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slab-dyno
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Dec 31, 2003, 4:23 AM
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What is everyone's personal preference for Aid soloing devices, and are they good on free pitches as well?
Jimmy
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holdplease2
Dec 31, 2003, 7:08 AM
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I like my gri-gri, non-modified, wearning a chest harness. But then, I am far from an expert and I am not saying that my method is the best. This is a really important decision for you.
But here is why I like what I use, NOT in order of importance
* The Gri Gri is a tool I carry with me already
* I can examine all moving parts to assure it is all OK (unlike silent partner, though it is a highly reliable device)
* My grigri is not modified...meaning I have to feed the rope through it most of the time. This is OK though because it is less likely to "self feed" due to rope weight, paying out unwanted slack.
* It dosn't have "teeth"
Finally and most importantly...I back it up. I am not sure that the perfect self-belay really exists (maybe the clove hitch?) but if it did, I would back it up and feel even better.
I look forward to hearing other's responses, and am open to "better" systems.
-Kate.
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epic_ed
Dec 31, 2003, 5:17 PM
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I use a gri gri and I always back it up with an overhand knot to a locking biner on my belay loop.
Advantages:
- Low profile compared to most other self-belay devices.
- Easy to move either way on the rope -- up or down. Switching from leading to rappel is very quick and easy.
- It locks off quickly once weighted (assuming no other obstructions prevent it from engaging).
Disadvantages:
- No way to make it redundant, ie. no space for a second locking biner.
- Not easy to use for free climbing -- rope does not self-feed. On pitches that require a good mix of aid and free moves, a gri gri is a PITA. You generally have to feed out enough slack to get you from one stance to another, making big whippers a distinct possibility if you botch the free moves.
Ed
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mntnman1973
Dec 31, 2003, 6:12 PM
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Every time I have aid soloed I have used a clove hitch and backed it up. It has worked just fine for me, nothing mechanical to worry about.
I know that if you use the gri gri for your self belay that if you take one to many falls with it you can glaze the cam and the rope will slip more than desired. I guess it will work but always back yourself up.
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copperhead
Dec 31, 2003, 6:14 PM
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Yup, you get a free belay device with the purchase of any rope.
Klaus now uses a Silent Partner and I think he likes it.
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bigwalling
Dec 31, 2003, 7:13 PM
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I go with the gri-gri and so far it has done me well. I've taken a 50 foot headfirst fall and it caught me perfect. People have said it won't catch in an inverted fall, but that wasn't the case for me, it caught right where it should have. I've also taken shorter falls and a 30 foot rope jump thing with it.
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chossmonkey
Dec 31, 2003, 8:00 PM
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I don't do much solo aid but I would probably use a Gri Gri backed up with a knot. I've used clove hitches quite a bit but I think with the Gri Gri it would be much more simple to feed rope. I own a Soloist and a Silent Partner, but I don't think I would use either for aiding. The soloist doesn't lock if you fall upside down. With a Silent Partner you need to clip a bunch of loops of the rope to your harness, or haul the whole rope in a backpack with backup knots pretied, greatly adding to the clutter known as aid climbing.
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guanoboy
Jan 2, 2004, 6:56 PM
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I've taken a few 30+ foot falls on a clove hitch (head first, of course) and i'm here to write about it so i guess it works. Regardless it is critical to back up the clove hitch with an overhand or eight on a bight every ~20-50 feet depending on the distance to the nearest ledge and your need for speed.
k
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flamer
Jan 2, 2004, 7:52 PM
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In reply to: With a Silent Partner you need to clip a bunch of loops of the rope to your harness, or haul the whole rope in a backpack with backup knots pretied, greatly adding to the clutter known as aid climbing.
Wrong. You do not HAVE to pretie the rope and carry it with you. You can treat it just like any other solo belay device. You can tie a back up knot with plenty of slack. Then when the slack is gone you can retie a new back up knot further down.
Pre tieing the rope is advantagous for using the SP while free climbing so that you don't have to try and tie/untie the knots in the middle of the pitch(and probably one handed). But even in this case it is not required.
When I use the SP while solo aiding I treat it just like a clove...only I never have to move the clove...just the back up knot.
The weight of the rope causing the SP to have trouble feeding can be a problem, but tying off good gear and proper distance on the back up knot's slack take care of the problem.
josh
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diesel___smoke
Jan 2, 2004, 8:52 PM
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I just got a Silent Partner!!! After using this thing you'll want to beat yourself over the head with your grigri for using it to solo. Flamer, you were right, there is not a device better. It's amazing how easy it feeds out even my fat 11mm rope... It's worth more than the $225 price tag.
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flamer
Jan 3, 2004, 12:03 AM
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Registered: Oct 22, 2002
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Nice ,Bro!!
I finally bought the one I've been using!! My buddy bought it and he didn't really like it(I don't know why!) so he let me use it for awhile. Then he sold it to me for $180.00!! I guess he decided since I was the one who put all the scratch's in I should own it! So as of yesterday I officially own an SP as well!!
I'm stoked....
josh
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crushingfinger
Jan 3, 2004, 3:05 AM
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Registered: Dec 30, 2003
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I like my soloist, Its never let me down. Its's great for leading sport and trad too. I use a chest harness for most trad leads so Im use to it.I found the silent partner too cumbersome. :wink:
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