BD spinner leash mod

After being a little annoyed by the carabiners on my BD spinner leashes rattling around, getting caught up in weird positions and, occasionally, coming undone while climbing, I decided to mod them.

I think this mod idea is worthwhile so I wanted to share it.

I cut off the carabiners and sewed a couple of small, twisted, slings (trying to imitate the BD bar tacks) directly through the leash loops.

I put transparent shrinking tube on to keep everything in line and protected. Of course it would have been even better if the leashes had these, slightly longer, twisted loops sewn directly on the ends but they don't. The Blue Ice boa leashes do, but it seems they're not available anymore and they also don't have a swivel, which I really like to have.

Anyways, it's now quieter, more streamlined and won't get hung up or come off accidentally.

It's still easy to take on and off by sticking the loop of webbing through the handle and under the pommel to form kind of a girth hitch. This probably works best on tools with a hole in the handle, like Nomics and X-dreams.

I don't know it's load limit but it supports my weight, statically hanging on it.

What do you guys think? Flame away!

I like it.

I can't stand having clanking biners banging against my tool handles.

I don't know why, but ice climbers seem to be less averse to modifying their gear than summer-only climbers. And that's a good thing; it keeps things interesting and gets the climber more intimately involved in the activity.  But I'm biased, having a history of modifying my crampons, boots, tools, screws, slings...

I think rock gear is pretty well perfected in many cases where ice gear often seems to be not quite right.... 

Agreed on carabiners being annoying clipped to tools. I use two single springy Grivel leashes, girth hitch the strap to the tools and clip the carabiners to my belay loop. Same same but I can still detach if needed. 

Gunkiemikewrote:

I don't know why, but ice climbers seem to be less averse to modifying their gear than summer-only climbers. And that's a good thing; it keeps things interesting and gets the climber more intimately involved in the activity.  But I'm biased, having a history of modifying my crampons, boots, tools, screws, slings...

Interesting observation. I think Nick is on to something about rock climbing being more perfected. I imagine most amateurs (like myself) don't want to tinker too much with their actual life line - rope, protection and the connections in-between them. For rock climbing that doesn't leave much but your hands and feet, and they are hard to improve upon. =)

In aid and ice there's a little more room to be creative.

That said I always strive for simplicity, I think that's the way forward in innovation and in this case the product got better (in my opinion) by removing something.

I know, I added the orange loops but as I said before, it would be better if those loops were sewn directly with the ends of the leash webbing instead of adding another piece.  I'm now thinking of doing that myself to make it even cleaner. They're long enough for me to get away with that.

personally it is absolutely critical for tethers to be easy to clip and unclip easily  Lets face it they are a PINTA and they do get tangled up.  being able to easily untangle them is key.  as much of a PINTA that tethers are they are less of a PINTA than losing $300.00 tool in the snow... 

My take:

1) I don't like a spike on the bottom of an ice tool.  I often hold the tools by the base and plunge the heads, and I never need that spike.

2) I hate climbing with carabiners banging and rattling around in the metal spike on the bottom of so many tools.  

3) I do like the ability to unclip tethers from tools so...

When I used X-Dreams I had a company bar tack small dyneema loops through the holes near the bottoms of the handles (using the regular spikeless handles).  I then clipped tethers into these small loops.  It was a really nice solution.  The carabiners didn't bang and rattle when clipped to flexible loops. 

Now that I have returned to Nomics I have a small loops of narrow webbing tied through the holes in the handles.  A simple layer of athletic tape holds each loop flat, and the joining knots are hidden in the holes in the handles.  It does not add much if any bulk and it works.  This is not revolutionary--people have been doing this forever.  It does bother me that there is not a more elegant solution, but that's life. 

I don't really like the solution presented by the OP (although it is nicely executed) becaure it places the tether right on the grip.  No bueno.

I really like the pommel and grip design of X-dreams.  I wish that they would sell aftermarket Petzl pommels with small holes or spaces to tie or sew loops. 

Anyway, that's the way I roll (or swing)

I don’t usually use tethers, but when I do….

• Swivel is key
• Quick removal is key
• The tether never supports my weight 
• Therefore, a small essentially weightless Velcro loop closure in place of the biner does the job. No sewing needed 
• But….since I’ve never dropped an axe in 30 years, climbing with them is like having sex with crocs on, and it only seems worth the hassle on Alaskan multipitch mixed (or remote, > 5 pitch mixed) I generally have no use for tethers and just can’t comprehend why some do on 1-3 pitch, “local” standard ice/mixed climbs.  
• As even the tether users seem to agree that they are generally a PIA,  I’ll gladly take the risk on needing to bail and rap if I ever do happen to drop one, but that risk is minimal and worth it compared to making every climb suck just a little

Bruno Schullwrote:

I don't really like the solution presented by the OP (although it is nicely executed) becaure it places the tether right on the grip.  No bueno.

