Zac Poulton local MIC has been putting the Choucas Harness through it's paces, here's what he has to say.
Blue Ice Choucas Harness Review
I received a Blue Ice Choucas Harness just a few days before I was due to fly out to Kathmandu to lead an expedition on the north side of Everest. At 170grams this harness is spookily light but the Dyneema webbing is incredibly strong and having had a quick play with it I felt able to leave my old heavyweight Bod at home (495gr)
In action it was very similar to the Bod with a number of advantages, the obvious one being the weight or lack of. There was plenty of adjustability in the medium/large size which fitted comfortably over my down suit but also clinched down tight over a pair of soft shell trousers lower on the mountain.
One great feature is the red belay loop which makes it very obvious even when peering down through goggles and an oxygen mask past a bulky down suit. I now extend my abseil device on a cows tail to remove the potential for error but if you chose to clip into your belay loop then this feature is a life saver.
The buckle was very easy to use even with big gloves on and it never froze, a problem I’ve experienced several times with other harnesses. Toilet stops at altitude are an interesting challenge usually occurring at the most inconvenient times but the spacing of the rear elastics meant that without being too graphic nothing restricted access and you were able to stay clipped in, an important safety consideration. Tried and tested at 8700m!
If you’re competent on Scottish style mixed ground then there’s not many opportunities to abseil on the North Ridge but on the couple of occasions I did the harness was surprisingly comfortable providing plenty of support to the legs. Some lightweight harnesses can ride up and restrict your breathing but in this case I think I can blame it on the altitude!
For me this is arguably the best harness I’ve used for climbing at altitude. Like all Dynemma products it would be vulnerable to friction but after two months use of Everest it still looks as good as new. It would be ideal for many commercial trips such as Cho Oyu, Island Peak, Muztag Ata, Denali and Vinson but you would probably need a slightly more supportive harness for technical peaks such as Ama Dablam. It would also work great for easy alpine routes and ski mountaineering where weight is key. Overall a superb harness and one I’ll be wearing for scrambling, ski mountaineering and general mountaineering in the next few months.
Find out more about Zac on his website Zac Poulton Mountaineering or read about his adventures on his blog.
