (as the [[centre of mass]] is above the connection to the rope) and when the person in the harness may be unable to maintain an upright position (due to injury or other influences).

A '''sling harness''' is an improvised harness made from pieces of [[sling (climbing)|sling]].

===Safety===
In a study conducted, researchers came to a conclusion that there was no statistically significant evidence revealing a pattern between harness type and severity of climbing accidents. Direct rock contact in rock climbing was the main reason for injury, not the type of climbing harness used.<ref>{{cite journal | pmid = 17447711 | volume=18 | title=Pattern of injury after rock-climbing falls is not determined by harness type | journal=Wilderness Environ Med | pages=30–5 |vauthors=Hohlrieder M, Lutz M, Schubert H, Eschertzhuber S, Mair P| year=2007 | issue=1 | doi=10.1580/06-weme-or-020r.1| doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Materials==
Most harnesses are made from nylon [[webbing]], specifically, [[Nylon 66]].<ref>
[https://web.archive.org/web/20120517005149/http://www.mec.ca/AST/ContentPrimary/Learn/Climbing/HarnessesAndHelmets/ChoosingAHarness.jsp Nylon webbing popular choice for climbing gear]</ref><ref>[http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-448264.html Nylon vs polyester webbing]</ref><ref>[http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/nylon-vs-polyester-thread-173165.html Breaking strength of nylon and polyester being about the same]</ref> Aspects are often tubular rather than flat.<ref>[http://www.countrybrookdesign.com/blog/why-climbers-use-tubular-webbing-instead-of-flat/ Tubular vs flat webbing]</ref>  Different weaves are used depending on a component's function.  These sometimes include polyester.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}} Buckles are typically made of anodized aluminum. Foam and mesh are integrated into the leg loops and waist belt to make them more comfortable. Harness designers adapt increasingly advanced materials such as [[Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene|Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene]] (UHMWPE), [[aramid fiber]]s (Kevlar, Vectran, etc.), and [[sailcloth]] to make harnesses lighter and more comfortable.

== See also ==
{{Commons category|Climbing harnesses}}
* [[Rock-climbing equipment]]
* [[Glossary of climbing terms]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|harness}}
* [http://winterclimb.com/outdoor-gear-equipment/item/65-climbing-harness-how-to-choose How to choose a climbing harness?]

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