If you are planning to do that on an overhang climb, make sure you some gear to ascend the rope (always good to have it on you anyway). Otherwise, if you fall, you won't be able to release the loaded Micro Traxion. I use just a prussik and a sling, so I can put my weight on the rope, removing the tension from the micro traxion. Then I can release it and rapel on the Gri Gri.
Petzl recommends weighting the rope so that it will feed automatically. After watching, I can see how that would help. Your video is the first that has followed all recommended safe practices. Thanks for sharing. That looks like a fun place to climb too.
Hi Watched your video about a yr ago with interest. Bought a couple of devices and ended up with a similar set up to you. Use two ropes & good edge protection. A Camp Goblin industrial fall arrestor on the right rope (weighted with water bottle or trainers) and gri gri on the left, with catastrophy knots 3-4m above the ground on both ropes. To abseil off, just switch the Goblin to up&down mode, then abseil with the gri gri, guiding the Goblin down the rope with your break hand on the gri gri rope. Done a variety of tests and practice falls. The only failure to avoid is squeezing the top of the Goblin while jumping off. Keep an eye on your device to make sure it slides up the rope while climbing! The Goblin was the best device I could find on the market, very simple and robust. Rated for falls on static ropes (with thicker shieves), from my own tests on old ropes works equally well on dynamic ropes and gives a softer catch with no apparent damage. Now comfortably top rope soloing up to my lead grade. The main weakness now appears to be human error e.g. arriving at the crag without a device or setting the belay up in slightly the wrong place risking a pendulum fall low down. Really enjoyed your video and other similar ones, and wanted to share my experience. Had a great evening at Stanage last night top rope soloing a handful of classic routes. This is a real game changer being able to climb almost anything at anytime with tolerable risk. Many thanks Jon
I thought you were going to lead solo because of the title, but I top rope solo myself and love it! Looks like a cool climb, too. Greetings from the smooth granite of Northern California!
It' s a pretty solid method that I have used too. Most types of ascenders will do, I use a Petzl basic. Same idea. I find it a bit tedious to use the Grigri, and regret selling my Cinch which is supposed to work really well in this type of setup! Thanks for sharing! Another improvement would be to get the two devices separated better. Petzl recommend this. You could try to attach the Micro a bit higher, or the gri gri lower, to avoid them interfering.
@@nicos1054 Coil up the end of the rope so that nothing touches the ground. Or attach a backpack to the rope. Or hang some pieces of gear from it. It really does not matter and there is hardly a safety aspect to it.
I like this. The only thing I'd say, to add a little more redundancy, is add some slippery hitches or fig 8 on a bite in the dead rope if you can. It's just something I do route setting on the wall in work, but I only have a gri-gri doing it.
Thanks for the video. It looks safe but having a minitraxion up top means that you have quite a toothy unit making the first catch when you fall. I find it better using the units with teeth (Clog/jumar/ mini traxion) as a secondary, lower unit (or as the second rope unit if using two ropes as you do), Then as the upper or primary unit, I prefer a camming/rope friendly unit like the old petzl microcender (much as recommended on the petzl website .. there are lots of options on the market). I am not a gri gri fan as it doesn't follow smoothly so that you always need a hand to tug the rope through, interrupting the climbing. That said, its all a matter of taste and comfort and so just sharing the thoughts here on what works for me.
The teethed units do have a strong cam action. Tests show teethed and cam only devices both desheath at 4-5kn, so it doesn't make a difference. May as well go with the one that feeds best. On top rope you never get anywhere near 4-5kn anyway.
Rescucender for main capture - micro traxion for back up. Rescuecender smooth and wont damage your rope, better than a shunt as it has a lock so once engaged wont be released unless weight is lifted off it.
