Objects Database

Whillan's harness

Accession Number

1104.2013.1

Object Name

Whillan's harness

Created

17/12/2013

Creator

Hermione Cooper

Accession Date

17/12/2013

Brief Description

Whillan's troll sit harness

Materials

canvas, plastic, nylon, metal

Dimensions

130(l) x 5(w) cms

Number Of Objects

1

Inscription Description

Along harness "TROLL"
On label "TROLL MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN M FABRIQUE EN ENGLETERRE"

Colour

purple/black

Maker

Troll

Object Production Place

Great Britain

Provenance

Rope, leather and webbing from parachute harnesses were just some of the materials used for early climbing harnesses until nylon tape was invented, sometime in the 1960's, we think. The Americans wrapped tape around their bodies in various configurations and called it a 'Swami belt.
In 1970, not long after his successful climb of the Troll Wall in Norway, Tony Howard set up his mountaineering equipment company, Troll. Pretty soon after they teamed up with legendary climber, Don Whillans and between them they produced one of the first sit harnesses made/sewn with tape - Whillans used one on the South face of Annapurna and climbers all over the world used them for decades to come.
The central crutch strap on the Whillan's was said to have rendered several male climbers impotent and they were not the most comfortable for abseiling, though they did probably prevent lots of male climbers from falling off as the resultant damage to the nether regions was unthinkable!
The Troll Whillan's Harness was however a major step forward in climbing/mountaineering equipment development and just about every climbing harness on the market some forty or fifty years later is based on this original design.
We've got a few Whillan's harnesses in the collection so we've added this one to help with the various colour schemes!!!

Acquisition Method

Donated by Roger Booth

Acquisition Date

17/12/2013

Condition Check Date

17/12/2013

Rules

Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007

Modified

17/12/2013

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