Then, in another issue from the late 80s I came across these harness ads. They made me so happy. There was once a time when it was not only acceptable but desirable to Saran-wrap your lower half in shiny, day-glow fabric. It must have been the European influence seeping into the American climbing culture. Who can blame us for aping them, though? They were pretty much kicking our asses on the (sport and comp) climbing front at the time. (They were likewise far ahead in the art of drilling, chipping, bolting, hangdogging, and the like — let’s give credit where credit’s due.)

The thing that baffles me is the fact that I started climbing only a few years after these ads ran. Did I look ever like this? I went digging through old photos and found one shot in which I had horizontal stripes shaved into the side of my head, and another where I sported brightly-colored ¾-length stretchy pants (you will never see these photos), but nothing like this, thank God.

I hope to continue bringing you fine examples of vintage advertisements from the pages of early mags, so stay tuned for another Blast from the Past Blog, courtesy of me, the Real Justin Roth.