Yeah! If for example your partner takes a bad fall, then you could lock off the belay device, then escape the system by anchoring the lead rope to your anchor using a prussik etc, then you can rope solo up the rope towards the leader with his bodyweight on his top piece acting as your anchor. Or if your abseil ropes can't pull down, then you could anchor one end of the rope to the anchor, and rope solo up the other strand using the gri/gri or microtraxion. But you wouldn't be able to use both at once like in this method. I would just use the microtraxion. Or in the case that the ropes get stuck on the pull down, you could rope solo up the stuck end using the microtraxion, so the stuck knot or whatever is your top anchor, and use the rest of the rope that you managed to pull down as a lead rope reclimbing the pitch and placing gear. If you fell then at least the microtraxion on the stuck rope might give you a top rope belay, and if not, the gear you placed will save you, and you'll have your rope back.
I use pretty similar technique. However, I do not use micro traxion or any other device than can be locked open. I've had a piece of clothing or something grab it and lock it permanently open ie. in pulley mode. Plenty or non-lockable similar devices out there like Petzl mini traxion.
Nice redundancy, however, you would be better served with a unicender than either of those for tending reasons. I prefer not to have to worry about tending rope during crux moments
This is grate for someone like me who has in the past have had people and even close friends loose their concentration for a split second and have had 2 bad falls so for me trusting someone to belay me has gotten hard.
Kindly explain how a belayer losing concentration but with their brake hand on the rope means you have a bad fall as a result. (Yes, it's nice if the belayer can jump in the air to ease your fall.) Did they lose concentration while you were leading, 20 feet off the ground?
Another thought is to thread a Prusik through the Micro Traxion, wrapping it around the rope above the device, and tying a double figure 8 to your harness, as though you would if you were about to be belayed by a partner. But if you use the set up as is with two devices, wouldn't it be best to mount a sling from your harness to extend the Micro Traxion way above the Gri Gri so that you don't have to encumber your torso with the elastic band, and the two devices don't interfere with each other?
What 10mm to 11mm ropes work well in the GriGri? I do tree work and want to bring a backup rope with me to attach to the tree after I climb to a high tie in point, then attach the GriGri. This will give me a way down incase I cut my main climbing rope.
If you can't hike up around the back to set up top-rope, you have to lead climb it. I don't think there's a safe method to self belay on lead climbing.
Lead solo is way more demanding and risky. There are systems, but it requires even more specialized gear, if you want it to be smooth. Not really recommended.
ground up rope soloing involves building an anchor at the bottom, leading placing gear, get to top of pitch and set anchor. rap down to bottom anchor and top rope solo cleaning your gear along the way. So every pitch must be done 3 times, 2 up and 1 down. The wren industries silent partner is the only device ever designed for this purpose - but people do lead solo with similar gear setups with the addition of periodically tying safety knots as they lead. It is more risky than top-rope soloing for sure.
you do not want to fall on any gear with teeth if you have never seen a rope strip watch how not to highline he does a drop test on trax and it was bad but if you want to risk it keep climbing we all love it
You were bound to catch some criticism for self belay. But why watch then criticize? Clearly the video has value. I'd never do it. I'd boulder instead I think. Or maybe it's a big rush... Thanks for the video
considering you should never fall more than just some cms (what you did not managed to extend the rope) can the micro traxio generate some damage to the rope like that? I want to use this for ice climbing (i havent met a partnet here as i just moved to swizterland) and hope to extend the rope every couple swings (may be 40-60cms??). do you think this can damage my rope? (9.5 diameter).
Thats top rope :( not something I wanna do on mount Mnich. I am looking for a setup where I climb and belay from rope anchored in to something on the bottom. Anyways nice setup for sports climbing.
If you don’t use two ropes when you are lead climbing or being belayed by a partner then why two ropes when rope soloing? Why not just back up on one rope?
Well it's static and not dynamic line. And we are backing up one rope. With another? Why take unnecessary risks when you don't need too? If you're with a partner and you fall they can call mountain rescue. If you fall when you're alone you could potentially be a gonner. For the sake of having two ropes it's not worth scrimping.
Same here. Extended shunt, one rope but use a ropeman 1 below the shunt on a leg loop. Makes it real easy for top roping - the ropeman feeds itself and then just slide up the shunt. Better than beating off a gri-gri for sure. I never really understood why people top rope and/or rappel off of two rope strands. That really slows down the game. They will say it is for safety but you take a full whipper on a single strand....I have never seen anyone try to lead with two ropes!
