Xenos

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Black Diamond Xenos harness

Good

– four well-positioned gear loops

– six ice clipper slots, four useful

– big haul loop

– solid construction

– snow & water shedding

Bad

– expensive $129

– heavy 460g

– not very compact

– leg loop strap material slips through buckles

The Xenos is BD’s premier ice and mixed climbing harness, featuring six ice clipper slots, four gear loops, a 12 Kn-rated haul loop and water shedding materials, all in an advanced shape featuring BD’s Kinetic Core Construction.

After a few months of winter use, from cragging to full-day climbs, I feel that I’ve got a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn’t.

The four pressure-molded gear loops are well positioned, and stick out nicely away from the body, making locating, removing and re-clipping ‘biners easy. Their solid construction doesn’t sag even when fully loaded with quickdraws and screamers.

Four of the six ice clipper slots are usefully positioned, while clippers in the two front-most ones get in the way anytime I move my legs. With screws hanging from them, they are downright dangerous as the sharp points have a tendency to poke into my thighs. The remaining four are very well positioned, and even the rear-most ones are useful for clipping screws to, something I did not expect. I planned on using the rear two to hang my tools from during rappels and snow slogs, but found myself using them for screws as well.

The harness also has a 12 Kn-rated haul loop, which is sizeable enough to find and easily clip things to when wearing gloves. It’s big enough to accommodate several ‘biners, and I usually clip a spare pair of gloves, v-thread cord, water bottle and a belay jacket to it.

The materials are supposed to be snow and water shedding, and I’ve never had any part of the harness freeze up, despite climbing a few routes that seemed more waterfall than ice.

I’ve found the Xenos to be reasonably comfortable, although as BD’s top of the line harness I was expecting more. During long, hanging belays it digs into my kidneys a bit, and I find myself having to shift the waistbelt every few minutes. While comfort is entirely subjective – perhaps the harness sits differently on me than on BD’s body model – packability is easily measured, and is definitely below that of similar harnesses.

The foam construction isn’t very flexible, so the harness doesn’t fold up well or compact much. Other than rope and helmet, it is the biggest item in my pack and I always find myself envious of my buddy’s supremely compact Arc’teryx X-350a.

The Xenos is also heavier than similar harnesses, although to be fair it trades additional features in favor of the others’ lower weight. (See table below.)

My only functional complaint is that the leg loop adjustment straps have a tendency to slip a little due to the slick nylon. The waistbelt, on the other hand, has a much more textured strap which doesn’t slip and I’d like to see the leg loops made out of this material as well.

Overall, there isn’t much to fault with the Xenos. While some might balk at spending over a hundred on a harness, it’s $129 sticker price is middle of the road in this class.

It’s a solid, functional harness let down only by two non-essential things: the equivalent of two ClifBars’ worth of weight and a pair of gloves’ worth of space.

Updates & Changes

Over the course of the rest of the week, this blog will undergo some major changes.

Most importantly, I will be splitting up into two blogs – a ‘climbing’ blog and a ‘professional photography’ blog (fear not, the climbing blog will still have photography, just not my professional work).

There will be some url changes, so please stay tuned as I work on the details.

And most of all, thanks for visiting!

Ok, update #1. After some thought, there won’t be two blogs. There will be this – the climbing / outdoor / sports / random blog – while my professional work will be showcased on the individual sites (wedding, event, landscape).

The Call Of The Curtain

or, climbing on Curtain Call, 125 meters, IV, WI6

Jeff on the approach. The snow crust was just thick enough to support us, most of the time.

Looking up from the base of the approach ice (approx. 40m of WI3/4.) This climb is much larger than I thought based on the book description.

The “hall” behind the bottom of the curtain. Huge, with stunning ice formations!

Climbing into the cave through a hole in the curtain…

The photo of the Nomic in the header at the top of this blog is actually of Jeff’s tool, and the photo was taken during our first outing to Bear Spirit. This time around, the tools are mine. Although, ironically, the picks are borrowed! New header coming soon.

