Backup for jugging a static line

Take the example of jugging a line with two ascenders. With a dynamic rope I could simply tie off knots in the rope every X amount of feet to back myself up in case the ascenders failed / popped off for some reason. With a static line, this type of backup seems inadequate since a larger fall on a static rope would probably break my back. A gri-gri seems too slow if you are moving fast on vertical terrain and a prussik seems like a pain in the ass to keep from tightening up every couple of feet. My question is: what do the knowledgeable aid climbers of the MP community use to back up jugging on a static line?

Thanks for any help and suggestions.

Mini-traxion

Not much of an aid climber, but done quite a bit of jugging in caves. You have two ascenders. The possiblity of both failing simitaneously is near zero. Just use those and don't worry about a back up. Noone that I know in the caving world uses a third piece while ascending. If your worried about the rope coming unclipped put a biner through the holes on the top part of the ascender. longest I've done is a 400ft single drop. Friends have done 1100ft drops with just two ascenders. But....if you really want a third piece to move up with you than I second a mini trax.

broken back or certain death... your choice

Dan......do what Chris McNamara and Ammon McNeely do....use a GriGri. You put your ascenders on the rope and put the GriGri on below. As you jug the GriGri slides up the rope, so you're always backed up and ready to rappel if necessary. No need to tie and retire knots.

Mini/Micro-Trax or Grigri.

And then also, when was the last time both jugs popped off a rope going straight up? Severely diagonal, sure, but straight up? Has it ever happened?

I would really like to see how a jug pops off a diagonal rope if the cam has clicked shut. I'd like to see a vid of someone repeatedly making it happen.

It seems like people are forgetting that if you sheath your rope without the GriGri (attachment to sheath and core) or knots clipped into your belay loop (attachment to sheath and core) you die. It has happened, it can happen to you. using a toothed back up provides no additional attachment in your system in the event of the rope getting sheathed. so yeah use a damn grigri, the thing feeds itself after the first 50ft

One jumar backs up the other. I have jumared thousands of feet and never had a jumar pop off the rope. Yeah, I've heard of it happening on traversing terrain so if you're worried about it use a carabiner at the top of the jumar so it can't pop off. A gri=gri won't slide up a rope--you have to move it manually, and it will slow you waaaay down.

Thanks for all the replies! I have fiddled around with a gri-gri as a backup but never found it to slide up the rope on it's own. Perhaps there is a trick to this or I didn't get high enough on the line to have the weight of the rope affect this process? Has anyone tried another type of locking belay device? If the device doesn't slide on it's own, it will accumulate slack and probably isn't any better than tying knots.

The point about not using another toothed device in case you sheath your line is an interesting one. Thanks for identifying that.

Like Steve Levin posted, there are times when it is beneficial to remove an ascender from the line to place it above some point. During that transition I always tie a backup knot but would still love to find another system for the normal jugging process.

Hey Dan,

I've been on some walls, and done a lot of vertical caving. Especially on ropes that are fixed between two anchors, where there is not a lot of slack in the rope, put a Gibbs above your handled ascenders. Get a double length sling, choke it to your harness, then carabiner to the Gibbs. It will ride above, and won't slow you down. Gives you three points on the rope, without messing with a grigri, or trying to tie back up knots.

I have always used a prussic cord above my two jumars. It requires a bit of help staring out when the rope isn't weighted much, but once you get going the top jumar just pushes it along.

Would the Petzl Shunt work as a backup?