MOUNTAINEERS CLIMBING, RAPPELLING HARNESS'S AND BELAYING.

Can you believe this is how it all started and we must not forget the BOWLINE-ON-A-COIL. 

If you want to work up a good sweat try this one.

HARNESSESS

If it ain't tied right it could be an ankle tripper.

SWAMI BELT

The Swami Belt as it was called was long enough to wrap around your waist

4 to 6 times.  But it still had the same choke hold around you waist as the Bowline-On-A-Coil.  Then came the sewn Swami Belt the width was between

4 - 6 inches and tied in the front.  The only advanage in using the Swami Belt over the Bowline-On-Coil was it gave you a longer climbing rope.

THE BABOON HANG

RAPPELLING

FIGURE EIGHT WITH WAIST BAND

DULFERSITZ

ARM RAPPELLING

©1982. Illustrations reprinted with permission of the publisher from Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, 4th edition, The Mountaineers, Seattle.

The first impression of Otzi's calf-leather belt is how unremarkable it seems. It is about 2 yards long, 2.25" high in the center, tapering to .25" at the ends. It is long enough to wrap around his body twice with plenty left over for tying a knot. Historically, most loincloths are held up with a simple single cord. Why would he need such a long, wide piece of hide to just hold up his loincloth? Some of you who rock climb may remember the old "swami belt", used before the advent of the modern climbing harness. It was just a flat piece of nylon webbing that was snugly wrapped several times around your body and tied securely. Because it was tied to the main climbing rope, the belt would spread out the force of a fall to a wider area helping to prevent injury. Even todays' backpacks have wide belts to help distribute the weight of the load over your lower back and hips.

swa·mi belt (plural swa·mi belts)

noun 

Definition:

climbing harness: a crude climbing harness that has a waist belt but no leg loops, intended to distribute the climber's weight evenly in a fall.

swa·mi [ swmee ] (plural swa·mis)

noun 

Definition:

Hindu title of respect: a title of respect for a Hindu saint or religious teacher

[Late 18th century. Via Hindi < Sanskrit svāmin- "being your own master"]

This is my first Freedom of The Hills 1965

and my notes

I don't know who where the name Swami Belt,

came from but this is what I found.

A SPECIAL THANKS TO MARY BETZ  THE RIGHTS MANAGER OF THE MOUNTAINEERS FOR HER HELP.