You're right Bruno, the loops should be an inch or so longer so they're perfectly flat on the grip. Or do you think they shouldn't be up there at all?

To be clear, this attachment is quite easy to take off the tool, just pull the loop down under the pommel and they're free. The swivel helps with the tangles.

Hey Mike, 

You did an awesome job seqing those.  Very cool. 

I guess my feeling is try to get them in the position where they affect the grip the least, so lying flush against the handle with a small loop protruding at the bottom to clip/girth hitch.  You could hide the bar tacks in the hollow handle, and hold everything down with a flat layer of athletic tape. 

Or sew some small loops through the holes in the spike?

Thanks Bruno, I completely agree with you.

tethers may not be necessary but I keep finding these in the spring.... 

funny thing is the super stubby was mine from a drop two seasons ago.. one of my friends beat me up there this spring so I did not get a chance to recover my 13cm ultra light that i dropped this season. pickings were slim. I scored the Nomic by doing some slippery wet 4th class climbing out onto a ledge 100ft off the deck..... 

I feel that spike is mandatory even for 5+ which is an example of how we all have different criteria for ice gear and explains  why ice gear gets modified as much as it does. 

For me Teathers allow me to relax my grip and feel more secure while cleaning stuck tools, soloing etc. even on single pitch top ropes I have seen folks completely loose a tool in the deep snow and not be able to find it.  . 

Dr Illogical wrote:

What do you have against sex with Crocs on?

It’s probably just my own personal hang up … but the only acceptable use for crocs is waffle stomping at campground showers so the activities should be kept separate.  

Course, if you keep a separate, dedicated pair for sex, then you’re ok. 

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

For me Teathers allow me to relax my grip and feel more secure while cleaning stuck tools, soloing etc.

Boom, this is why I keep coming back to tethers. When cleaning stuck tools, shaking out, or simply wanting to dump my tools quickly at a weird belay, umbicals eliminate a lot of stress for me. I really don't mind them at all when leading, except for chandelier or early season ice, but when following they are more annoying.

Who is gonna start the:

Leashes vs free style thread, or

The spike vs no spike thread?

Doing some more research I found that Grivel has a new (at least for me) leash, the double spring evo, with a toggle that goes through the hole in the spike. Looks interesting!

Another factor is weight, by taking off the carabiners (and adding my webbing pieces) I shaved a third off the total weight off the leashes. From 94 grams to 60.

Thanks for nerding out with me guys! =)

https://www.campsaver.com/blue-ice-boa-leash.html

https://us.grivel.com/products/rotor-1

I've been using these for a few years. Blue ice doesnt make these leashes anymore. Not sure if anyone else does. Girth hitch to each tool and girth hitch both to the Grivel Rotor. Clip rotor to harness. The rotor doesnt spin as freely as I'd like. It seems like the built in leash spinners work better. But it's solved the carabiner-on-tool problem. If everything is tangled just unclip the rotor and fix.

Anyone use the new Grivel leashes Mike J posted? Curious if they have a tendency to be pushed out when ice and snow get gunked up.

Why couldn't you use two of the Blue Ice single leashes and reverse them? Half hitch the loop to the handle and clip the krab to your harness, maybe make a plastic safety to slide over the gate opening. Too bad they no longer make the old style leash.

Jake woowrote:

Anyone use the new Grivel leashes Mike J posted? Curious if they have a tendency to be pushed out when ice and snow get gunked up.

I have used it, and with the little rubber things on it, they are very secure in my X-alls. If you have a tool with a larger eye, it might slip out, but really they feel very secure to me.

jerryjwrote:

Why couldn't you use two of the Blue Ice single leashes and reverse them? Half hitch the loop to the handle and clip the krab to your harness, maybe make a plastic safety to slide over the gate opening. Too bad they no longer make the old style leash.

I absolutely could. I think that's what Jake does, as described in the post above.

But, I'm pretty set on wanting a swivel. I used to have the DMM Freedom Revo leash but switched to the BDs because they kept getting tangled and I missed a swivel.

I agree it's a shame they stopped making the the old double boa without carabiners. But it also didn't have a swivel.. =)

http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2011/03/boa-leash-by-blue-ice.html?m=1