This is a question- not a criticism. When ABSEILING you are down to one rope- no redundancy at all. Also Petzl recommends never letting go of the trailing line below the gri gri- at least that is how I understand it.
I think that is why he has the micro traction backup. If you could always hold the grigri brake you wouldn't need any backup. It would be like a normal belay. But since you cannot climb and hold it at the same time adding a backup solves the problem nicely.
i know borrowdale very well mate lots to go at, lots of 3star climbs and lots of great crags good access from valley road and a lot of multi pitch climbs as well a shorter routes
So do you always have to get up the mountain somehow. Place your anchor and rope. Then go back down to the bottom just to climb back up? How do i find videos about how to make a climb up without having to go up the mountain first
You could of just tied the end into your harness and run the other end of the rope through the grirgi and pull one rope through as you go instead of both at different times leaving extra slack as you climb.. Youu could still use the traction as a back up by clipping it to your harness using a quickdraw or sling
Zack8133 what you're suggesting sounds like a double/ moving rope system commonly used by arborists. It is however highly inappropriate for rock climbing because of the friction of the rocks against the rock.
Nice vid man. I was wondering if I could use just a ct rollnlock to rope solo, and then, after getting on top, taking the grigri to descend. (I read Alex Honnold used the mini traxion to rope solo before doing his free solos, and didn't mention other stuff than that, so just wondering).
if you rope down you are only safed by the grigri what is opend by ur hand. is there any possilibity to get a second backup for safety? im quite new to this.
Feels utterly ridiculous to me that to die on the way up three things have to go wrong: 1) you have to fall off 2) rope 1/Gri Gri has to fail and 3) rope 2/Traxion has to fail. But on the way down... one thing.
If you happen to fall 1 meter from the top I guarantee you it's a big enough shock even with a dynamic rope, even with only like 20 cm of slack in the system. It's not harmful for you. 99 % of trad anchor you'll find using it on will hold but it's never s good thing to remove the only dynamic piece of the entire system
@@kettlebells-ez9xi with dynamic even if you fall 1 meter off the ground you'll be safe enough even accounting for the rope stretch. With semistatic you're putting unnecessary stress on the anchor if you're falling near the top with some slack. I usually try solo toprope on possible new route so my anchor is made up by 3 or 4 pieces between nuts and friend, possibly tricam, sometimes trees but until I'm happy with the line I won't even bolt in a temporary anchor. That's maybe why I'm concerned for any possible shock on the anchor. However that's what I do. You're free to choose
However I use a single rope double up (knotted in the middle, so I have 2 indipendent strands) with two device, one on each strand so I have less static elongation
Because you would then be on a single rope system (self-belaying with a grigri) which is not redundant, and adds friction of rope moving over rock into the system. This setup is 2 fixed lines, each with their own protection device
Yes, It works but is not a great set up. Clanking together is not good or Tooth device as the main capture, the system should never create slack ever in ether safety line.
Fine video but I just wanted to let everyone out there know that this video demonstrates TOPE ROPE SOLO techniques which the title is a little ambiguous on. I came here looking for lead rope soloing which can also be done with a grigri and a micro trax to make it easier to pull up extra rope from the ground
@@wjlacey If you really want to get all technical you are not actually "belaying" in this video. What you are doing is ascending a fixed line but thanks for the clickbait and the attitude!
@@owensilitch1938 not sure of why I got such a shirty reply I said thanks, which I meant... For the comment/ view/ knowledge. Self belaying is a term that I felt more people might relate too. I realise that putting myself out there opens the gates to feedback such as yours. Some can be constructive and good to learn from, others not so. Some people are complete dick's but hey ho...
This is a toprope solo and actually is a very bad method. Devices with teeth are not suitable for dynamic loads created in a fall. That's why Petzl recommend a secondary belay system. Maybe a shunt is a better option.
Actually mate, they recommend the micro traxxion for solo belay and warn against the shunt... The opposite of what you said, though you are correct in it being a toprope solo, though i don't remember saying at any point it wasn't, or that with was lead solo... I'd be interested in seeing 'good' method. I'm not the best and am open to learning new things.
