*Disclaimer: this gear review was sponsored by Valhalla Pure Outfitters and Petzl. All opinions and experiences are solely our own.
Ryan first got into outdoor sport climbing about 2 years ago, after focusing mainly on indoor bouldering for many years; I had my first introduction to outdoor climbing 3 years ago after just starting to dip my feet into the sport, and after that I was hooked.
In our hometown of Victoria, BC, we’re lucky to have a lot of outdoor climbing options available within a 30-minute drive, and over the past year we’ve really started to take advantage of that. Just a few weeks ago, I tackled my very first (and then second!) lead route at a local crag called Schoolhouse on the slopes of Mt Wells. So, when VPO reached out and asked us to try Petzl’s new Luna (women’s) and Adjama (men’s) harnesses, we thought the timing was perfect!
We’ve had a chance to climb with the harnesses both indoors and out, for top-rope and lead. Keep reading to see what our thoughts are!
Session 1: The Boulders Climbing Gym (indoor top-rope)
We unboxed the harnesses pretty much as soon as they arrived. When we first took them out of their bags, we remarked at how light they both felt. The carry-bags for the harnesses are also quite lightweight, but because they’re not mesh like others we’ve seen, they’ll keep the harnesses clean and help protect them from unnecessary wear over time. We took notice of the soft gear loops at the back of the harnesses, while the two side gear loops are more rigid like our previous harnesses. We also appreciated the fun, bright colours – Luna in a hot pink/red combo, and Adjama in a bold red. I was pleased with the ease of getting my harness on over my hips, because that had always been a bit of a struggle with my previous Black Diamond harness. Fit check complete, we headed off to the gym.
The Boulders Climbing Gym is a local favourite of ours, just a few minutes down the road from us, less expensive and often quieter than some of the other gyms in downtown Victoria. They have a small bouldering section, which we often use as either a warm-up or finisher in conjunction with a roped session. The Lead section of this gym is where it really shines – with overhung walls up to 60 ft (18 m) high, and a 49 ft (15 m) speed-climbing wall, it’s one of just a few facilities in North America capable of hosting international sport climbing events. On top of that, they have a huge garage-style door on the Lead side of the gym that they open daily during the summer, so even when you’re climbing inside you get fresh air and sunshine!
With only a couple of hours before closing, we knew we were going to have a short session but figured it was the perfect chance to get first impressions of our new gear. While the bouldering area was busy, we were happy to discover the Lead side of the gym was totally empty. Once we were geared up with harnesses, shoes, and chalk bags, Ryan found that the leg loops on his Adjama harness weren't quite as comfortable or easy to adjust as his previous BD harness; he wondered if maybe this was just due to some new-webbing stiffness. Overall, we were both happy with the fits based on using the online sizing chart.
We jumped into our session, taking advantage of the empty gym to jump from line to line. We managed to top 3 routes each in the time that we had – a 5.7, 5.8, and 5.9 – enjoying the mellow quietness. Ryan also attempted a 5.10+, but with the crux (or at least a weird and difficult move) right at the beginning of the route, he didn’t make it too far up the wall. On the first route that I climbed, when I reached the top and called for Ryan to take the slack in the rope, I felt the harness in a rather uncomfortable way around my legs. Once safely back on the ground, I took a closer look at the design structure of the leg loops on my Luna harness; they definitely form a different shape than my old BD harness, which I attributed to likely causing that discomfort. While climbing, however, I hardly felt the harness around me at all.
Nearly as quickly as our session began, we were approached by a staff member who told us we had 5 minutes left until they closed. We looked at each other and said, we need to get outdoors this week!
Session 2: Glen Lake Crag, Umbrage Wall (outdoor lead, top-rope)
We managed to carve out some time on the weekend to go for an outdoor climb session with a couple of friends, to a lovely, sheltered spot only 30 minutes from home. Ryan and one of our friends had been to this area before, but it was my first time there.
We arrived at the small parking area on the side of West Shore Parkway just after noon, to find a handful of other cars already parked. We unloaded all our kit and our pup Pluto, then headed up the short trail to the rock face. Only a couple hundred metres up to where we climbed, the trail is mostly large stones that were placed to form a robust staircase. The trail also branches off and connects to other popular hiking and mountain biking trails in the area.
