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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 17, 2013 - 03:09pm PT
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I have been poking around in early sewn gear history and would like to see what folks remember about this company. When I began visiting Colorado in the early seventies Robertson gear was there and I am trying to establish a time line for their first harness harness or gear sling release.
Forrest had a sit harness out in 1968 with Troll several years ahead of that.
Anyone have Clan Robertson gear to show?
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Mar 17, 2013 - 06:45pm PT
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I had a Robertson harness in the early '70s, and met Brian shortly thereafter.
Too bad how he ended up.
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steve shea
climber
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Mar 17, 2013 - 07:15pm PT
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Brian Robertson and clan built harnesses, leg loops, etriers, slings and about anything involving webbing for climbing in his house on the hill in Boulder. I first met Brian through Larry Bruce and Jon Krakauer ice climbing in the early 70's. 73 maybe. There were very few ice climbers around and Brian seemed to have lots of experience and showed us the ropes. He also tested designs with our help and the whole business of Clan Robertson gradually grew. 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. I lost track of Brian in the mid 70's a lot of us had gone from Boulder by then. Sometimes he would drive up to Glenwood Canyon with a Boulder ice posse and we would come down from Aspen to meet up and climb for the day. I think he may have been injured at some point and gave up climbing for aerobatic flying. His penchant for aircraft and inverted flying was fertile ground for his harness business and I think he was somewhat successful in that market. At one point he was building a 3/4 scale, fully operational aerobatic Mustang in his basement. I owe my early attraction to ice climbing to Brian. I can hear him now telling stories of the glory days in Scotland on the Ben etc. The stories were fueled with liberal amounts of beer. Great memories. His house was constantly full of climbers coming and going. Brian was generous with his time and liked a lot of activity. I think he knew his time as an alpinist had past but wanted to stayed connected. I have photos and even an old swami with detatchable leg loops. I'll try to post up. His stuff was bullet proof as I remember. For impressionable young alpinists he was a treasure to climb with and had a following BITD. The last time I saw Brian he took me flying. I've never been so scared. It was a fully aerobatic stunt plane with a huge engine. He was a good pilot, at least on that day. I'll never forget that flight. Thanks for bringing this up Steve.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 17, 2013 - 07:29pm PT
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Do you recall what year he began selling gear with the Robertson coat of arms on the label? I came to Boulder first in about 1974 and saw his gear at that point for sure in the Boulder Mountaineer used gear for sale area if not the store itself. I bet Bob can nail this down.
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steve shea
climber
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Mar 17, 2013 - 07:48pm PT
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I could be wrong, it must have been earlier. 71 maybe. We all climbed in Galibier Hivernales and the yellow finished Chouinard ridgids. I remember because we were always breaking them and trading parts back and forth. I do not remember if the black ones were out yet. Maybe this dates it? His gear did not have a logo when I first met him. I remember when he introduced the logo, the Robertson Coat of Arms. He may have had a rep then. The product looked way more professionally finished and was ready for market. I'll do some checking and get the right timeline. BTW Tom Patey was a regular partner as was Davey Agnew who lived just over the hill here in Jackson. Davey lived in Driggs Id. He may have climbed with Callum MacKay as well. Callum still lives here with his family.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 17, 2013 - 08:11pm PT
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Davey Agnew worked for Chouinard in Ventura in the late sixties and is in the classic shop shot with everyone in Robbins boots. One promethean stud muffin in that picture! LOL
Photobucket is giving me fits or I would post the goods.
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Mar 18, 2013 - 12:00am PT
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Steve & Steve: Thanks for more insight on the history of climbing gear manufacturers. Researching Royal Robbins's distribution company, Mountain Paraphernalia, I found this ad for Clan Robertson.
I don't remember ever stocking any of their gear in my Moscow, Idaho outdoor shop in the 1970's.
Click on the photo to enlarge it.
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Alan Rubin
climber
Amherst,MA.
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Mar 18, 2013 - 03:03pm PT
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I remember meeting Brian Robertson in the late '60s or, more likely in the Valley during the fall of '70. Before I met him I was familiar with his reputation as one of the leading members of the Edinburg Squirrels Climbing Club with a number of hard rock and winter new routes in Scotland. I do recall spending a couple of days at his house in Boulder that November on our way back east. My recollection is of an almost stereotypical short, tough, humorous, aggressive Scots hardman. I don't believe that he'd started his business yet--otherwise I likely would have come home with a Clan Robertson harness!!!
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ydpl8s
Trad climber
Santa Monica, California
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Mar 18, 2013 - 03:13pm PT
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I think in this photo with Mal Daly, Dave Bohn is wearing a Robertson harness like the one I had, I think it had a logo and I think I got mine around 73. My memory is that you had to make sure you doubled back the belt, which had a big buckle, or that thing would open right up!
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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Mar 18, 2013 - 03:23pm PT
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We rescued Robertson and his newly acqquired climbing partner, red haired Kelly Minnick (also from Colorado) on the Nose in July, 70. I think they were on Camp VI or just below and had gotten to a point where they wouldn't climb with each other, had run out of water in that summer heat, were sunburnt to hell, and just effing gave up. When they reached the top via our lines, they couldn't even talk to each other.
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o-man
Social climber
Paia,Maui,HI
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Mar 18, 2013 - 03:37pm PT
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Brian was my very first climbing mentor (1971 or there about). He and his crew Mark Hess and Larry Bruce paved the way for a long and fulfilling relationship with the vertical world.