The method is bad because you continuously have to deal with two different ropes passing through two different devices. And What you will do, if your next route is more steep or vertical or more difficult and you do not have the luxury of stopping and pulling ropes? A good method is to have your hands and your mind only to moves and not to ropes. If you are climbing alone often, buy a low-stretch 11mm rope and use a fall arrest device like the CT easy move, Camp goblin, Heightec vector, Rocker etc... free hands and safe !!! More safety? use two ropes and two devices. Chest ascender in the main rope and fall arrest device on the back up rope !! Hope to help
The advantage of a gri gri is that it is super easy to transition to abseiling. The disadvantage is having to pull up rope. Its a trade off. The cinch may be a better choice in that the rope glides more easily on its own, yet alows for abseiling.
Actually, this is the recommended method by Petzl, and both devices have teeth: www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/Appendix-3--Detail-of-installation-on-one-rope-with-two-ascenders?ActivityName=Multi-pitch-climbing In the tests performed by Petzl, the devices don't damage the ropes at all with the force that a top-rope fall can generate.
Teeth are not good for large shock loads. However, with top rope tended, there will be no large shock loads. You fall a very short distance to a rope that has almost no slack. On industrial applications using toothed devices with top rope is a standard even with static ropes. Fall arrest devices like Camp goblin/Rocker etc are sometimes tricky and do not work if you fall upside down. Feet first they are nice and gentle. The self feed easily which is why I like them as a backup. If setup allows or there is any risk of falling head first some tooth device might be a good backup in addition. I prefer traction like devices that have no capability to lock them open (ie. working in pulley mode). There have been accidents when a device has be locked open when something grabs it from a bad place. I've yet to see a perfect safe solution that is currently available, works also falling head first and needs no rope tending and does not need backup knots.
If you are planning to do that on an overhang climb, make sure you some gear to ascend the rope (always good to have it on you anyway). Otherwise, if you fall, you won't be able to release the loaded Micro Traxion.
I use just a prussik and a sling, so I can put my weight on the rope, removing the tension from the micro traxion. Then I can release it and rapel on the Gri Gri.
Petzl recommends weighting the rope so that it will feed automatically. After watching, I can see how that would help. Your video is the first that has followed all recommended safe practices. Thanks for sharing. That looks like a fun place to climb too.
Hi Watched your video about a yr ago with interest. Bought a couple of devices and ended up with a similar set up to you.
Use two ropes & good edge protection. A Camp Goblin industrial fall arrestor on the right rope (weighted with water bottle or trainers) and gri gri on the left, with catastrophy knots 3-4m above the ground on both ropes.
To abseil off, just switch the Goblin to up&down mode, then abseil with the gri gri, guiding the Goblin down the rope with your break hand on the gri gri rope.
Done a variety of tests and practice falls. The only failure to avoid is squeezing the top of the Goblin while jumping off.
Keep an eye on your device to make sure it slides up the rope while climbing!
The Goblin was the best device I could find on the market, very simple and robust. Rated for falls on static ropes (with thicker shieves), from my own tests on old ropes works equally well on dynamic ropes and gives a softer catch with no apparent damage.
Now comfortably top rope soloing up to my lead grade. The main weakness now appears to be human error e.g. arriving at the crag without a device or setting the belay up in slightly the wrong place risking a pendulum fall low down.
Really enjoyed your video and other similar ones, and wanted to share my experience.
Had a great evening at Stanage last night top rope soloing a handful of classic routes. This is a real game changer being able to climb almost anything at anytime with tolerable risk.
Many thanks
Jon
Thanks very much for that Jon. What a pleasure to read. You've made my day!
I thought you were going to lead solo because of the title, but I top rope solo myself and love it! Looks like a cool climb, too.
Greetings from the smooth granite of Northern California!
Hi, thanks a lot, hope you have a great day.
