Front	Rear

Technical Details

I acquired my first Clou Bi from Brian Trevalyan in 2005, but it dates from ca. 1987. I acquired a second one on eBay from Jack R Reynolds in 2019.

My Clou Bi is 191 mm. tall, 93 mm. wide, 18 mm. thick, and weighs 193 g.

The Clou Bi is essentially a large, distorted anodized aluminum locking carabiner. The rod is flattened on the front and back, and measures 13.5 mm. thick by 14 mm. wide. I think that the picture describes the shape better than I could ever do in words.

The front is stamped "CLOU BI," the rear "Made in Germany 2200 kp" (not a typo, it is "Kp" and not "Kg").

Comments

Brian provided the following information on the Clou Bi

Looking rather like a giant screwgate krab that’s been in a car wreck, this weird piece of kit is a "Clou Bi." Probably a descendent (no pun intended) of the old "keyhole" descenders used in the alps many years ago. I purchased it in Vicosoprano in the Bregaglia in 1987, when I needed a descender urgently. It’s not had much use though, as I have a figure 8 too. You use it just like a figure 8 for abseiling/rappelling, but can also use it for belaying. I guess it’s been superceded by the various descendents of the sticht plate, but it’s an interesting item for the collector of esoterica. The body is anodized black aluminum, stamped CLOU BI, and on the other side Made in Germany 2200Kp. So if you’re "Bi-curious" or are a collector of oddball evolutionary dead-ends in the world of climbing gear, this is one I bet your friends don't have!

As a "collector of oddball evolutionary dead-ends in the world of climbing gear," how could I resist?