Despite how busy the parking area was, we managed to find a quiet spot on one of the lower faces – Umbrage Wall according to our guidebook (2019 Glen Lake Crag guidebook - available online). There are 6 distinct, named walls for climbing at this crag, with routes ranging in difficulty from 5.6 to 5.11b, and one 5.12b that leads to a few multi-pitch options on the Karate Kid Walls. The rock in this area is good quality weathered basalt, and the guidebook says that it dries well and quickly following a rain. Where we were climbing on Umbrage Wall, huge leafy maples provide ample shade and shelter from the wind and sun. The book is a little bit outdated, as lots of work has been ongoing in the area and new routes have been bolted, so we weren’t always sure exactly what grade we were climbing.
We started out with what we think was a 5.8, our friend Robin leading it first, followed by myself, and finally Ryan. Our friend Aaron joined as well to take photos from below. The second route we climbed was a much more reach-y 5.10a. Again, Robin took the first lead ascent, then I top-roped it, and Ryan lead climbed after. Due to the reachiness of the route, I didn’t feel confident leading it, and I definitely needed a bit of a pull from my belayer to make it past the crux – if only my wingspan was a couple inches longer! – Ryan didn’t have any problems at all.
While climbing the 5.10a, Ryan wanted to do some practice falls, which was also a great opportunity for Robin to work on his soft catch technique. Ryan did three falls, dropping a metre from above the last quickdraw he’d attached to partway down the wall. He was really impressed with the comfort of his Adjama harness in this situation. We also used this route to play around with our drone and take some photos with different perspectives, check it out:
To finish off the day, we took turns leading a chill 5.6. On this final route, a large crack/space between a ledge and the main part of the rock face housed a tiny bird’s nest, complete with little eggs. The mother bird flew out of the nest as we climbed near it, and we were careful not to disturb the nest as we passed. By the time we all finished this route, many more climbers had arrived and the wall was beginning to feel a bit crowded. Since Robin had to get going at that time anyways, we decided to also call it the end of the session.
As we think back on the day, we can’t recall thinking about or noticing any discomfort from our harnesses like we did at the gym the other day. Seems like they just needed a few climbs to get broken in – or maybe I was just too focused on not falling to notice!
Overall, I think the biggest difference between my new Petzl Luna harness and my old BD one is the ease of getting it on and off, which is suuuper nice. I found the gear loops to be more than adequate for the single pitches that we climb; I had 5 quickdraws on each of the two rigid loops with room to spare for more gear, and a personal anchor attached to one of the soft loops towards the back of the harness. We did some further testing later on and found that we could comfortably fit up to ten quickdraws on each rigid loop, and maybe even squeeze on a couple more if you really needed to.
Session 3: Glen Lake Crag, Dirt Stamp Wall (outdoor lead, top-rope)
We took advantage of being off work early on a sunny Friday afternoon to hit up the crag again on our way out of town for a weekend getaway. We walked up the trail to Umbrage but found a couple of climbers on the wall there, so we opted to climb a new spot - Dirt Stamp (or Main Wall, depending which version of the guidebook you have) - which is just above Umbrage Wall. A couple of friends were meeting us there, but since we arrived ahead of them we warmed up on the easier routes to the climbers left of the wall, taking the time to work on my lead climbing and anchor setting techniques.
Dirt Stamp has routes ranging from 5.6 to 5.11b, for the most part trending easier to the left and getting longer and more technical to the right. Our guidebook is a little outdated, but our friends had climbed here just a few days prior so were able to give us the lay of the land once they arrived.
As we made our way climber’s right, we found some very crimpy routes… Ryan led a couple of 5.8s and a 5.9; I top-roped the first 5.8 that he did, which the guidebook quips as being “short and crimpy for the grade.” It was fun but challenging, especially because I’ve been avoiding crimpy climbs for the past few months after recovering from a muscle tear in my left hand, so I called it after that for the sake of not wanting to over-do it.
Our quick session at Dirt Stamp was a fun way to start a great weekend. We’ll definitely be back soon to explore more of the routes around Glen Lake - and you’ll certainly see us on the wall in our vibrant Petzl harnesses!
Final Thoughts
We’ve really enjoyed climbing in the Petzl Luna and Adjama harnesses. Despite our initial worries about comfort during our first session, the gripes quickly disappeared. Gear was always easy to reach while climbing, and we had plenty of mobility when we needed to make a big move.
Lightweight, colourful, and easy to carry and keep clean, the Luna and Adjama harnesses will be key pieces of kit for years to come.
