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sangoma2
Jun 28, 2011, 12:20 AM
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Hi
I have soloed with knotted rope , the petzl reverso (old design ) the reverso 2 will also work and standard grigri
Knots = hassel
Reverso = sometimes a bitch (down climb , traversing ) and if you go TOTALY upside down and weaklink in chest harness doesn't break , it won't catch
I have now started useing a standerd grigri mounted as if one was belaying , but I would like to modify it as I feel there are some safety isues that i am not happy with , namely the handle and handle mounting plate protruding above the housing when the cam is activated being caught or obstructed by something and not allowing the cam to activate
The only mods I have been able to find sofar are the removal or cutting back of the triangle plate and mounting of a keeper string or cable for chest harness mounting and one referance to the shortening of the handle , that was a bit vague
I feel that in this configaration with the grigri mounted on a chest harness one has the live end of the rope coming in at the bottom of the grigri and the slack coming out of the top with it hanging down verry close to the handle and handle mount plate , this I do not like as I feel it may block or inhibit the cam from activating and it seems that if one were to go inverted it would not catch.
My thoughts go along the lines of removing the handle and mounting plate but leaving enought of the lower plate to still act as a cam return stoper and as a release handle , but only that which does not stick above the caseing
I would not , at this stage do the other mods as I am happy with the rope feed and like the idea of having as much rope in contact with the cam . With it chest mounted and the tab removed it looks like it would not hold an upside down fall . If , at a later stage I am not happy with the rope feed I might look at doing the other mods
I have done many test falls / jumps down my stair well and the grigri has so far cauhgt me every time
I use a steel oval carabiner with a piece of bicicle iner tube to prevent cross loading
Rope goes in a backpack and feeds down between my legs
Most of the time I don't use a backup knot .......... Yes I know , but it's so iritating and such a hassel
Any thoughts or feedback would be much apreciated
Chris
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Tjin
Jun 28, 2011, 5:40 AM
Post #2 of 35
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Registered: Jul 6, 2010
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Seriously why won't people use proper equipment for the job?
GriGri's and the other belay devices are not solo devices. The issues with the GriGri's you mentioned your self should be reason enough not to use it. We are talking about your life here.
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lofstromc
Jun 28, 2011, 9:04 AM
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I think that is a terrible idea
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superchuffer
Jun 28, 2011, 11:19 AM
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try modifying the rope as well. it may work better if you slice it in half.
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sungam
Jun 28, 2011, 12:00 PM
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I'm unclear on exactly what you are asking about. Are you lead soloing or top rope soloing?
If you are just tope rope soloing there are better devices, unless you are running laps and want to rap really fast at the end of a burn.
If you are lead soloing, there are just straight up better devices.
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MarcelS
Jun 28, 2011, 6:03 PM
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If you want to solo lead climb, buy a Silent Partner and still use backup knots. It is your life you are playing with and even if you don't value it that much, there are probably people around who do. Plus, I bet there are not many people who love scraping a fallen climber from the deck ;)
Editted to remove the ipads ridiculous spelling correction!
(This post was edited by MarcelS on Jun 28, 2011, 8:13 PM)
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shimanilami
Jun 28, 2011, 6:23 PM
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A gri-gri is probably the most common device used for lead solo. It may not have been designed for it, but it works.
Google "Modified grigri for solo" and you'll find a number of sites with useful information.
The most valuable piece of advice I can provide, however, isn't for the grigri itself: get yourself a steel belay 'biner.
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Tjin
Jun 28, 2011, 6:40 PM
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Petzl warns about the use of a grigri for this purpose.
Do having lots of people doing otherwise, does not mean it;s a good idea.
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MarcelS
Jun 28, 2011, 8:14 PM
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Tjin wrote: Petzl warns about the use of a grigri for this purpose. Do having lots of people doing otherwise, does not mean it;s a good idea.
+1
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essay
Jun 28, 2011, 10:46 PM
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Get a friend, then get a belay.
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healyje
Jun 28, 2011, 11:21 PM
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Roped solo free climbing is clearly not for everyone - in fact, I'd say it attracts an extremely limited following and even most of those just dabble a bit and then drop it. A very, very few end up doing it on a regular basis or over the long haul and that's shouldn't be any surprise. You do have to do it a long time and get a lot of yardage in before it seems 'commonplace' enough to allow you to climb near your normal partner level.
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spikeddem
Jun 28, 2011, 11:58 PM
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probably one of the most eye-catching misspellings ever.
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sangoma2
Jun 29, 2011, 8:16 AM
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Thanx guys
@ Spiked , I know , not even the spell check could make heads or tailsof it ...  .....but hell I can climb one mean rock ...
