Situation: waist double-back buckle failure during an indoor training session. Outcome: no injuries. Cause: metal corrosion. Comment: the harness was regularly used in caves and for gym training; washed, dried, and stored properly; not used on major expeditions; condition appeared normal at first glance; service life — 6 years; user weight ~100 kg.
• 2021 — Mammut Ophir 3 climbing harness
Situation: failure of the quick-adjust waist buckle while climbing outdoors. Outcome: no injuries. Cause: metal corrosion. Comment: according to the user, the harness was less than two years old and had been used in very hot and humid conditions (rain + sweat); signs of corrosion had been noticed beforehand, but no action was taken. Source: reddit.com
• 2018 — Singing Rock “Digger” caving harness, Cedar Knob Cave, USA
Situation: leg loop failure while ascending a rope. Outcome: no injuries. Cause: severe localized wear. Comment: the harness had been used for about 6 years and roughly 3,500 times; it had been inspected regularly, but the critical wear zone was partly hidden by a protective cover. Source: caves.org
• 2017–2018 — canyoning harnesses, France
Situation: three independent cases of harness failure under body weight. Outcome: no serious injuries. Cause: critical strength loss caused by intensive use in harsh canyon environments — water, abrasion, and UV exposure. Comment: follow-up testing showed strength losses of up to 90% after 3–4 years of heavy collective use; visual condition did not always reflect residual strength. Source: 1) theuiaa.org 2) theuiaa.org
• 2013 — Black Diamond harness, climbing gym
Situation: once the rope was weighted, the load-bearing webbing suddenly delaminated from the waist belt; the climber felt themself tipping backward, grabbed the rope, and was lowered safely to the ground. Outcome: no injuries. Cause: critical weakening of the textile material due to chemical exposure — most likely sulfuric or hydrochloric acid. Comment: according to the user, the harness appeared to be in near-perfect condition, had been used for about a year exclusively indoors, and was carefully stored; the damage was not obvious: slight corrosion on the buckle and discoloration of the nylon stitching (which turned pink and, as it turned out, could be torn by hand). Source: blackdiamondequipment.com
• 2012 — Black Diamond “Blizzard” harness, climbing gym
Situation: right leg loop failure during a standard indoor lead fall. Outcome: the user was uninjured, left hanging in a distorted harness. Cause: critical weakening of the material due to exposure to an unknown acid, likely sulfuric. Comment: aside from faded areas (tie-in point and inner sides of the leg loops), the harness appeared to be in acceptable condition. Source: thebmc.co.uk
• 2006 — Todd Skinner
Situation: belay loop failure under body weight. Outcome: fatal fall. Cause: severe wear of the belay loop, partially hidden by the connected gear. Comment: the case is especially notable because Skinner was one of the most experienced climbers of his time and was aware of the harness’s poor condition. Source: americanalpineclub.org ________________________
It is important to understand that these cases represent only a small fraction of all incidents that actually occur. Some failures are never documented; others are never made public.
A significant number of incidents are also linked to manufacturing defects or design flaws. One of the most recent high-profile examples was the 2024 failure and subsequent recall of the Black Diamond “Vision” harness line: mountainproject.com. Unfortunately, cases like these offer little room for analysis — or reassurance.