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asandh
May 20, 2004, 6:44 PM
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:D
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glockaroo
May 20, 2004, 7:44 PM
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Years ago I used the SoloAid a lot for both free & aid. This was long before the GriGri, and I was tired of worrying about the Soloist's inability to catch "windmilling crash dummy" falls. The SoloAid worked fine but I never took a fall on it (that I remember...). I did have problems sometimes in that gear dangling from my rack (especially small wires) would wiggle their way into the small gaps between the rope & its contact point on the SoloAid's cam tail. I can see where a fall in this situation could shred the rope since it's jamming the wire between the cam & the rope.
I switched to the GriGri about 5 years ago and its been great. I think it works well enough to trust, and I love the multifunction capability. I have taken 1 or 2 short falls on it and it worked fine, though it was a bit hard to un-cinch. Maybe that's because I weigh 215lbs. w/ no gear on...http://www.goobage.com/pics/smilies/agree.gif
I think some of you guys need to refine your concept of a solo device's reliability. I think you need to assume your primary device will fail, then think "...ok, now what?". Back up your primary, and be willing to bet your life on the backup. "Two is one, and one is none".
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epic_ed
May 20, 2004, 8:49 PM
Post #28 of 45
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In reply to: It looks to me, from the pictures of the Trango Cinch that it is a little stronger at the connection than the Gri Gri. Has anybody seen these things yet and compaired? Any thoughts?
Don't know. Haven't seen one or heard of anyone who has tried one yet. Anyone want to be a guine pig and report back to us?
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youarealarry
May 20, 2004, 10:11 PM
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So now that you have at least 20 comments, now what? GriGri or No GriGri. Maybe you should stick to Sport Climbing Larry! But then what, GriGri or Hip Belay?
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a_scender
May 22, 2004, 11:31 PM
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In reply to: GriGri or No GriGri. ?
I've already tried the grigri and wanted some advice from folks with more experience. This thread achieved that, thanks a lot everyone for thier info. It sounds to me like a grigri is certainly good enough for the easy c1 climbs I'll be doing. With a back-up of course.
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jimmyv
May 24, 2004, 9:32 PM
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ok, i've got a gri-gri and cut off the flap for easy feeding. then i heard that in a fall, the rope can wrap around the arm of the gri-gri and because the bottom side is relatively sharp, cut the rope. this would mean death, rather than a fall to a back up knot. what do people think?
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epic_ed
May 24, 2004, 9:56 PM
Post #32 of 45
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I don't like the gri gri modification. If it's done the way I think you're refering to, it's much less likely to hold an upside down fall, too.
Ed
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brianinslc
May 24, 2004, 10:05 PM
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In reply to: Who likes 'em, who doesn't? What are some opinions on using the gri-gri for this kind of climbing? It seems that a lot of people use it this way, does anybody know of any aid soloing accidents involving the gri-gri?
I like a gri gri for aid soloing and top roping solo too (where I tie a back up knot to keep me off the ground should the unthinkable happen).
I use a DMM belay master and actually use the plastic thingy (feller that busted his belay master in Yos didn't use the plastic keeper thingy...doh!). Makes sense to me as the gri gri seems to minor axis load pretty easily (mine crawls all up and down a biner spine if I don't trap it in the small end of the biner). Usin' back up knots makes a bunch of sense.
Haven't heard of any accidents.
Handy device. Easy money for rappin' back down a pitch, whether to clean, or climb another lap.
Brian in SLC
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tattooed_climber
May 24, 2004, 10:52 PM
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christ....you know what the gri-gri was designed for.???? SINGLE PITCH SPORT!!!!...only ment for thaT!!...I 'CAN' be used for other things but i use the word 'can' very loosely
ok, if youre going to solo-aid, use something thats 'designed' for solo-aiding....the silent-partner, solo-aid, or the soloist...
its just smarter...don't cheap out when it comes to your safety
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epic_ed
May 24, 2004, 11:08 PM
Post #35 of 45
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In reply to: christ....you know what the gri-gri was designed for.???? SINGLE PITCH SPORT!!!!...only ment for thaT!!...I 'CAN' be used for other things but i use the word 'can' very loosely ok, if youre going to solo-aid, use something thats 'designed' for solo-aiding....the silent-partner, solo-aid, or the soloist... its just smarter...don't cheap out when it comes to your safety
Do you solo aid? Have you tried it? Your argument has been posed by many before you and it has been agreed time and again that aid climbing is the mother of all improvised devices. Many of us aid climbing because we love testing and trying weird stuff that no one has ever thought of using to make upward progress. Petzl has strict guidelines and parameters about "intended use" becasue of liability. The pros and cons of using a gri gri for solo aid are well documented and no one (especially after this thread) should be in the dark about them.
Tom started another thread about gri gri accident statistics, and while it's only anecdotal evidence, I think you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who has had accident while aid soloing that could have been prevented if the soloist had been using a different device. Climbing is dangerous. Aid climbing is dangerous. Aid soloing is dangerous. I don't give a damn what Petzl officially recommends you use the device for. A gri gri is a fairly simple device to understand and I know what it is capable of and what it's not, and that's the criteria I'm going to use to determine what I'll use as my soloing belay device. It has nothing to do with dollar and cents.
