The Choucas Light arrived pretty late in the season but I managed to get it out for a run to see how it felt. We have looked at Blue Ice’s work before on MyOutdoors, their innovation peaked out interest. We also have an alpine pack which will be reviewed shortly.
The specification on Blue Ices site says:
Can be put on/off with skis/crampons on, feet on ground
Tying loops, with adjustable clip backup
Independent leg loops opening system with secured aluminium buckles
Two gear loops
Two ice screw keepers
Minimal weight: 84g (S), 89g (M), 93g (L)
Dimensions waist/leg: S (70-83cm/45-55cm), M (80-93cm/50-60cm), L (90-103cm/55-65cm)
Webbing: UHMW polyethylene, polyamide, Aircraft-grade aluminium leg buckles
Conform to the CE/EN 12277 type C climbing harness certification; UIAA certified
Designed in Chamonix Mont-Blanc
The medium I have is remarkable 87 grams out of its bag. Blue Ice state that the Choucas Light has been developed through “simplicity”, to make it easier for the alpinist to use, put on and help by hugely reduce the weight burden.
I thought it best to review this with a short video showing how easy it is to put on:
As you can see it goes on easily and over a few layers. The adjustment on the connecting belt allows for layering, it’ll strap down over a pair of softshells no problem.
The aluminium buckles used to secure the leg loops take a bit of practise to get through their securing loop but once it’s mastered and the loops loose their stiffness the buckles slide in nicely. With the yellow elastic for good measure the leg loops seem solid.
As I mentioned earlier, the Choucas Light arrived quite late in the season but the time I have spent with it has proved it to be everything Blue Ice describe it to be. The day I filmed I used the harness to clip my ice axe leashes to. It moved well and didn’t cause any problems by slipping, the strap kept that in place.
I completely understand why the Choucas Light Harness was awarded a Gold Award at OutDoor in 2017. As innovation goes this has brought something to the market that may have been seen before but has been well refined to work in its environment. A very useful harness to have to hand for use in an alpine environment.