It' s a pretty solid method that I have used too. Most types of ascenders will do, I use a Petzl basic. Same idea. I find it a bit tedious to use the Grigri, and regret selling my Cinch which is supposed to work really well in this type of setup! Thanks for sharing! Another improvement would be to get the two devices separated better. Petzl recommend this. You could try to attach the Micro a bit higher, or the gri gri lower, to avoid them interfering.
try a unicender! you won't be disappointed. It has far better tending properties than either of these units albeit at a significant increase in price!
what is the most effective/safest way to go about weighting the rope?
@@nicos1054 Coil up the end of the rope so that nothing touches the ground. Or attach a backpack to the rope. Or hang some pieces of gear from it. It really does not matter and there is hardly a safety aspect to it.
I like this.
The only thing I'd say, to add a little more redundancy, is add some slippery hitches or fig 8 on a bite in the dead rope if you can. It's just something I do route setting on the wall in work, but I only have a gri-gri doing it.
Thanks for the video. It looks safe but having a minitraxion up top means that you have quite a toothy unit making the first catch when you fall. I find it better using the units with teeth (Clog/jumar/ mini traxion) as a secondary, lower unit (or as the second rope unit if using two ropes as you do), Then as the upper or primary unit, I prefer a camming/rope friendly unit like the old petzl microcender (much as recommended on the petzl website .. there are lots of options on the market). I am not a gri gri fan as it doesn't follow smoothly so that you always need a hand to tug the rope through, interrupting the climbing. That said, its all a matter of taste and comfort and so just sharing the thoughts here on what works for me.
The teethed units do have a strong cam action. Tests show teethed and cam only devices both desheath at 4-5kn, so it doesn't make a difference. May as well go with the one that feeds best. On top rope you never get anywhere near 4-5kn anyway.
It's not a proper demonstration video without showing how those devices will lock off when you take a fall :)
Rescucender for main capture - micro traxion for back up. Rescuecender smooth and wont damage your rope, better than a shunt as it has a lock so once engaged wont be released unless weight is lifted off it.
I feel like such methods are a great thing to know in case of some kind of alpine emergency
Yeah! If for example your partner takes a bad fall, then you could lock off the belay device, then escape the system by anchoring the lead rope to your anchor using a prussik etc, then you can rope solo up the rope towards the leader with his bodyweight on his top piece acting as your anchor.
Or if your abseil ropes can't pull down, then you could anchor one end of the rope to the anchor, and rope solo up the other strand using the gri/gri or microtraxion. But you wouldn't be able to use both at once like in this method. I would just use the microtraxion. Or in the case that the ropes get stuck on the pull down, you could rope solo up the stuck end using the microtraxion, so the stuck knot or whatever is your top anchor, and use the rest of the rope that you managed to pull down as a lead rope reclimbing the pitch and placing gear. If you fell then at least the microtraxion on the stuck rope might give you a top rope belay, and if not, the gear you placed will save you, and you'll have your rope back.
I use pretty similar technique. However, I do not use micro traxion or any other device than can be locked open. I've had a piece of clothing or something grab it and lock it permanently open ie. in pulley mode. Plenty or non-lockable similar devices out there like Petzl mini traxion.
I’m holding both in my hand right now. Mini locks open, micro does not.
Thank you so much , will test out , in my garage
Could you just use a figure 8 rappel instead of the grigri and just feed the rope as you go?
Cool video. Thanks for sharing.
Nice redundancy, however, you would be better served with a unicender than either of those for tending reasons. I prefer not to have to worry about tending rope during crux moments
I'm not experienced climber or anything,but wouldn't you be able to add sling extension on your rope grab so its not interfering with the grigri ?
They’re on separate strands of rope, plus the elastic cord attached to the slings keeps them separate.
This is grate for someone like me who has in the past have had people and even close friends loose their concentration for a split second and have had 2 bad falls so for me trusting someone to belay me has gotten hard.
Kindly explain how a belayer losing concentration but with their brake hand on the rope means you have a bad fall as a result. (Yes, it's nice if the belayer can jump in the air to ease your fall.) Did they lose concentration while you were leading, 20 feet off the ground?
