Black Diamond Climbing Harnesses -
More Comfort and Support

There will be a radical redesign for Black Diamond’s Focus climbing harness for the summer of 2008 as well as a little brother with new speed buckles: the Focus Speed Adjust (SA). First of all, it does everything that makes a good harness. It is the link between a climber and the rope. It should not be felt, but still offer sufficient support. New ergonomic cuts, new materials and new construction in the Focus SA are fine-tuned for a variety of uses on the crag or in alpine terrain. The Iris SA is the women’s version, light and perfectly fitted to the female form.

A high level of comfort, optimal support and functionality were the mottos of the design process. The results speak for themselves: The Focus SA features a hip belt and leg loops in an ergonomic bullhorn cut that allows full freedom of movement. The harness’s extra-wide back area supports the lower back optimally and prevents premature muscle fatigue. The padding is thermoformed dual-density foam and the upper edge of the hip belt is hemmed with a new extremely soft and comfortable SoftEdge™ feature. On the body side, both the hip belt and leg loops are lined with soft-next-to-skin mesh. The new speed buckles on the hip belt and the leg loops can be adjusted super fast. You cannot forget looping back through the buckle anymore as with a classic system because the buckle is looped back permanently and reliably. The four new compression-molded and asymmetrical gear loops stick out to the side a little and accommodate nine carabiners per loop – great for keeping gear well organized on the harness. More details include a haul loop; elastic straps for adjusting leg loop length that stow away in a garage and cannot slip; and for nature’s more serious calls, the leg loops can be dropped.

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