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How safe (in your opinion) is top rope solo?
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Hey all, I am doing a project on top rope soloing, and I would like two pose this survey question to MP: how safe is top rope soloing? Please post your opinion regardless of your experience with top rope soloing. Even if you've never done it, don't really understand it, or never want to try it, please weigh in with your opinion on how safe it is. What do I mean by safety? Well, obviously anything can be unsafe. But some types of climbing have more inherent risk than others. For instance, we can probably agree that gym climbing is safer than free soloing, even though you can die doing either. So on the spectrum of gym top roping to free solo projecting, how safe do you think top rope soloing is, in a general sense? |
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My opinion prior to doing it was that it was scary/sketchy. My opinion when covid hit and the risk of climbing indoors or in groups skyrocketed was that it was a lot to learn and intimidating - Yann Camus lists like 20 things you need to learn before getting into it, and he's not wrong. My opinion after doing it for a year is that it's a safer belay than any human could provide, but there's a lot of other considerations about being alone on the wall that require a lot of preparation to mitigate. |
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It's as safe as the person setting it up. If you are cautious, and have a system that's properly set up and redundant, I think it's quite safe. The two parts that are perhaps less safe, are simply being out somewhere by yourself, if something did go wrong, and actually getting to anchors and getting the rope set up (that pesky top part). It seems way more intimidating than it is. Once you actually set things up, understand how it works, figure out your personal setup.... it's really pretty straightforward. Petzl even has instructions for it on their website. Lead solo is a whole other thing. But I'm willing to ice climb, so there's that. For a piss poor climber, this stuff doesn't intimidate me as much as it maybe could/should. I don't top rope solo much at all, anymore, because the hiking up and down to faff around with the top part is just so slow for me and my ancient knees, it's not worth it. Get fast and good at that part, it's game on. Also helps if you're tall enough to reach anchors, lol! Best, H. |
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Safer than conventional top roping because there’s only one human involved as opposed to two, but it does require a higher level of competence to safely execute. |
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It's as safe as handling molten steel in a foundry. |
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It should be safer than top-roping with a careless belayer. My Basic ascender doesn't check its Instagram feed while I'm cruxing. But obviously a would-be TR soloist who doesn't know what they're doing will be at greater risk than they would be in the company of an attentive mentor. |
J C wrote: Buddy this is MP, that's going to happen regardless |
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Very safe. I happily risk my life doing it regularly. The reality is that there is no reason at all to think it's less safe than top roping with a partner |
J C wrote: Has there ever been a TR solo accident? |
Tradiban wrote: |
FrankPS wrote: Just replied to that post. I know Craig and he is anything but a careless climber. I have done tons of TR solo and I would rate it as highly dangerous, even with the right gear, full technical knowhow, and a careful attitude. A lot can go wrong and very quickly. |
Tradiban wrote: Brian Delaney on Cathedral ledge is one example, a longtime leading New England climber. No final determination as to what exactly happened, but he died. I do it all the time with a gri gri, but always on easy stuff for me. |
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Also look at the current accidents thread, a solo TR accident that fortunately didn't result in death. |
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Very safe. Removes half of the potential sources of human error from the equation by removing half of the humans. But, no buddy checks, etc so you better be careful and competent enough to set up and use your system safely. ETA: I think there is also a huge variation in how/what people TRS and the gear they use - I stick to benign environments and easy routes, not big walls or remote destinations. That's a huge factor. So is choice of device + backup. In terms of safety spectrum from "safe*" to certain death, my opinion: gym autobelay -> TRS -> gym toprope w/Grigri -> (everything else becomes too variable based on conditions, belayer, climber, etc) -> free solo and well, maybe ice climbing fits in there somewhere around free soloing. *climbing is inherently dangerous, YGD etc |
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It's context dependent safe, as is the case with most other forms of climbing. |
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Well, if we're discussing safety "in a general sense," whatever that means, then let's expand the concept to take in not only prevention but the consequences of consequences. One factor in solo climbing that is more likely to be part of the circumstances than it would be when climbing in a team--except, of course, in remote locations--is that, depending on where you are and when you're there, you're alone. If there is no one else there to check you before you start, there won't be anyone to give immediate aid, summon rescue, help carry a litter, and so on. |
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I think it's safe. I have been doing it for 25 years. I did bump my elbow once in a fall. I only use one device on one rope. I sometimes lead solo as well. My device doesn't watch hot chicks, talk to other climbers, take pictures, get distracted by the phone etc. When I am leading it doesn't bother me with dumb conversation. |
Max Tepfer wrote: I don't agree with this at all. For one your relying on a mechanical device to catch you. Even with backups the recent shunt story comes to mind. Two the rope is in one position for the top rope, so if you messed up any rebelays and its going over an edge the rope has more potential to cut. Three there are no partner checks and no one else is around if you f up |
FrankPS wrote: Maybe I should rephrase that: Has there ever been a TR solo accident with a proper set up? E.g. a main device and a backup device? Like anything, climbing is super safe if you do it right. |
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Awesome replies, thank you everyone. Very interesting to hear everyones perspectives, and this has very much helped. How coincidental that someone posted a TRS accident the same day. I will read up on that and the other accident that was linked. Any other TRS accidents/incidents out there? Anyone here have a close call? What happened? |
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TRS?
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