Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Dec 25, 2013 - 01:46pm PT
|
X-mas Bump...
|
|
qigongclimber
climber
|
|
i got my robertson harness from brian in the fall of 1971 in yosemite.
|
|
little Z
Trad climber
un cafetal en Naranjo
|
|
bought an indestructable, red, Clan Robertson pack in the mid-70's in Colorado (Neptune in Boulder). It was like a rubberized garbage bag with 2" flat nylon shoulder straps. Was still slogging it around in 1983 as the following photo shows (half of it is visible on the right).
|
|
JimT
climber
Munich
|
|
I know Brian looked at Whillans and his business as some sort of a model and at the time or soon after Whillans was already branching out beyond the climbing market to seat belts and race car harnesses.
Willans race harnesses are a completely different company to Whillans climbing harnesses made by Troll. They were founded by an ex-parachutist Major `DumboŽ Willans in 1972 and used to operate next door to one of my local pubs, the Greyhound in Stockbridge, England. Nowadays they are based at Silverstone race circuit and are the the world leaders in race-car stuff and also make industrial gear. http://www.willans.com/
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
Pretty sure I could go down to the basement and come up with one of his slings.
It might not be too safe to use any more but the color is prolly still ok.
|
|
Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 9, 2014 - 11:22am PT
|
Show and tell guys. Or in this case dig, dust and display for us, please.
|
|
madbolter1
Big Wall climber
Denver, CO
|
|
|
Nov 10, 2014 - 02:19am PT
|
Mark and I very much liked the behind-the-butt support in the Robertson big wall harness. We used those harnesses for years at the Quarry and wore them out. We then modified every harness after the Robertson to include the same sort of behind-the-butt support. Brilliant design, that Robertson.
Here's a pic and close-up of Reign of Pain at the Quarry.
|
|
madbolter1
Big Wall climber
Denver, CO
|
|
|
Nov 10, 2014 - 02:32am PT
|
Note the butt-support strap in our modification of some other big wall harness (I think Yates).
|
|
Rustie
climber
Coeur d\\\\\\\'Alene
|
|
|
Jan 10, 2015 - 10:23am PT
|
Steve -- sorry to fade on y'all. How's the historical project?
"Wee Brian": now there are some memories!
Apart from Scotland and Wales --- New winter route on the Aiguille de Midi, epic retreat few days later from the Croz Spur, Right Hand Pillar of Brouillard. He married a wonderful Americal lassie, settled in Boulder and started building a Spitfire in his basement (did someone say Mustang?) ....and did some gear sewing. Apart from an even epicer attempt with Layton Kor on The Painted Wall (early winter!) I lost contact with the lad. Is he still with us? "Stamping Steps In The Virgin Snow"? Searching the skies for the Red Baron? Sewing things?
As far as the "History Of Sewn Web" goes (I know you love this stuff) I must claim a modest contribution. I developed Tigers Web (thanks Patey) as the first commercially made specialist climbing webbing on our planet (the Americans did pioneer the use of surplus webbing, it's true). I was also in a race to produce the first climbing harness -- with Tony Howard at Troll, a dirtclimber buddie of mine. I left them all to it, to move to this fair countrie and get a real job. Brian's main goal, I think, was to produce a buckling seat harness: not a web-secured version like the excellent lightweight Forrest or the bum-drape original Whillans (tho Tom Frost did sort of modify that).
Nowadays we take our comfy sit harnesses for granted but it was a long suffocating (literally) road here. The euros had it even worse with those ridiculous shoulder harness contraptions. Can you imagine doing the FA of the West Face Of The Dru with a Baudrier Parisienne? Go Guido!
Take Care
Rusty
PS: I've lost you email.
|
|
Whitewater
Boulder climber
|
|
|
Apr 28, 2015 - 05:25am PT
|
I'm hoping someone can provide me with possible information about Brian. I have no idea what happened to him or where he resides, who he married etc.
I'm also looking for information on the sale of the company and where it ended up directly after Brian. (who owned it)
I'm aware the company turned to the hang-gliding industry and operated in and around Golden or Wheatridge. I believe the owner at the time was a gentleman named Ken who eventually took the company to California continuing within the hang-gliding industry until the late 80's
I'm very familiar with the last 26 years of the company operating in Nevada, however all the questions I seek seem to lead to dead ends.
The company still operates on a small scale, now known as Robertson Harness, providing gear within the ropes course and zipline industry. They build a handful of very durable trolley's used within the zipline market sold worldwide.
