Left-Handed Belay w/ A GriGri

Hey everyone!

The other day I was teaching a beginner how to top-rope belay. I own an ATC, Reverso, and a GriGri 2, which when I'm teaching beginners I talk about the similarities and differences between all the devices. The beginner I was teaching was left-handed, and I couldn't find a way in that instant when I was teaching to set up the GriGri correctly for lefties. Any advice?

I think wrong handers (i mean lefties) are toast when it comes to grigris. Maybe a mammut smart would be best?

its like driving a car. how to lefties shift??

I mean really........ It doesn't matter if you are left-handed or right handed.... learn to use the devise the right way. They don't change the blinker in your car just cause you are "wrong handed"......

Darren Mabe wrote:its like driving a car. how to lefties shift??

Lefties should probably not drive.....

Like everybody else says, just use the device right handed.

A couple years into climbing, I taught myself to belay left handed with an ATC. I use it all the time now. Mostly if it's easier to stack the rope on my left in both cragging and multi-pitch climbing.

How do righties smoke left handed cigarettes?

I'm left handed and belay using a L or R hand to break w/ according to the circumstances.
But like everyone else has said, a GriGri, by design can really only be used one way. Sorta like left handed golf clubs, there's no way around it.

i brake left handed with the grigri, and have done so ever since they came out. it really isn't any different. not sure what the big deal is. you can actually do it 2 ways -

1) set it up so that the rope going to the climber comes out the bottom 'hole' (ie folded over plate is on the left side). this setup is similar to how you have it set up when rope soloing.

2) set it up with climber side on top hole. the only (minor, if even that) inconvenience is that when you go to lower them, you swap brake hands so that you can use the lever with your left hand,

it never ceases to amaze me how many people would still be living in caves if they actually had to do any thinking for themselves.....

I'm lefty, but I belay righty with a grigri and ambi with anything else. I think it's important to learn to belay with both hands, since you might find yourself in a situation where one is more convenient than another (plus for toprope belay it's nice to switch hands every now and then to keep the blood from draining out of the guide hand).

As for lefty grigri though, I don't see why lefty would be too hard (for toprope belay since there won't be a lot of working the cam). Just operate the lever cross-hand like the old cinch instructions.

Slim-It sure seems like following the manufactures directions would be the best procedure.

JesseT wrote:I'm lefty, but I belay righty with a grigri and ambi with anything else. I think it's important to learn to belay with both hands, since you might find yourself in a situation where one is more convenient than another (plus for toprope belay it's nice to switch hands every now and then to keep the blood from draining out of the guide hand). As for lefty grigri though, I don't see why lefty would be too hard (for toprope belay since there won't be a lot of working the cam). Just operate the lever cross-hand like the old cinch instructions.

Ambi here too with anything else. Adapt thyself. Go with the design of the grigri or device and use the right (correct) hand to belay.

It is extremely easy to belay left handed with a grigri. Obviously, there is only one way to properly thread the device: climbers side next to the little climber symbol, and brake side next to the little fist. Now here is where lefties switch it up: instead of orienting the grigri so that the color side is up (making it so the brake side is on the right and climber side is on the left), orient it so that the trigger side is up (making it so the brake side is on the left and climber side is on the right). Now belay just like right hander would with a grigri, but with opposite hands.

JesseT wrote:I'm lefty, but I belay righty with a grigri and ambi with anything else. I think it's important to learn to belay with both hands, since you might find yourself in a situation where one is more convenient than another

Ditto. Start off TR belaying with a GriGri as a righty and then progress to lead belaying. Now that I'm am-belay-dextrous, I can pick which hand to use on MP belays (when I use an ATC) depending on which side of me I have the rope.

I have a coupla left handed monkey wrenches.

Teach them to belay right-handed from the start -- they won't know the difference because it will feel awkward to them no matter what.

I'm left-handed and that's what happened to me.

randy88fj62 wrote:I think wrong handers (i mean lefties) are toast when it comes to grigris. Maybe a mammut smart would be best?

Rude... I'm a lefty, and there's nothing WRONG about it.***

I use my right with my grigri.

• **We actually use more of our right brain, hence why most lefties are mathematicians, artists, engineers.. Etc.... No one is ever strictly left handed, so In my opinion, getting use to being right handed for some things is not a bad idea.

agd wrote:Teach them to belay right-handed from the start -- they won't know the difference because it will feel awkward to them no matter what. I'm left-handed and that's what happened to me.

You said it better than anyone could have said it in this forum. Thank you!

Princess Mia wrote: Lefties should probably not drive.....

Poor choice of words in my opinion... I'm at loss for words..

Bruiselee wrote: Poor choice of words in my opinion... I'm at loss for words..

I think Mia is correct. Southpaws should only drive in England where you drive on the left side of the road. Otherwise, take the bus. Face it, you were just dealt a bad, uh, hand.

I think a gri gri is actually safer and more fullproof for lefties, amazingly.

Righties grab the cam to defeat it when paying out slack quickly.

A lefty simply pushes down on the cam with the bottom of their left (brake) hand, accomplishing the same thing as grabbing the cam, but in a manner that is much easier to do without making the gri-gri useless for catching falls.

A little hard to describe, but I'll show my method to anyone in Denver that cares to see.

The gri gri is one of the rare (accidental) wins for lefties, in a world of asshole gear that tries to kill us.