Looking up the right side of the curtain.

Jeff scouting possible lines. The curtain was fraught with cracks new and old, so we decided to take the safest, most solid line up the far right instead.

We’ll have to come back here!

Jeff even makes downclimbing and traversing tricky WI5ish ice look quite easy.

The initial 40-odd metres of our line were rather uninteresting. Then, we got to the mushrooms. That overhang by around 3 feet.

Funky climbing!

The 2nd pitch pillar. We decided that given how laced with cracks the bottom curtain was, this pillar – with a crack visible from the road – should probably not be climbed.

Said crack runs 3/4 of the width across the pillar. We considered the far, far left…

Wouldn’t want to be around here when the sun hits those daggers!

A stellar route in a stunning setting – we are definitely coming back to this one.

Blog Updates

I have decided to re-organize the blog, so it may appear erratic and, ironically, disorganized for the next couple of days or so.

I’m changing everything from the menu on the left to tags and categories and I’ll even try to incorporate a Twitter and RSS feed. Stay with me, it’ll be worth it!

Snowy Spring

Officially spring started on March 20. Apparently, nobody told this to the weather – not that I mind! – as this is what most of today has been like in Canmore:

And this is what it actually looks like when not “frozen in time:”

Last days of the Weeping Wall

Another awesome day on the ice, as Mike and I headed out for our first climb together. The Weeping Wall beckoned, and as it was forecast to be a cold, cloudy day, we figured it was safe to climb. From the parking lot, the ice looked sunbaked over most of the wall, but we found a bluish line up the middle-left side. Quick walk later and we were climbing!

As it turned out, the sun was out in full force and even as we were climbing in the shade, quite a few icicles came down beside us! We made it off the south-west facing wall of ice before the sun hit and after a rather lengthy rope-tangled and wet rappel later, we were back at the truck and headed home.

All in all, another great day out!

Mike leading the first pitch, the bulk of the Weeping Wall towering above.

Mike stepping out into the 3rd pitch.

Not many photos this time around, I guess. Short but good day out!

Learning from Professors

This post has been a while coming, but somehow I’ve been away from the computer for almost two full days! I can’t explain it. *shakes head*

Anyway, here’s what I learned [sic] on Professor Falls, which I climbed with Farzad on Sunday:

– It may be cold on Trophy Wall, but Professors gets hot: my usual softshell and base layer proved way too hot.
– Way too hot means my glasses get fogged up.
– Fogged up glasses mean that placing pro sucks, and leading WI5 gets seriously hard.

Obvious? Yeah, kind of. The forecast did call for only 2 degrees, so I figured being a little higher, and in the shade, would be quite a bit colder. Not so.

In light of this, I am now searching for an ultra-light outer layer that can substitute for my tried-and-true Arcteryx Gamma MX. Preferably, it’ll be light enough to be paired with my favourite new base layer piece, the Patagonia R1 Hoody, which is pretty warm for a base layer.

I’ve already looked at the Arcteryx Squamish Hoody but it doesn’t feel like it’ll stretch enough. It needs to have a hood, not ride out from under a harness, be DWR treated, stretch enough to climb in and preferably be abrasion resistant enough to last more than a season. Suggestions?

Other than my glasses fogging up, the climb was a blast. Beautiful blue ice, wonderfully hooked out placements and if my glasses hadn’t fogged up, a sweet 30m of WI5-ish mushrooms to finish it off. Next time!

Another great view of the, uh, Fairholme Range?

Farzad finishing off the first pitch.

Simply stunning.

Farzad leading one of the shorter steps.

The party ahead of us on the last pitch. I tried heading up the ‘interesting’ right side, but got too fogged up about halfway and had to bail…

Farzad coming up to the last belay.

For some photos of – gasp – me, check out Farzad’s photos:

The CCT* strikes (out), again.

