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Gear loop failure on Ancient Art

Original Post
Mo Leuthauser · · Montrose, CO · Joined Sep 2018 · Points: 0

Not an accident or injury, but a near miss that could have been very bad.

I set off to top rope the last pitch of the stolen chimney and noticed a soft spot in the front gear loop of my harness. I mentioned to my partner, “wow I think it’s probably about time for a new harness” right as I set off to climb.

As I was being lowered, I heard a pop and saw my cams and nuts fly off the left side of my harness and hurl hundreds of feet down the tower, toward the hikers below. I screamed “rock” as loud as I possibly could and luckily the hikers were able to get out of the way in time.  No one was hit or injured.

My gear loop had completely come unsheathed and the plastic broke at the connection point.
I had two .4s, and singles of 1-3 camalots (BD), some nuts, a few slings and a couple quick draws on the loop that had broken. Some kind soul was able to find and retrieve all of the gear.

The harness I was using was a Petzl Adjama and was about four years old. It had been used in chimneys and scraped around quite a bit.
I had started noticing a bit of wear and tear in the fabric of the harness a few months prior but didn’t think the core of the harness was damaged in any way until I noticed that soft spot.

I definitely learned a lesson. I need to take gear inspection seriously and retire gear way before it gets to this point! I also should have given my partner the gear right when I noticed the soft spot in my gear loop before I set off on the last pitch. Assuming it would be fine was not the responsible decision. Very thankful that no one was hurt due to my complacency and lack of foresight! Good to get this off my chest!

Tradiban · · 951-527-7959 · Joined Jul 2020 · Points: 212
Mo Leuthauser wrote:

Not an accident or injury, but a near miss that could have been very bad.

I set off to top rope the last pitch of the stolen chimney and noticed a soft spot in the front gear loop of my harness. I mentioned to my partner, “wow I think it’s probably about time for a new harness” right as I set off to climb.

As I was being lowered, I heard a pop and saw my cams and nuts fly off the left side of my harness and hurl hundreds of feet down the tower, toward the hikers below. I screamed “rock” as loud as I possibly could and luckily the hikers were able to get out of the way in time.  No one was hit or injured.

My gear loop had completely come unsheathed and the plastic broke at the connection point.
I had two .4s, and singles of 1-3 camalots (BD), some nuts, a few slings and a couple quick draws on the loop that had broken. Some kind soul was able to find and retrieve all of the gear.

The harness I was using was a Petzl Adjama and was about four years old. It had been used in chimneys and scraped around quite a bit.
I had started noticing a bit of wear and tear in the fabric of the harness a few months prior but didn’t think the core of the harness was damaged in any way until I noticed that soft spot.

I definitely learned a lesson. I need to take gear inspection seriously and retire gear way before it gets to this point! I also should have given my partner the gear right when I noticed the soft spot in my gear loop before I set off on the last pitch. Assuming it would be fine was not the responsible decision. Very thankful that no one was hurt due to my complacency and lack of foresight! Good to get this off my chest!

Yep, I swore off Petzl for this reason long ago, their gear loops are junk.

F r i t z · · (Currently on hiatus, new b… · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 1,155

Wow, glad you got all your gear back! Say hi to Gumsy Gumdrop for me and tell Karl I said thanks again for giving me a ride down from the South Rim that one time. He's one of my favorite people in the 970.

Paul Morrison · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 55

My first Petzl harness--or, I should say, my final Petzl harness--broke in the same way in the same place. Your four years of scraping were not to blame for the failure.

If you've got one of their helmets with the magnets you might want to retire that, too, before it lets go and falls off of your head like mine did.

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion · · Colorado · Joined Oct 2012 · Points: 35

20 years ago, Trango harnesses did this kind of a lot.

I’ve used Petzl for years, never ever a problem. I certainly like the old style, stiff plastic and downward facing gear loops. The “Jump” was my favorite harness ever.

I’ve had several Sama’s. Been up more chimneys than about anyone. The rear elastic is usually shredded but other than that, no worries. 

Brian M · · Sparks, NV · Joined Dec 2015 · Points: 0

I'll add to the anecdotal reports of Petzl Adjama harnesses that have broken gear loops after minimal use. Mine hasn't fully gone yet, but has a soft spot that is super suspect, so it's designated for gym climbing now.

Zach Baer · · Bellingham · Joined Feb 2018 · Points: 5

I'm on my second adjama after retiring the first from tie in point wear. The gear loops were worn, but didn't seem bad enough to snap. My main conplaint is that walking around in it wear it out so damn quickly.

Alex Milde · · Tehachapi, CA · Joined Mar 2016 · Points: 0

I liked the Adjama, but the gear loops are a weak point for sure. Noticed mine were ripping on day 2 of the Nose last year, luckily this held till the top.