Another thought is to thread a Prusik through the Micro Traxion, wrapping it around the rope above the device, and tying a double figure 8 to your harness, as though you would if you were about to be belayed by a partner. But if you use the set up as is with two devices, wouldn't it be best to mount a sling from your harness to extend the Micro Traxion way above the Gri Gri so that you don't have to encumber your torso with the elastic band, and the two devices don't interfere with each other?
What 10mm to 11mm ropes work well in the GriGri? I do tree work and want to bring a backup rope with me to attach to the tree after I climb to a high tie in point, then attach the GriGri. This will give me a way down incase I cut my main climbing rope.
I use a 10.1 and it works pretty well
What knot did you use to tie the rope in the middle?
If I’m wanting to start a climb without being able to anchor a rope to the top how do I start my climb
If you can't hike up around the back to set up top-rope, you have to lead climb it. I don't think there's a safe method to self belay on lead climbing.
Lead solo is way more demanding and risky. There are systems, but it requires even more specialized gear, if you want it to be smooth. Not really recommended.
ground up rope soloing involves building an anchor at the bottom, leading placing gear, get to top of pitch and set anchor. rap down to bottom anchor and top rope solo cleaning your gear along the way. So every pitch must be done 3 times, 2 up and 1 down. The wren industries silent partner is the only device ever designed for this purpose - but people do lead solo with similar gear setups with the addition of periodically tying safety knots as they lead. It is more risky than top-rope soloing for sure.
@@soyanarchisto4443 You can clean your gear on the rappel down...
you do not want to fall on any gear with teeth if you have never seen a rope strip watch how not to highline he does a drop test on trax and it was bad but if you want to risk it keep climbing we all love it
The setup was based on petzls directions in its own booklet. What device would you suggest?
You were bound to catch some criticism for self belay. But why watch then criticize? Clearly the video has value. I'd never do it. I'd boulder instead I think. Or maybe it's a big rush... Thanks for the video
considering you should never fall more than just some cms (what you did not managed to extend the rope) can the micro traxio generate some damage to the rope like that? I want to use this for ice climbing (i havent met a partnet here as i just moved to swizterland) and hope to extend the rope every couple swings (may be 40-60cms??). do you think this can damage my rope? (9.5 diameter).
It will absolutely damage the rope with its teeth. Great comment here about putting non-damaging gear higher, to catch the fall first.
Thats top rope :( not something I wanna do on mount Mnich. I am looking for a setup where I climb and belay from rope anchored in to something on the bottom. Anyways nice setup for sports climbing.
the microtraction’s teeth can pinch on the grigri’s handle and the whole system slide down.
Nice Video. I prever the Ascenders over the Microtraxion. Maybe check my channel to see my setup. Would love to hear what you think about it.
This just blew my mind
Ha-ha Really. How come?
If you don’t use two ropes when you are lead climbing or being belayed by a partner then why two ropes when rope soloing? Why not just back up on one rope?
Well it's static and not dynamic line. And we are backing up one rope. With another? Why take unnecessary risks when you don't need too? If you're with a partner and you fall they can call mountain rescue. If you fall when you're alone you could potentially be a gonner. For the sake of having two ropes it's not worth scrimping.
You've lost your backup when you removed the micro trax for the abseil. Perhaps a prussik would be a good backup im case of a grigri device failure
Good point!
I think A Prussik and a GriGri is a bit overkill. A GriGri is unlikely to fail, that’s pretty much the point of a GriGri ie you don’t need a Prussik
I use single rope, extended shunt and above the shunt an extended prussic...
Same here. Extended shunt, one rope but use a ropeman 1 below the shunt on a leg loop. Makes it real easy for top roping - the ropeman feeds itself and then just slide up the shunt. Better than beating off a gri-gri for sure.
I never really understood why people top rope and/or rappel off of two rope strands. That really slows down the game. They will say it is for safety but you take a full whipper on a single strand....I have never seen anyone try to lead with two ropes!
@@ananda_miaoyin Thank you for sharing that Ananda..