Last Saturday, 0459. As usual, I wake up just before my alarm is set to go off. We’re aiming to climb the Sea of Vapours, and since it’s a weekend, and it’s one of the most sought-after climbs in the Rockies, and since it’s in easy 4+ shape this year, we’re expecting a lot of people so an early start is imperative.

After a quick breakfast and some last-minute packing, I’m good to go by 0525. Of course, my climbing partner lives in his own timezone so we don’t actually leave the driveway until way after six…

“Why do I even bother waking up on time?” I wonder as we drive up to Banff, only to find two vehicles already there, one with an ominous SoV scrawled in the dirt on the back…

Thursday, 0459 Yep, same thing, up moments before the alarm. This time, though, I am not packed with gear and clothes scattered all over the house. Even without much hurry, I’m packed, fed and watered within 35 minutes, 5 minutes later than our as-scheduled departure time. Which, since we’re on Jeff-time, means we don’t leave the house until 0630. Getting scooped again is quite likely, even on a Thursday. This time, though, we’re prepared – in case we miss out on SoV again, I’ve packed some rock gear to protect the very thin, grey-iced, delaminated and scary-looking bottom pitch of The Replicant.

Clearly visible from the highway as you drive between Banff and Canmore, The Trophy Wall is high up on Mt. Rundle, and should be obvious even if you’re not a climber. Host to three magnificent streaks of ice – The Terminator, The Replicant and Sea of Vapours – it is a bastion of hard climbing. Revolutionary when they were first climbed in the early 90’s, these routes are still not taken lightly.

Arriving fashionably late at the parking lot, we determine the only other car parked there is a climbers’ vehicle, and as we hop on our bikes, Jeff is hopeful that maybe we’ll pass them on the road.

After a 2-hour bike and hike, we’re at the base just as the other party starts up SoV. We fight through the deep snow up to The Replicant, toss our backpacks in the snow and start the rationalizing.

“That looks thick enough to take a stubby. Could get a nut in there. It looks better up there, just that there’s no pro for the first 20m. Hey, come up closer to the base. It’s more overhanging than it looks from there! It’s really grey and delaminated. This piece is like 6-inches away from the rock. But it does look better up higher. I’m just worried that there won’t be anywhere to put a V-thread to bail if we have to. The snow is deep, can always jump? I guess we could sling the ice? How many slings do we have? How much do they cost?”

Jeff finally decided that it was, indeed, climbable and – just – protectable. Rock gear weighing down the harness, he started gently tapping his way up the fragile shell. First piece – pink tri-cam wedged into a crack. Second piece – barely-in stubby tied off with a screamer. Third piece – solid 13cm! No screamer needed! And we’re off…

The CCT aka The Casual Climbing Team. A nickname I’ve come up with to (somewhat) describe our casual shoulder-shrugging, ass-sliding, snow-wading, route-finding nonchalance. We get lost, scooped, bail, struggle up easy ice and yet still have a blast. Very non-competitive for a “team.”

The first glimpse of the Trophy Wall from the trail. From left to right: The Terminator (unformed), The Replicant (that thin streak in the middle) and Sea of Vapours (that long one on the right).

The sun hitting Cascade, but hasn’t made it down to the valley yet. This view is worth the bike/hike alone.

The guys that scooped us on SoV left the parking lot at 5am. Seriously?? 5am?? When did they wake up?!

The, um, mountain range across the valley. I need to learn the names of these peaks. Someday.

Ginger first steps up thin ice. Our first piece was a pink tri-cam another few feet higher.

Jeff super-excited to get a screw in. Not that 6cm of a 10cm stubby in questionable ice slung with a screamer is good pro…

You can’t tell from this angle, but this is seriously overhanging ice.

Spindrift, yeah! I don’t know why, but I love the feeling of spindrift falling over me. As long as I have a hood up, that is.

My headspace just wasn’t where it should be, so Jeff led the next pitch too. Next time!

Thin, overhanging and fragile. “The hardest climbing I’ve ever done,” says Jeff.

The belays may be cold, but at least the view is good.

Ok, somewhat more dramatic than in reality. But, this ain’t a documentary!