Black Diamond Climbing

Match the harness type to your climbing style

• Sport or indoor climbing harnesses tend to be stripped down for fast travel and feature minimal gear loops.
• Trad climbing harnesses include more gear loops since climbers place their own protection. Comfort and padding are key, as you may spend hours on a route or hanging in your harness.
• Mountaineering harnesses are designed for long approaches and all-season versatility.

Key features:

• Adjustable leg loops: Fit different body types and clothing layers.
• Gear loops: Range from two to five loops to rack your gear.
• Waistbelt padding: Thicker padding or broader surface area helps distributes pressure, adding comfort.

Women-specific harnesses

Many climbing harnesses are available in unisex models, but some are designed to better fit a women's body. Pick a women-specific harness if it better matches your body type.These harnesses typically feature a higher rise, a larger leg-to-waist ratio and a shaped waistbelt.

What type of belay device is best for you?

• Tubular belay device: Compact, light and easy to use. Lightweight climbers may find them slow for rappelling. Best for gym, sport and multipitch trad climbing.

• Assisted-braking belay device: Easy to control, feed rope smoothly and aid in stopping falls. Heavier and not compatible with certain rope diameters or icy/wet ropes. Best for gym, sport and multipitch trad climbing.

• Figure 8 Belay Device: Efficient and smooth for rappelling, efficiently dissipate heat from friction and work with most rope diameters. Harder to handle. Best for search and rescue, caving and rappelling.

Locking vs. Non-locking 

Locking carabiners have gates that can be locked to prevent accidental openings. Use them for belay/rappel devices and critical protection placements. Choose between: 

• Screw-lock: Requires manual twisting to close. 

• Auto-locking: Automatically locks when the gate closes. 

Non-locking carabiners are lighter, quicker to clip or unclip but can accidentally open. Ideal for racking gear or for quickdraws. 

Shape

• Asymmetric D: Most common design; lightweight with a large gate for easy clipping. Great for sport and trad climbing.  

• D shape: Strongest shape, excellent for most kinds of climbing. Ideal for racking trad gear. 

• Pear shape: Designed for belaying, rappelling and anchor points. Heavier and more expensive.  

• Oval shape: Smaller gate opening and affordable. Ideal for aid climbing or racking trad gear. Not as strong or light as other shapes.  

Gate Types 

• Straight-gate: Durable and easy to use. Good for various purposes and sport-climbing quickdraws.  

• Bent-gate: Makes rope clipping easier. Generally used for quickdraws.  

• Wire-gate: Lightweight, less likely to vibrate open during a fall or freezing shut.  

• Locking: Most secure; required for use with belay/rappelling devices and critical protection placements.  

What is an avalanche transceiver?

• If recreate in snow in the backcountry, a transceiver is an essential safety device, along with a probe and shovel.
• Transceivers help you locate a person buried in an avalanche or others find you if you’re buried.

What features should I look for?

• Analog or digital: Most modern transceivers are digital, though some are both digital and analog.
• Multiple burials: Enables searchers to pick up multiple buried victims. Most brands offer multiple burial tracking, even in basic models.
• Marking function: Allows the searcher to mark or "flag" the location of each buried person.
• Display screen: Shows direction and distance to a buried person. Premium models may have larger, high-contrast screens.
• Range: Brands will list in meters the circular range (typically 40 to 70) in which one transceiver can sense others’ signals.