This is a question- not a criticism. When ABSEILING you are down to one rope- no redundancy at all. Also Petzl recommends never letting go of the trailing line below the gri gri- at least that is how I understand it.
You haven't really framed this as a question but you are correct about not letting go of the trailing line.
I think that is why he has the micro traction backup. If you could always hold the grigri brake you wouldn't need any backup. It would be like a normal belay. But since you cannot climb and hold it at the same time adding a backup solves the problem nicely.
I'm a Loner!
I think, is possible solo climbing with Revo wild country most easier.
good vid mate if you ever in lake district and need climbing partner i can normally get out on the crags give me a message on facebook
Thank you very much mate and that's a great offer. I may take you up on that one day. I've been wanting to do Borrowdale for a while.
i know borrowdale very well mate lots to go at, lots of 3star climbs and lots of great crags good access from valley road and a lot of multi pitch climbs as well a shorter routes
So do you always have to get up the mountain somehow. Place your anchor and rope. Then go back down to the bottom just to climb back up? How do i find videos about how to make a climb up without having to go up the mountain first
There is usually a hill or something that you can just walk up the mountain and go walk back down to then actually climb it
This is top rope soloing. You're talking about lead soloing
You could of just tied the end into your harness and run the other end of the rope through the grirgi and pull one rope through as you go instead of both at different times leaving extra slack as you climb.. Youu could still use the traction as a back up by clipping it to your harness using a quickdraw or sling
Zack8133 what you're suggesting sounds like a double/ moving rope system commonly used by arborists. It is however highly inappropriate for rock climbing because of the friction of the rocks against the rock.
Nice vid man. I was wondering if I could use just a ct rollnlock to rope solo, and then, after getting on top, taking the grigri to descend. (I read Alex Honnold used the mini traxion to rope solo before doing his free solos, and didn't mention other stuff than that, so just wondering).
Yes, a Rollnlock works. I use a Rollnlock and a Minitrax for my TR solo setup.
if you rope down you are only safed by the grigri what is opend by ur hand. is there any possilibity to get a second backup for safety? im quite new to this.
You could make a prussik knot on top of your grigri and hold it with your guiding hand
Feels utterly ridiculous to me that to die on the way up three things have to go wrong: 1) you have to fall off 2) rope 1/Gri Gri has to fail and 3) rope 2/Traxion has to fail. But on the way down... one thing.
Seems like a fair point. Wouldnt be hard to add a prussik though. Your call ey. where's your vid on how to do it properly mate, i'll give it a watch?
On the way down, you have to let go of the rope and the grigri has to fail. Two things.
One static rope. Two devices. Avoid slack. Don't fall. Good to go.
Never. Ever. Static. Rope.
If you happen to fall 1 meter from the top I guarantee you it's a big enough shock even with a dynamic rope, even with only like 20 cm of slack in the system. It's not harmful for you. 99 % of trad anchor you'll find using it on will hold but it's never s good thing to remove the only dynamic piece of the entire system
@@REVOLUTIONS51 so is it best to use dynamic rope regardless of type of climbing. I've seen a couple videos that recommend the static for top solo
@@kettlebells-ez9xi with dynamic even if you fall 1 meter off the ground you'll be safe enough even accounting for the rope stretch. With semistatic you're putting unnecessary stress on the anchor if you're falling near the top with some slack. I usually try solo toprope on possible new route so my anchor is made up by 3 or 4 pieces between nuts and friend, possibly tricam, sometimes trees but until I'm happy with the line I won't even bolt in a temporary anchor. That's maybe why I'm concerned for any possible shock on the anchor. However that's what I do. You're free to choose
However I use a single rope double up (knotted in the middle, so I have 2 indipendent strands) with two device, one on each strand so I have less static elongation
Which book you are referring ?
Quarantine Climbing
Never seen Pop so quiet!
There were only 2 cars in the car park. 9 ish Am on a Monday morning. That or go when its raining/ windy. There's nobody there then (climbing anyway).
This is definitely a noob question: Why not just tie in with a regular figure 8 instead of using the microtraction?
