Are climbing harnesses tested for upside down falls?
Does anyone know if standard climbing harnesses (not chest harnesses) are actually rated (e.g. tested and certified) for use in upside down falls?
Obviously falling upside down is a bad idea, and we should avoid it for many good reasons.
But I sometimes playfully flip upside down while being lowered on toprope. I was recently queried about the safety of such antics.
I've been climbing a long time, and never had any reason to think that I could slip out of the harness from hanging (or falling) upside down. But a question of safety always bears analyzing. And I couldn't immediately reference anything authoritative on the question.
Extra points for any references to published tests of harnesses in upside down fall conditions.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/q/11583. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
1 answer
Are climbing harnesses tested for upside down falls? ... No.
Harnesses have forces gradually applied to them of up to 15kN while attached to a dummy; the dummy is oriented in the head-up position and the force is applied as if a person was hanging from the belay loop. Alternatively, the harness belt is placed around a cylinder and forces are gradually applied directly to the belt up to 10kN.
The key measurements are slippage through the buckles; if your waist belt is above your hips and the diameter smaller than your pelvis, you should not be able to escape the harness unless loosening of the buckles occurs.
The second link has a video of the test being performed.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/11596. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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