I do know the company plans to return to it's roots in Colorado, more than likely finding a home in or around Fort Collins.
|
|
Ghoulwe
Trad climber
Spokane, WA
|
|
|
Apr 28, 2015 - 06:10am PT
|
I'll contribute a bit to this thread.
I had the pleasure of working with Brian for several years in the late 80's early 90's. He and Tom Balkum had a contract sewing business in Boulder called Brand Name inc. and I was working with Adventure 16 in San Diego. We co-designed and BNI built a line of harnesses that filled the void left when Bill Forrest closed up shop. These harnesses were under the A16 label. Brian was a fun and industrious man and I greatly enjoyed his stories. BNI went out of business after several years and Brian and Tom went to work for Rose Manufacturing in Denver. I lost track of them after that.
Thanks for the memories!
Eric Barrett
Spokane WA
Ghoulwe Mtnrg Club
|
|
steve shea
climber
|
|
|
Apr 28, 2015 - 06:56am PT
|
I stand corrected. It was a Spitfire. I remember being in his basement with Mark Hess one day. We looked the plane over and wondered how the hell he was going to get it out. He said he was planning on blowing wall out so he could assemble the wings to the fuselage. Classic Brian!
He did build race car and plane harnesses. I buckled in to one of his harnesses when he took me flying. He talked about race car harnesses he had built for friends racing in SCCA. I guess he never marketed them but he was thinking about it.
|
|
Roots
Mountain climber
Tustin, CA
|
|
|
Apr 28, 2015 - 08:06am PT
|
Bump!
|
|
Roushski
Mountain climber
Durango, CO
|
|
Brian sold the company to Ken Horowitz (no doubt the Ken referenced above) who continued the design evolution, added models and expanded into hang glider harnesses which was his passion. This was mid to late '70's, and we had him build a few models for us with the co-labelling "Robbins/Roberston Harness". These were continued into 1983 or 1984 and were distributed nationally. At the time, we also had harnesses from Edelrid and Whillans.
Considering how many harnesses were available in 1980, its hard to imagine that in 1970 we all used swami belts for rock climbing and mostly tied in directly with butterflies or bowline-on-a-coil for alpine climbing.
|
|
maldaly
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
|
|
That definitely was a Robertson Professional. I was on the Larimer County Search and Rescue team where Brian was a dedicated member so we all had his harnesses. Man, that thing was a beast!
|
|
Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - May 1, 2015 - 02:04pm PT
|
Roushski- Any chance that you still have some of the harnesses that you just mentioned and could post a few photos of them?
|
|
hubcap
climber
loveland co
|
|
|
Jul 21, 2015 - 08:14pm PT
|
My brother Steve lived next Brian Robertson for several years. This harness was just off the press, I don't remember the month but I'm pretty sure it was late spring (or early summer)of 1972, but I could be wrong. He only had about 3 or 4 on hand and the were all like this -- black. A superior harness that I retired from climbing in 1994 but I still use trimming my 50' tree.
|
|
Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
|
|
|
Jul 21, 2015 - 08:31pm PT
|
things that make you Go HUH? ^ ^^ ^ ^ ^^ ^??!!??!
( my ankles may some day need that treatment.)
Oops, sorry workin' it at the same time,
pic of my Forrest harnesses of the same vintage,
hubcap
climber
loveland co
Jul 21, 2015 - 08:14pm PT
My brother Steve lived next Brian Robertson for several years. This harness was just off the press, I don't remember the month but I'm pretty sure it was late spring of 1971, but I could be wrong. He only had about 3 or 4 on hand and the were all like this -- black. A superior harness that I retired from climbing in 1994 but I still use trimming my 50' tree.[photo[photo[photo[photo[photo
Robertson Troll that lets you live until you die.
Robertson Troll that lets you live until you die.
Credit: hubcap
[photo]i[photod=419696]
|
|
hubcap
climber
loveland co
|
|
|
Jul 22, 2015 - 07:36am PT
|
Brian Robertson and Larry Bruce's harnesses from spring break 1972 (I think) trip to the Black Canyon. I think these are Robertson prototypes but not sure. The haul bag was his design and made of herculite.
|
|
Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 22, 2015 - 08:19am PT
|
hubcap- Please check your email.
Thanks for posting the historical photos and shots of your harness. They are just what I was looking for with dates to match.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!