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Rope Soloing.

Original Post
sean connors · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2005 · Points: 150

So, not always do I have a partner and still have the itch to go work on my projects. I have a new static rope to set up a fixed line so i can solo the route and work the moves. What are your prefered devices with the least resistance, the clove hitch or gri-gri?

Jordan Ramey · · Calgary, Alberta · Joined Jun 2006 · Points: 4,251

I use a gri-gri, dynamic line, and this setup

Top rope solo setup - from climbing magazine website: climbing.com/print/techtips…

Falling onto a backup knot on a static line would be less comfortable. I know lots of other people use the Wild Country ropeman. Backup knots are really the only way to make it pretty safe though. Just using a ropeman and cruising up a rope, then falling, and if the ropeman (or gri gri, clove, anything) doesn't engage then you'll be buggered.

Climbing Mag Tech Tips wrote this up on the subject:
climbing.com/print/techtips…

Brian Milhaupt · · Golden, CO · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 860

I've climbed alot on a silent partner which involves the clove hitch. This works well and provides a soft catch. It's difficult to figure out moves though, because you fall around four feet each time. I've also used the grigri for toproping. Both of these are inferior to a human belayer, but if I had to pick one I'd go with the silent partner.
Also, I hope you are talking about toproping if you are going to use a static rope. In fact, I would use a dynamic rope even for toproping a project. If you're worried about abrasion, slip a piece of 1" tubular webbing over the rope where it runs across rock.

Mike Ecker · · phoenix · Joined Jan 2008 · Points: 25

Ushba. Me and my buddy went to Ouray this year and had some fun. I have a mini-traxion and it works great but it has teeth and I always felt like a fall on that device would do damage to the sheath, even if it does not do that much damage to the rope over time I'm sure it will add up. My buddy had an Ushba and it is made for rope soloing and nothing more, where as the mini traxion has multiple uses. The Ushba is smooth and works great even if the rope is covered in snow. I dont think I will ever rope solo with another device. I'm sure you could use the Ushba on a static.

sean connors · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2005 · Points: 150

Another question. If I weighted down the free end of my rope with a pack or clove hitched to cam, would I be able to climb without stopping to pull my rope thru the device.

Jordan Ramey · · Calgary, Alberta · Joined Jun 2006 · Points: 4,251

saw this over on the taco just now:

supertopo.com/climbing/thre…

RalphE · · Boulder, CO · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 90

I've used a Petzl Croll for TR-ing for at least a decade and like it well. For backup I use to add a QD to my harness and tie a loose clove hitch on a 2nd strand of rope. It worked okay to roll the backup clove hitch intermittently. However, I recently added a mini-traxion as the backup device as a nice improvement over the clove hitch.

I also use the Croll in conjunction with both etriers attached to one normal-handled jumar for jumaring because I like how the Croll attaches to my harness with little system slack. Here's the poop sheet: baileysonline.com/PDF/B16_C…

For leading I use a Silent Partner, which although it's dang expensive it's also superior to the prior Soloist devices. But given the overhead of rope drag and rope management, it seems that free soloing is a more aesthetic choice.

I 2nd Brian's note about using a dynamic rope + abrasion padding, and that climbing with friends is a better way to spend the time.

George Best · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2007 · Points: 5

If you are top rope soloing, I would suggest the Trango Cinch. It is what I use and the benefits that I see

1) Smooth rope feed throught the device. You won't have to feed the rope through with one hand and climb with the other.

2) No teeth. As others have said you don't want to be messing up the sheath of your rope.

3) Light weight. 182 gm vs. Gri Gri 225gm. But you are training so, you won't get as huge ;)
I follow the set up that Jordan posted, and please always let friends/family/co-worker know which crag/routes you plan to be at with plan A and B.

