Lightweight, essential, and comfortable: the harnesses selected by Olympic athletes cannot compromise on these fundamental aspects. The new "Lead" routesetting style incorporates more typical bouldering sections with many hooks, jumps, and dynamic movements, where freedom of movement must be absolute.
We want to show you here seven harnesses chosen by climbers who achieved the best results at the Olympics, giving their best in the Semifinal and Final Lead routes.
SEO Chaehyun of South Korea competes in the women's Boulder & Lead final during the Olympic Games Paris 2024. © Drapella/Virt/IFSC.
CAMP Energy – Janja Garnbret
We start with her, the unbeatable Janja, twice climbing champion at the Olympics, both with the combined formula of the three disciplines and with the newer Lead & Boulder combined ranking. Trying to decipher the secret of her level out of the ordinary, we often look at her gear with a different curiosity, which leads us to hope that we could do at least half a degree more if we had her shoes and harness on. Although we rationally know that it is not so simple, we want to reveal the name of the harness with which she won the Lead ranking and then the Olympics in Paris 2024: CAMP Energy. Summing up all the above-described characteristics of lightness and comfort, the Energy by CAMP is suitable for many uses such as sport climbing, long routes, and of course indoor climbing. The waist belt and leg loops are thermoformed to adapt better to the climber’s morphology; the unique central self-locking buckle contributes to the quick wearability of the harness, perfect for all situations of high sports performance.
Janja GARNBRET of Slovenia competes in the women's Boulder & Lead final during the Olympic Games Paris 2024. © Drapella/Virt/IFSC.
Petzl Hirundos – Toby Roberts
Petzl Hirundos is the harness with which Toby Roberts entered climbing history, winning the first gold medal in Lead & Boulder combined ranking. This harness combines the best technologies from Petzl in a product suitable for high performance both in indoor climbing and in extreme projects on the crag; in addition to the Fuseframe technology, which leverages the comfort of closed thermoformed and breathable cells, it guarantees a high comfort thanks to the construction of the belt without edges. Although it is a minimal harness in many ways, it is extremely robust and durable over time thanks to the reinforced tie points in high-density polyethylene and the protections on the back of the legs that extend its life even after very intense uses. You will appreciate Hirundos harness for its countless strengths even if you are not aspiring to Olympic gold!
Toby Roberts of Great Britain competes in the men's Boulder & Lead final during the Olympic Games Paris 2024. © Drapella/Virt/IFSC.
Petzl Aquila – Brooke Raboutou
Brooke Raboutou is the first female American climber to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Climbing Olympics, and now she is the first American climber to win an Olympic medal. With the silver in her pocket, Brooke Raboutou crowns the dream of a life and a family that has climbing in its DNA: in 2013 came out the video "Prodigies: Brooke Raboutou", where an eleven-years old Brooke showed us her training together with her parents, both of them climbing champions and instructors. Although we often see her competing with the Sitta by Petzl, in Paris Brooke Raboutou competed with Petzl Aquila, defeating with this exceptional harness the competition of athletes as determined as Jessica Pilz, Ai Mori, and Oriane Bertone. Built with the Fuserframe technology, the Petzl Aquila maintains its characteristics over time, guaranteeing the same comfort of the first use even after many trips to the crag or gym. Comfortable and efficient, it has given us great proof of its versatility even for the most extreme indoor performance!
Brooke Raboutou of United States competes in the women's Boulder & Lead final during the Olympic Games Paris 2024. © Drapella/Virt/IFSC.
Edelrid Prisma – Jessica Pilz
Jessica Pilz of Austria competes in the women's Boulder & Lead final during the Olympic Games Paris 2024. © Drapella/Virt/IFSC.
Black Diamond airNET - Oriane Bertone
She did not climb the podium of the Olympics, but is always at the top of the rankings of the most important stages of the World Cup: Oriane Bertone, who closes with a little "bitterness" her first Olympic final, competed in the final route with the lightness of Black Diamond’s AirNET. If his name also reminds you of some other champion, maybe it is because it was designed and made in collaboration with Adam Ondra, let’s say someone who knows about "climbing performance". Minimal, resistant, and breathable: the airNET is studied in every detail to reduce weight and volume to a minimum and to focus on maximum lightness and performance! Breathable, with only two material rings and a net construction, it is the "par excellence" competition harness.
Oriane Bertone of France competes in the women's Boulder & Lead final during the Olympic Games Paris 2024. © Drapella/Virt/IFSC.
Mammut Sender – Jakob Schubert
Only Jakob Schubert and Janja Garnbret have won two medals in the first two Climbing Olympics in history: undisturbed by changes in the combined formula, they both won the same medal for the second time at Tokyo 2020. For Schubert, much more "agé" than Toby Roberts and Sorato Anraku, this medal is another confirmation of his extraordinary level and how competitive - and increasingly motivated - you can remain despite the years, races, and intense training. The Sender by Mammut is one of the models we have seen more frequently in the different phases of the Lead competitions in Paris: with its 320 grams of weight in size M, it represents a good compromise between lightness and comfort, Besides being made with breathable materials and therefore perfect for indoor climbing. The Sender by Mammut maintains good padding at the points of greater contact, increasing the feeling of comfort thanks to the Slide-Bloc system, which works on an optimal distribution of loads.
Jakob Schubert of Austria competes in the men's Boulder & Lead final during the Olympic Games Paris 2024. © Drapella/Virt/IFSC.
Arc’teryx C-Quence – Oceania Mackenzie
If we can say that there was a surprise among the eight finalists of the combined final, this surprise certainly carries the name of Oceania Mackenzie. Feeling particularly comfortable with the physical style of the boulders she has been able to achieve valuable positions, ranking among the eight best female athletes at the Olympics. The harness she used to give the best even in the Lead Final is the C-Quence of Arc'teryx in the Woman version: the technology used to make this comfortable harness is performing and it bears the name of Contoured Warp Strength Technology, able to adapt to the morphology of the female body giving at the same time a feeling of comfort, softness and flexibility.
Oceania Mackenzie of Australia competes in the women's Boulder & Lead final during the Olympic Games Paris 2024. © Drapella/Virt/IFSC.
Cover image: Oriane BERTONE of France competes in the women's Boulder & Lead semi-final during the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Ⓒ Drapella/Virt/IFSC.
