The Xenos Harness by Black Diamond is their premier harness for ice and mixed climbing, the Xenos has been designed and built using our Kinetic Core Construction.
DECENT FEATURES of the Black Diamond Xenos Harness
Pre-threaded Speed Adjust waistbelt and leg loop buckles
Bullhorn-shaped waistbelt built using Kinetic Core Construction
6 Ice Clipper slots allow customized racking
4 pressure-molded gear loops and 12 kN-rated haul loop
"Great for all types of climb. Alpine bad boy"
11/01/12
Great harness. Used for 3 years now and still cranking. Great up in the alpine or trad climbing. Great design, with the leg elastic supporters able to unclip when needing to tend to nature. Thin but still feels solid.
Being an ice climber there are certain things you look for in a harness. Things like how easy will it be to put on with layers on etc... I have to say I am very impressed.-ice clipper slots were in great spots, natural place where your hand would come down to grab a screw with 2 more in the back for holding that 22cm for the v threads that you don't want to get in your way-Everything was operable even with bulky belay gloves on. -Fits comfortably with layers on and everything lines up correctly unlike the blizzard harness did.
I've been climbing the crags in this harness twice a week for a while now. It's the most expensive harness I've purchased to date, but it's also my fav. I find it very comfortable, all of the time... all day long. It was perfect on a recent mountain climb as well (the gear was clear of my backpack; also noted by a previous review). I'm looking forward to wearing it this winter while ice climbing, as I expect it to perform well with the ice clippers! It's a 5 star all-around harness.
"Really comfortable; with all the features, but without all of the weight!"
10/25/09
I just bought this harness and I think that it is awesome. It has tons of great features, some that are easily recognized: like the adjustable leg loops and ice clipper slots. There are also some features less obvious: like the fact that the gear loops hang low off the harness keeping your gear out of the way when you're wearing a pack while on the mountain. It has the sleek look of the Arcteryx harnesses, but it is way more comfortable. Just as a note, the sizing for this harness is smaller than other BD harnesses, so check the sizing chart carefully! (I had to buy one size larger than I normally do and it fits just right)