Max G · · France · Joined Oct 2017 · Points: 15

My partner had a Mammut harness fail the same way on Mythical Kings and Iguanas in Zion. Sent a full single rack from .3 to 5 into offwidth oblivion. Definitely a really poor design 

Cory N · · Monticello, UT · Joined Sep 2018 · Points: 1,118

Same issue with a Petzl Adjama after a few months of use, granted those months were at Vedauwoo. Lucky for me I had just started to lead a route that had a pillar at the start. I climbed to the top of the pillar and sat down to rest for a moment when the loop released, all of my cams slid off but right onto the top of the pillar, I picked them up, collected them back onto my rear loop and finished the route. 

P B · · Boulder, CO · Joined Jun 2019 · Points: 62

Because of this thread I will be retiring my Adjama harness and wanted to share some photos as to why. Hopefully this will be helpful for others with an Adjama harness to inspect their own harnesses for common wear modes.

Summary: I would consider this harness safe for falling but not for holding any gear on the gear loops after greater than one season of consistent use. It will be retired to be my gym harness going forward. The gear loops need to be reinforced with plastic covers for abrasion resistance.

Background: I wore this harness for three climbing seasons (2019-2021) and it saw in the range of 600-800 pitches of climbing in that time with minimal offwidth climbing or other wear-intensive activities. It was stored properly out of the sun in a dry environment when not in use. I use the Camp Nano-22 for both racking carabiners and on slings. These have hook noses that likely contributed to the wear.

Analysis: The left side gear loop shows critical wear at the clipping point and attachment points to the harness. Critical wear also exists on the front attachment and worrisome wear exists on the rear attachment. The sewn loop is nearing failure at the clipping point and the plastic loop is visible. I am right hand dominant, so I often place gear with my left hand and hold the wall with my right. This might explain the higher concentration of wear on the left side.

The right gear loop is starting to fail at the clipping point and shows wear on the front attachment point to the harness.

The leg loops show standard abrasive wear at the buckle and exterior of the webbing. This is not a concern as the integrity of the webbing does not seem to be compromised whatsoever. The hard points and belay loop of the harness are not abraded to any level of concern and I would consider this harness safe for falling, just not for holding any gear.

Mo Leuthauser · · Montrose, CO · Joined Sep 2018 · Points: 0

Wow I didn’t realize this was a common issue with the adjama! Feeling reaffirmed. Any recommendations on a new harness with more reliable gear loops? 

Max G · · France · Joined Oct 2017 · Points: 15

Misty Mountain! 6 gear loops is a game changer for trad/big wall

Cory N · · Monticello, UT · Joined Sep 2018 · Points: 1,118

BD Solution and Solution Guide have awesome gear loops.

Paul Morrison · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 55
Max G wrote:

Misty Mountain! 6 gear loops is a game changer for trad/big wall

Yates Astroman!

Eric Roe · · Spokane · Joined Jan 2016 · Points: 16

I have a previous gen Petzl Corax that's been retired to top rope use.  The gear loop has the same soft spot.  The inner plastic slipped out of its connection with the body of the harness, the the gear loop is just holding on by the stitching of the loop sheath  It's been like that for a long time, well before semi-retired it.  Sounds like I dodged a bullet.

Beth C · · Colorado Springs, CO · Joined Nov 2014 · Points: 5

Glad I’m not the only one hating on petzl harness durability. In my case it was a leg loop stay on a Luna. The thing just wore through in the middle of a trip to RRC. It didn’t affect the safety but it sure was annoying. It might have been 4 months old.

I replaced it with a MM Cadillac, no regrets. I bought the Caddy 5 years ago yesterday (I bought it right before I got married, in a frenzied rush between a pedicure and lunch, is why I remember) and it’s still going strong. 

Sam Oudekerk · · Flagstaff, MN · Joined Sep 2017 · Points: 0

I like Petzl stuff -- even their harnesses. The gear loops do seem to be a major weak point, though.

The great exception is the magnetic buckle on my Sirocco helmet. Absolutely the worst design possible. Magnets have no place in the mountains. They attract iron deposits (or something?) and get clogged/stop working. Dangerous, dumb, hard to clean, and just plain annoying!

Prove me wrong: magnets are a terrible choice for climbing gear.

Bob Harrington · · Bishop, CA · Joined Apr 2015 · Points: 5
Sam Oudekerk wrote:

I like Petzl stuff -- even their harnesses. The gear loops do seem to be a major weak point, though.

The great exception is the magnetic buckle on my Sirocco helmet. Absolutely the worst design possible. Magnets have no place in the mountains. They attract iron deposits (or something?) and get clogged/stop working. Dangerous, dumb, hard to clean, and just plain annoying!

Prove me wrong: magnets are a terrible choice for climbing gear.

Magnetite. It’s a shame.  Five star helmet with a zero star buckle. 

acrophobe · · Orange, CT · Joined Jul 2010 · Points: 0

If you use a Petzl Sirroco helmet in an area that has ferrous dust, drill out the magnet.  The chin strap works fine without it.

Sarah Z · · Golden · Joined Jun 2018 · Points: 588
acrophobe wrote:

If you use a Petzl Sirroco helmet in an area that has ferrous dust, drill out the magnet.  The chin strap works fine without it.

Great idea, will do this 

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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