I owned two of his harness's and a gear sling that I used for many years.
I remember hanging out at his house in Boulder and the plane he was building in his basement. I also remember he had a little Sabb sports car that he crashed in the valley.
I remember him telling me," Mon yer gonna die,You ave too much natural talent, and very little practical experience to back it up!"
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Alan Rubin
climber
Amherst,MA.
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Mar 18, 2013 - 03:48pm PT
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I forgot to ask in my earlier post. Above, Ron says "Too bad how he (Brian) ended up." I lost track of him in the early '70s and had heard nothing of him since until this post. So, what did happen to him, Ron?
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GLee
Social climber
Missoula MT
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Mar 18, 2013 - 03:58pm PT
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From www.robertsonharness.com/:
Robertson Mountaineering is a fourty one year old manufacturer of harnesses for challenge course, zip line, fire rescue, police, military, marine and medical rehab.
Since 1970 we have been manufacturing the Robertson line of harnesses, as well as making private label harnesses for others.
We also offer a full line of high angle hardware, ropes and accessories. We are your complete source for carabiners, harnesses, pulleys, trolleys, ropes challenge course products, helmets, rope, rescue gear, and other specialty rigging equipment.
Professional Affiliations include: PRCA, ACCT, AEE.
If you have any questions, you may contact us by e-mail or call 702-564-4286. Mail: PO Box 90086, Henderson, Nv., 89009-0086
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Steven Amter
climber
Washington, DC
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Mar 18, 2013 - 04:09pm PT
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My first harness in 1974/75 was a Clan Robertson - I think I still have it somewhere up in my attic. That was to go along with my RR's and my British Knickers...
By 1976 I was climbing in Hawkins shoes (EB and my feet did not get along; but Hawkins' design was years ahead of its time), a padded swami belt, white painter's pants and striped rugby shirt (thank you Henry Barber), and a headband. Totally stereotypical!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 18, 2013 - 09:58pm PT
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The House of Hawkins Masters were the best shoe I ever climbed in prior to sticky rubber.
Got mine at the Boulder Mountaineer around 1974.
Dig out that harness and post a shot of it, if you would.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 19, 2013 - 10:46am PT
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GLee- Thanks for the link.
I did see that the company was still in business but missed the background material.
So 1970 then, two years after Bill Forrest introduced his two-piece sit harness.
ydpl8s- Any recollection what Malcolm is wearing with the giant leg loop buckles?!? Great photo!
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ydpl8s
Trad climber
Santa Monica, California
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Mar 19, 2013 - 11:34am PT
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Sorry Steve, that pic is actually one of Mal's from this site (hope he didn't mind me using it), so I'm not sure, kind of looks Forrest like.
Here's one of me with the aforementioned harness, even back then I liked what was considered "old school" in those days, as witnessed by my shoes. I think I was racking up for the Owl on The Dome in Boulder Canyon.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 23, 2013 - 01:45pm PT
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Bump for Show and Tell...
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 31, 2013 - 11:38am PT
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Bump for the goods...
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 25, 2013 - 01:46pm PT
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X-mas Bump...
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qigongclimber
climber
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i got my robertson harness from brian in the fall of 1971 in yosemite.
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little Z
Trad climber
un cafetal en Naranjo
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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).
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JimT
climber
Munich
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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/
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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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.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 9, 2014 - 11:22am PT
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Show and tell guys. Or in this case dig, dust and display for us, please.
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madbolter1
Big Wall climber
Denver, CO
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Nov 10, 2014 - 02:19am PT
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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.
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madbolter1
Big Wall climber
Denver, CO
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Nov 10, 2014 - 02:32am PT
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Note the butt-support strap in our modification of some other big wall harness (I think Yates).
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Rustie
climber
Coeur d\\\\\\\'Alene
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Jan 10, 2015 - 10:23am PT
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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.
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Whitewater
Boulder climber
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Apr 28, 2015 - 05:25am PT
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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.
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Ghoulwe
Trad climber
Spokane, WA
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Apr 28, 2015 - 06:10am PT
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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
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steve shea
climber
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Apr 28, 2015 - 06:56am PT
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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.
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Roots
Mountain climber
Tustin, CA
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Apr 28, 2015 - 08:06am PT
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Bump!
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Roushski
Mountain climber
Durango, CO
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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.
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maldaly
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
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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!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 1, 2015 - 02:04pm PT
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Roushski- Any chance that you still have some of the harnesses that you just mentioned and could post a few photos of them?
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hubcap
climber
loveland co
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Jul 21, 2015 - 08:14pm PT
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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.
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Jul 21, 2015 - 08:31pm PT
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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]
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hubcap
climber
loveland co
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Jul 22, 2015 - 07:36am PT
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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.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 22, 2015 - 08:19am PT
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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.
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hubcap
climber
loveland co
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Jul 30, 2015 - 02:05pm PT
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Climbing attempt of Chasm View in the Black Canyon, spring break 1972.
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hubcap
climber
loveland co
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Jul 30, 2015 - 02:33pm PT
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Here's the yellow harnesses used in the Black Canyon. The old logo is worn off and notice no bar tacking. These were all free hand sewn with a machine. My brother seems to remember that when Brian's business "ended" that he went to work for Rose Manufacturing (safety gear) in Denver for a while.
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