Kevin Stricker · · Evergreen, CO · Joined Oct 2002 · Points: 1,197

I know there are about as many different rope soloing systems as there are rope soloists....but having used a half dozen different devices ( grigri, basic, soloist, shunt, Silent Partner, and Minitraxion) I can tell you that the minitraxion is the best device I have used for top rope soloing. The teeth are a good thing, as they insure that the device catches....I have a rope that I have TR solo'ed on for several years almost weekly that is still looking great. I would second the dynamic rope comment as it allows you to use the rope as your backup. Just tie one or two knots in the rope per pitch and leave them hanging. The minitraxion will self feed with only a little bit of rope hanging so you do not need to attach gear to the rope. If you are climbing something really hard and don't want to stop to tie knots then I usually have a second traxion hanging down off my harness.

sean connors · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2005 · Points: 150
RalphE wrote:But given the overhead of rope drag and rope management, it seems that free soloing is a more aesthetic choice. I 2nd Brian's note about using a dynamic rope + abrasion padding, and that climbing with friends is a better way to spend the time.
I'm not at the level of soloing 12+ finger cracks yet, or will I ever be. If I had a consistent partner I wouldn't have to do all these shenanigans to get closer to sending. Thanks for all the info guys.
Brian Milhaupt · · Golden, CO · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 860

One more thing. I think for most of these systems a new or newer rope works best. They have less friction because of the dry coating and smooth sheath.

Dave McMahon · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2017 · Points: 1

Updated my setup recently. I was pulling rope at stances through an assender. Now ive tied a figure 8 at the mid point and use one strand to lower and the other as progress capture for a fall. It seems like the system will never be under incredible forces. Let me know what you guys think.

No partner no problem, although I'll say the right face as well as serious safety concerns should be thought through before attempting this kind of thing.

Imo its more for laps on easy routes.

https://youtu.be/MUgsJN3kSig

Bruno Schull · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 0

As one of the posters above said, there are as many top rope solo set ups as top rope soloists.  

Personally, I appreciate the ability to climb a route and then immediately lower off without changing my set up.  I think it adds safety (not to have to clip/unclip/thread devices for every descent, and of course it's faster so you can climb more.  

The method I have used for some time is an old tab modified grigri as the main device, and knots at intervals on a second strand as a backup.  I loose some time pulling rope through the grigri when it isn't feeding perfectly, and clipping/unclipping the backup knots, but I think I gain that time by just lowering off with the grigri at the top.  

This year I modified my system somewhat: I exchanged the backup knots on the second strand for a Petzl ASAP, a rope access device that runs both up and down the rope freely and locks in any direction.  It has a toothed inertial reel system.  From what I can tell so far (about 30 pitches) the ASAP works really well. I do think that the toothed wheel may have abraded the sheath of my rope somewhat, and that consequently made the grigi run less well on subsequent days when I happened to have the grigri on the strand which previously held the ASAP.  

The ideal for me would be something like a grigri with a smooth cam that runs up the rope freely, engages firmly when necessary, and lowers easily as my main device on the primary strand, and something like the ASAP that runs freely in both directions but still catches a fall, but does so with some kind of a cam system and not a toothed wheel, so the rope does not wear, as my backup on a second strand.  

Any ideas about what belay device might work better than an old tab modified gri gri as my main device?  The grigri is reliable, but it does not run very freely.  I've heard good things about the Eddy and the Cinch...do they run more freely than a grigri?  (Before suggesting a micro-traxion or similar recall that I like to use this device to immediately lower from the top of a climb).

Healyje, are you out there?  I think you stated on another thread that you think the Eddy is not suited for top rope soling (sorry if I am missquoting you).  Care to elaborate?  Do you think an Eddy would run relatively freely up a fixed rope and run easily when lowering?  I'm holding off buying one because I don't want to descend with the device and havw the handle saftey feature engage and lock me in place.  What about the Cinch?

And for the secondary device, can anybody think of something that might work better than an ASAP, perhaps with a smooth cam and no toothed wheel?  As far as I know, such a device does not exist.  

