UKC

We are implementing a voluntary safety recall on the Blue Ice Choucas Alpine Harness due to a safety concern with the waistbelt buckle releasing under load. Anyone who has bought a Blue Ice Choucas Harness from the Climbers Shop please return it to the shop ASAP.

The problem has been initially reported by a Needlesports customer who was taking part in a crevasse rescue course and was witnessed by two British Mountain Guides, Jim Kerr and Caroline Ogden . The fault was then recreated by the Needlesports Staff (see video below) in a safe indoor environment.



When abseiling, hanging or being lowered, If the belay loop twists to the left of the buckle and you twist then the buckle can release, and the webbing slides to the point of the the double over tab at the end of the webbing strap. There is obviously the risk of the belt releasing completely and becoming undone, which could potentially have catastrophic results for the climber.

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Blue Ice have responded to these reports, and have admitted that a slip may occur in certain circumstances, although have not issued a full product recall at present.

Please see the response Giovanni Rossi at Blue Ice below;

I contacted both the APAVE (the certifying body that verifies our quality system for harnesses and certifies our harnesses to be conform to the norm EN 12277 form mountaineering harnesses; this is one of the two largest European companies that specialized in the certification of climbing equipment) and the ENSA (Ecole Nationale de Ski et d’Alpinisme, and independent laboratory that tests at least one harness of every batch we manufacture and whose director is also a member of UIAA safety commission). No one sounded alarmed and they both agreed that the harness fully respond to the norm

After seeing the video posted by Needle Sports, we spent two days running a series of tests with an independent expert from the ENSA laboratory in Chamonix. We concluded that the webbing can slide in the buckle only if the following conditions are met simultaneously:
1. The harness is oversized and the buckle is placed under the belay loop or the rope,
2. The webbing is loose in the buckle and there is not tension in the belt,
3. The user must pull gently on the belay loop or the rope with a constant angle on the buckle and purposely keep pulling sidewise in a circular motion.
Following this observation, we run a series dynamic fall tests not required by the norm. For these tests, we choose the most unfavorable scenarios:
1. A possible falls sidewise,
2. With the tying in point positioned (and secured) on the safety buckle.
In both cases, the webbing never slid in the buckle proving that the scenario above cannot happen during a fall even when the most unfavorable conditions are met.
Finally we tested both the strength of the webbing tale and a fall with the harness opened to its maximum. We observed that:
1. The webbing tale does not come off the buckle and that the system withstand the force required by the norm,
2. Even with the harness fully opened and the dummy turning upside down during the fall, the dummy never escaped from the harness.


We concluded that a properly sized and tighten Choucas Harness is safe to use for climbing. Even in the unlikely event of an oversized harness coming loose due to a lack of tension in the belt, it is not possible to slip accidentally out of the harness.
We invite all of our customers to test the harness in a safe environment to double check its size and the correct tension of the belt. Please note that in some cases, even the smallest size might not fit you. We will shortly release and additional sizing information sheet that will be available in stores and on our website. If you have any question or if you are not satisfied by the product, please email us at

info@blueice.com to find a solution that fully reassures you.
We are also editing a short video with the tests we run in the past days and a tutorial on choosing a proper size.
Concerning the comment about threading back the webbing tale in the buckle, it seems to add enough friction to prevent accidental slippage when the is no tension in the belt. Although this solution is certainly practical and seems very effective, under no circumstances it should be an excuse to use an oversized harness.

Giovanni Rossi – Blue Ice

With this in mind we have decided to continue with our own voluntary recall of this product. We feel that the Choucas harness is still potentially dangerous to use, and invite any customer who may have bought a Choucas Harness from us to return them for a refund or alternative product. We will also cease selling this particular harness until the safety issues have been satisfactorily addressed by the manufacturer.

Any customer wishing to return their Blue Ice Choucas Harness may do so by completing one of our returns forms and sending the harness to the address below. If you require any advice regarding this please call us on 015394 30122

The Climbers Shop, Compston Corner, Ambleside, Cumbria, LA22 9DS.