Ed
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capn_morgan
May 25, 2004, 12:15 AM
Post #36 of 45
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hey Ed. Malcom Daly was at the Eastern Climbers Rendezvous with a couple prototypes of the cinch. It looks really nice. same basic idea as a the gri gri with alot less parts. Weighs less and is a bit smaller too. It sounds like they have been trying them out as rope soloing devices and that it works quite well without being modified. They are supposedly making a Titanium version as well....I dont even want to know how much that will cost :shock:
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epic_ed
May 25, 2004, 2:35 AM
Post #37 of 45
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Looking forward to seeing the production model. Any idea when it will be available? How's Malcolm recovering, BTW?
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glockaroo
May 25, 2004, 1:25 PM
Post #38 of 45
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In reply to: hey Ed. Malcom Daly was at the Eastern Climbers Rendezvous with a couple prototypes of the cinch. It looks really nice. same basic idea as a the gri gri with alot less parts. Weighs less and is a bit smaller too. It sounds like they have been trying them out as rope soloing devices and that it works quite well without being modified. They are supposedly making a Titanium version as well....I dont even want to know how much that will cost :shock:
Definitely looking forward to seeing those units.
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lambone
May 25, 2004, 4:13 PM
Post #39 of 45
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In reply to: christ....you know what the gri-gri was designed for.???? SINGLE PITCH SPORT!!!!...only ment for thaT!!...I 'CAN' be used for other things but i use the word 'can' very loosely ok, if youre going to solo-aid, use something thats 'designed' for solo-aiding....the silent-partner, solo-aid, or the soloist... its just smarter...don't cheap out when it comes to your safety
whatever dude, shut up. it works and that's what matters.
you obviously haven't had the Petzl clinic at the MEC you work at, am I right? when you do ask the rep what other applications the gri-gri is approved for other then "single-pitch" sport climbing. I'm sure he/she will give you a looong list. (although solo belay probly isn't on it, but I have talked with Petzl reps who've admitted to me that they use it themselves for aid soloing.)
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coomer
May 30, 2004, 1:48 PM
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[quote="lambone
whatever dude, shut up. it works and that's what matters.
Nice little tempter there...
I've used the gri-gri to solo-aid/free. Don't like it. Too many draw backs that I'm not comfortable with. The only time I still use it is doing walls in a push caterpiller style where I may have to solo-aid a short stretch. Long walls- solo-aid- would use the silent partner if I could afford one. But I've used the solo-aid extensively and it is hands-down better than the gri-gri for aid. It's light, compact and pretty much fool-proof. No chance of cross loading, feeds relatively well once you get the hang of it. I've taken up to a 50' ride on it and no problems catching a fall. You're up there for days, why take the chance on the gri-gri when there are at least three other methods that DON'T have the same kind of draw-backs and possibilities for failure?
Now, soloing on a "modified" gri-gri is just asking for the chop... lots of stuff out there showing the serious dangers of modifying the gri-gri and soloing with it. Yikes.
But as I said, there is still one instance where I will solo with the gri-gri, but that is only for very short stretches.
Cheers
e
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galf
May 30, 2004, 3:12 PM
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In reply to: But as I said, there is still one instance where I will solo with the gri-gri, but that is only for very short stretches.
:roll: Oh, I guess you didn't figure that a very short stretch off the belay can result in high fall-factor falls... So, if you think this is ok, then you should have no problem going higher up.
As stated before, the ability to quickly and safely lower yourself is a major strenght of the grigri.
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moeman
May 30, 2004, 5:56 PM
Post #42 of 45
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In reply to: Nice little tempter there...
Yo momma is a nice little tempter...
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coomer
May 30, 2004, 11:40 PM
Post #43 of 45
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In reply to: In reply to: But as I said, there is still one instance where I will solo with the gri-gri, but that is only for very short stretches. :roll: Oh, I guess you didn't figure that a very short stretch off the belay can result in high fall-factor falls... So, if you think this is ok, then you should have no problem going higher up. As stated before, the ability to quickly and safely lower yourself is a major strenght of the grigri.
Short stretches, meaning I'm not doing a whole hell of a lot of climbing with it... 20' of aid/free soloed on a gri-gri is a whole lot different than trusting it over 2,000' of climbing...
As stated over and over again (why am I bothering?), there are MANY draw-backs to the gri-gri. I, personally, don't think the pros outweight the cons.
Fuck, use it if you want, I don't fucking care. I'm just pointing out that there are MANY other options that are better overall. The gri-gri has its time and place- but soloing a wall with one just isn't the *best* choice.
Cheers
e
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flamer
May 31, 2004, 2:39 AM
Post #44 of 45
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I know nost of you guys are to cheap(or just don't have the bread) to fork over for the SILENT PARTNER. BUT! Having tried the clove hitch, the grigri, and now the silent partner. I'd say the SP has no equal.
josh
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potreroed
May 31, 2004, 7:21 PM
Post #45 of 45
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I love my gri-gri, but not for self belaying. Tried it and didn't care for it.
Will stick with my Soloist.
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