Ideas/thoughs welcome.

Thanks folks, and stay safe out there.

B

Matthew Jaggers · · Red River Gorge · Joined Sep 2017 · Points: 695
Bruno Schull wrote:
And for the secondary device, can anybody think of something that might work better than an ASAP, perhaps with a smooth cam and no toothed wheel?  As far as I know, such a device does not exist.  

Ideas/thoughs welcome.

Thanks folks, and stay safe out there.

B

Dave Macleod uses a Shunt. It's a camming device with no teeth, and it looks like it slides easily. The drawback is its a super simple design and could potentially get pinched in the open position is some scenarios, but I'd trust it as a backup. 

https://youtu.be/kd13IaWS8gQ

Me personally, I just use a prussik as my backup and pull out the slack whenever I can. I'm not climbing super hard on TR Solo, and I'm probably trusting my grigri+ more than I should. I like the grigri+ set in Top Rope mode, it catches super quick. The Lead mode, I assume is very similar to the 2, slips occasionally and freaks me out, even if it's just a few inches. Granted, it only slips when I weight it slowly. 
Ģnöfudør Ðrænk · · In the vicinity of 43 deg l… · Joined Nov 2017 · Points: 2
Ma Ja wrote:

Dave Macleod uses a Shunt...., and it looks like it slides easily. 


My experience with the shunt is that it doesn't slide easily.  It is great otherwise, but I had to put a heavy weight on the rope to avoid slack.  I switched to a camp goblin that works vastly superior to everything else.

Josh Gibbel · · Tucson, AZ · Joined Jul 2016 · Points: 195

I do a lot of TR soloing and I use a micro traxion with a kong duck as a backup on separate ropes. I don't have to pull rope through my devices which is nice for harder routes.  My micro traxion did actually fail on me once because the tag end of my chalk bag somehow got stuck between the teeth of the camming device and the rope. The Kong duck caught me just fine. Weird stuff can happen so I personally always use a backup. 

Pugnacious Slab · · San Diego, CA · Joined Jan 2017 · Points: 371

Fig 8 on a bight at the anchor
Hang coil of extra rope/light pack to keep rope semi-taught (only requires 5-10 lb)
Clip Microtrax (or Camp Lift if only rock climbing) on belay loop to one strand
Clip Camp Lift on belay loop to other strand
Make a simple chest harness with a sling, connect it to Camp Lift's biner with small cord

Voila. There's never any slack in the system and no manual feeding or tying knots required. All falls go onto the camp lift, which is toothless. In the unlikely chance that fails, the microtrax takes it. You can also do the same setup but on a single strand

Dan Gozdz · · Louisville, CO · Joined Jun 2015 · Points: 1
Mounir Fizari wrote: Fig 8 on a bight at the anchor

I do separate figure 8s on bights for each strands for the redundancy. The extremely slim chance of your locker failing or something cutting the bight does exist and creating a second one takes seconds.

MorganH · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2010 · Points: 197
sean connors wrote: So, not always do I have a partner and still have the itch to go work on my projects. I have a new static rope to set up a fixed line so i can solo the route and work the moves. What are your prefered devices with the least resistance, the clove hitch or gri-gri?

Smoothest feed on the market for TR soloing:

https://www.rockexotica.com/unicender/#product-tabs
Ģnöfudør Ðrænk · · In the vicinity of 43 deg l… · Joined Nov 2017 · Points: 2
MorganH wrote:

Smoothest feed on the market for TR soloing:

https://www.rockexotica.com/unicender/#product-tabs

Can you clip it directly to your harness and have it trail up the rope as you climb?  I'm guessing it would require a chest harness also maybe?

JCM · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 115
MorganH wrote:

Smoothest feed on the market for TR soloing:

https://www.rockexotica.com/unicender/#product-tabs

I’ve heard of people using that device at Index. Do you have to use a fatty rope (device specs say 11-13 mm), or can you still use it on a thinner line?

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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