@ Joseph , thanks for the reply , I have read your articals and searched the web and can't seem to find what I'm looking for . I'm trying to get my head around the removal of the handle and the implications of it , to me the mod seems to be one of the obvious ones to do but I havn't come across anyone els doing it , the rest of the mods I can understand
Thanx
Xris
Ps . Just did the first 4 pitches of one of my favorit climbs with it ........ bUT THAT HANDLE ,,,,,, 
(This post was edited by sangoma2 on Jun 29, 2011, 8:22 AM)
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sangoma2
Jun 29, 2011, 8:36 AM
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@ sungum for lead , I use a petzl croll for top rope
@ Shimani I do use a steel carabiner with a rubber stoper to stop it cross loading
Xrix
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healyje
Jun 29, 2011, 9:51 AM
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sangoma2 wrote: bUT THAT HANDLE ,,,,,,
I never altered the handle on my grigri back when I used it. It's just one of the elements of the system you have to learn to keep one eye on all the time. Shortening the handle eases, but doesn't eliminate either the risk or the need to closely and continuously monitor the rig (it does become automatic eventually). And that doesn't do anything for a problem in a fall where you're just hoping for the best relative to the rope not snagging the handle.
The combination of the rope feed and the handle is why I switched to the Eddy. It runs the rope through the device the reverse of the grigri relative to the clip-in point and that aids in smoother feeding. And the Eddy is designed so the handle only works for a small percentage of the middle of it's range - pull it all the way back and the cam disengages from the handle and relocks - something the grigri doesn't.
All the potential roped soloing devices involve multiple tradeoffs - it's all a matter of how they sit with you.
(This post was edited by healyje on Jun 29, 2011, 9:55 AM)
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sangoma2
Jun 29, 2011, 10:01 PM
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Thanx there big J , you're the man 
Ye well it's back to my reverso untill I get my chalky hands on an Eddy
@ supperchufer ... Don't be an idiot .... " Cut the rope in half " ..... You have to remove the sheath and weld those fine white fibers together with a blowtorch ......
Xrix
(This post was edited by sangoma2 on Jun 29, 2011, 10:26 PM)
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essay
Jul 2, 2011, 6:59 PM
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Registered: May 24, 2011
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Yikes!! I love this idea, back to Darwin and survival of the fittest, back to thinning this fat, bloated, and idotic herd!
(This post was edited by essay on Jul 2, 2011, 7:00 PM)
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healyje
Jul 2, 2011, 10:19 PM
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The herd is already thinned way before any of those left standing decide to rope solo.
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essay
Jul 2, 2011, 10:29 PM
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Registered: May 24, 2011
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Really? Explain. I thought we were exponentially multiplying while destroying the world as well as our crags. Perhaps we really need to thin this bitch!
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Sforscott
Jul 4, 2011, 6:09 PM
Post #22 of 35
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Registered: Jul 4, 2011
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Honest rather than modifying the grigri I would go buy a device called the "silent partner" YouTube it.
Also, I wouldn't modify any sort of climbing equipment if you don't know how to spell "modifying" 
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healyje
Jul 4, 2011, 7:33 PM
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essay wrote: Really? Explain. I thought we were exponentially multiplying while destroying the world as well as our crags. Perhaps we really need to thin this bitch!
Oh, climbing has definitely been overrun by a herd of people who would never leave the ground without someone else having bolted lines ahead of them, and unfortunately the principal Darwinian mechanism of 'the herd belay' just isn't keeping pace with the growth.
And of those who manage to extricate themselves from the herd and sort out roped soloing the rewards are substantial. Of those who come to roped soloing I'd say that a couple are 'out there' in more ways than one, some are overly ambitious, most are temporarily curious, and a very few sort it out for themselves and will keep doing it over their career.
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healyje
Jul 4, 2011, 7:35 PM
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Sforscott wrote: Honest rather than modifying the grigri I would go buy a device called the "silent partner" YouTube it.
Well, it has just as many downsides as any other choice for roped soloing - you might, others might not.
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JimTitt
Jul 4, 2011, 9:24 PM
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Sforscott wrote: Honest rather than modifying the grigri I would go buy a device called the "silent partner" YouTube it. Also, I wouldn't modify any sort of climbing equipment if you don't know how to spell "modifying"
Are we to understand this is an opinion based on your experience with all the common systems over the years?
Joe has been doing this stuff for a long time and uses his device of choice with its advantages and disadvantages and knows how to work around the problems that might occur. IŽve been climbing even longer than him and have my system of choice but wouldnŽt argue with his, what we are doing is slightly different and mine is better for me and if I were in JoeŽs shoes IŽd probably swop over to his.
But neither of us use a Silent Partner which might tell you something!
(The photos are of my wall modded Grigri which I donŽt normally use, the advantages of having the handle to lower mean usually I run one modded to allow easier rope feed and with the ring for a bungee cord suspension sling.)
Jim
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Grigrihandlecomp.jpg
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