He set up shop in his parents’ garage in Chula Vista. Ray the gearhead had upgraded from amateur tooling to that which the pros used. In 1979, Ray spent his savings on an industrial sewing machine. ![]() But in tackling the harness project, he was breaking sewing needles and throwing his mother’s prized machine out of timing by working with ever-thicker stacks of webbing, nylon, and stiff foam. ![]() Ray used padding and formulated his own design, emulating Bill Forrest’s integrated swami and leg-loop configuration. Ray conscripted his mother’s sewing machine and sold his wares piecemeal to fellow climbers.Ĭuriosity led Olson to improve on the available harnesses, like the ubiquitous Troll Whillans Sit Harness, designed for Chris Bonington’s expedition on the South Face of Annapurna. One of the first simple chalk bags commercially available was done by the resurrected ’60s hardware brand DOLT. Distribution was somewhat thin in the mid-1970s. Those in the know were using purpose-built chalk bags made on home sewing machines or acquired them from the few manufacturers of the time, like Strawberry Mountain Works. Many climbers loaded a small stuff sack with that white powder and attached it to a sling worn bandolier-style across their chest or clipped it to their swami belt or climbing harness. John Gill started using chalk in 1954, and its popularity rose during the 1970s. In 1977, Ray saw an opportunity to flex his creativity in the marketplace and began making things that weren’t readily available, like chalk bags. Adaptation is the foundation of a gear designer’s magic, and adapting to limitations proved to be something Ray J was very good at. Ray would’ve had to adapt his style to the limitations of his footwear. Climbers who learned in that rigid footwear had a tendency to focus on the precision of their footwork, because smearing wasn’t really an option. The rigidity of the steel shank was supportive for standing in aid slings and encouraged the pointing of toes on small edges and nubbins. ![]() Ray’s initial climbing footwear, the blue-suede Royal Robbins boots, were a hybrid design with ankle protection for wide cracks, and fitted with lug soles for biting into the steep scree slopes of approaches. Before he first started rock climbing in 1975, in San Diego County’s Deerhorn Valley, he was into backpacking, scrambling, and peak bagging. Born Raymond J Olson, July 22, 1957, Ray’s interest in climbing was rooted in a love of the mountains.
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