Because you would then be on a single rope system (self-belaying with a grigri) which is not redundant, and adds friction of rope moving over rock into the system. This setup is 2 fixed lines, each with their own protection device
Nice
Static or dynamic rope?
Static is the white one. We don't want that stretching and bouncing over the top rock or it could wear through. The blue is dynamic.
Yes, It works but is not a great set up. Clanking together is not good or Tooth device as the main capture, the system should never create slack ever in ether safety line.
What's you method?
Fine video but I just wanted to let everyone out there know that this video demonstrates TOPE ROPE SOLO techniques which the title is a little ambiguous on. I came here looking for lead rope soloing which can also be done with a grigri and a micro trax to make it easier to pull up extra rope from the ground
It also doesn't say solo lead climbing in the title but thanks anyhow mate.
@@wjlacey If you really want to get all technical you are not actually "belaying" in this video. What you are doing is ascending a fixed line but thanks for the clickbait and the attitude!
@@owensilitch1938 not sure of why I got such a shirty reply I said thanks, which I meant... For the comment/ view/ knowledge. Self belaying is a term that I felt more people might relate too. I realise that putting myself out there opens the gates to feedback such as yours. Some can be constructive and good to learn from, others not so. Some people are complete dick's but hey ho...
Owen Silitch there was no attitude. You were you wrong and it sucks to feel wrong. Ha
Why two ropes?
I TR solo and I usually am on just one rope, but two ropes makes the gear management easier and faster.
@@RickyHarline I never used two ropes. You must be right but for me is confusing.
@@RickyHarline Thanks very much, by the way.
Why not just the grigri? has anyone even seen a grigri failure?
I haven't . Its just best practice to have at least one back up
This is a toprope solo and actually is a very bad method. Devices with teeth are not suitable for dynamic loads created in a fall. That's why Petzl recommend a secondary belay system. Maybe a shunt is a better option.
Actually mate, they recommend the micro traxxion for solo belay and warn against the shunt... The opposite of what you said, though you are correct in it being a toprope solo, though i don't remember saying at any point it wasn't, or that with was lead solo... I'd be interested in seeing 'good' method. I'm not the best and am open to learning new things.
The method is bad because you continuously have to deal with two different ropes passing through two different devices. And What you will do, if your next route is more steep or vertical or more difficult and you do not have the luxury of stopping and pulling ropes? A good method is to have your hands and your mind only to moves and not to ropes.
If you are climbing alone often, buy a low-stretch 11mm rope and use a fall arrest device like the CT easy move, Camp goblin, Heightec vector, Rocker etc... free hands and safe !!!
More safety? use two ropes and two devices. Chest ascender in the main rope and fall arrest device on the back up rope !!
Hope to help
The advantage of a gri gri is that it is super easy to transition to abseiling. The disadvantage is having to pull up rope. Its a trade off. The cinch may be a better choice in that the rope glides more easily on its own, yet alows for abseiling.
Actually, this is the recommended method by Petzl, and both devices have teeth: www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/Appendix-3--Detail-of-installation-on-one-rope-with-two-ascenders?ActivityName=Multi-pitch-climbing
In the tests performed by Petzl, the devices don't damage the ropes at all with the force that a top-rope fall can generate.
Teeth are not good for large shock loads. However, with top rope tended, there will be no large shock loads. You fall a very short distance to a rope that has almost no slack. On industrial applications using toothed devices with top rope is a standard even with static ropes.
Fall arrest devices like Camp goblin/Rocker etc are sometimes tricky and do not work if you fall upside down. Feet first they are nice and gentle. The self feed easily which is why I like them as a backup. If setup allows or there is any risk of falling head first some tooth device might be a good backup in addition. I prefer traction like devices that have no capability to lock them open (ie. working in pulley mode). There have been accidents when a device has be locked open when something grabs it from a bad place.
I've yet to see a perfect safe solution that is currently available, works also falling head first and needs no rope tending and does not need backup knots.
Thats shit. Other Systems Works better
Mario Lehmann Thanks for the view and comment. Enlighten me on these other ideas. I’d be happy to see them. This system is safe but has its drawbacks.