Send without friends: Lead Rope Solo 

Getting your gear here helps us put out these courses for free 👉 Avant Products hownot2.com/avant 👉 Grigri+ hownot2.com/grigri+ Our top rope solo episode - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DHgozZxLbyo.html

"Not all who wander are lost... some are British trad climbers" GOLD! Maybe my favorite episode ever! Fantastic work!

A couple years ago a partner bailed on a Yosemite trip. I went anyway, alone. I tried finding partners, but could only find boulderers and new-to-trad climbers. So I "learned" how to aid solo with a grigri, my one adjustable daisy, and rope backpack on the Leconte boulder. Satisfied with my skills, I set off on to the Leaning Tower late one afternoon. I was slow on the first few pitches, and it became dark. While doing the final mantle onto the Awahnee Ledge, the cam I was pulling on blew and I fell. I thought there wasn't that much rope out and the fall would stop, but was proved wrong as I bounced off the one little ledge and ended up upside down -- still falling in space with my headlamp shining into dark nothingness. After what felt like a minute of falling I finally came to a stop, still upside down, and now swinging towards an illuminated flash of orange and grey. I smacked into the wall, thankfully helmet first, and righted myself. I was next to the anchor at the start of the pitch. I did not know about the back feeding rope issue. Whoops. Thank you for the comprehensive video so others don't make the same mistake I did. Probably only alive because I chose something so steep/overhanging.

One hour of pure information with a good sense of humor. Now I can learn a lot from their experience! I love it 💪😎👍

I switched from I don't want to LRS because I don't understand the know-how, to I don't want to LRS because I do undertand the know-how 😆😁😁thanks guys for great great content, be safe and have fun 😉

I really miss these long content videos. I can honestly say I've seen every video on this channel more times than im willing to admit. HowNOT2 is always on a nonstop loop in my HOUSE.

I did some serious solo climbing in the 90s. It was a great feeling of peace, serenity and inner self, never had any scares, then one day I woke up and thought, this is really stupid. I don't need to do this anymore. Love watching your videos, thanks.

honestly I have no need for this but just seeing the problem solving involved and the way people with experience think about these things is super valuable to learn to assess risks with any climbing and rope work. Amazing content.

This is pure gold! For those of you getting that excitement to not climb with a partner and go have your own adventures I’ll say this. Be proficient a gri gri’s intended uses first. Know how to lead climb well, lead belay well, ascend, belay from above, proficient with anchor building, and all things climbing in single and multi-pitch, or you may get stuck, or worse, dangerously injured. Not only is it important to be proficient at the other skills for your safety, but if you aren’t, you may find this an not so enjoyable experience if you’re trying to learn to much at once. You may spend all day getting through a climb or two… verses getting to climb all day because you understand all the other things. Just my thoughts!

This was great. Very similar to how I've been lead rope soloing for years. The only thing I would mention is that Petzl specifically recommends against using HMS or pear-shaped carabiners with a GRIGRI. Their documents specify using a D type biner to avoid the orientation issues mentioned in this video. I used to just use a BD HF biner, but would occasionally run into crossloading. I have switched to a DMM Ceros. I like that it has a belay loop gate that keeps it oriented correctly, and the horn on the spine side makes it impossible for the GRIGRI to slide onto that side of the biner. Thanks for the great videos!

Don't worry about people that want to lead rope solo with no experience and unwilling to find someone that does. They are unlikely to complain about... well anything.

Thank you, Ryan. I know this project can be exhausting and demoralizing at times, but I'm always impressed and grateful for the knowledge you bring to this space and I will never regret buying your shirts in order to support our passion. Cheers.

Thanks Ryan Jenks for the killer recommendation of Bliss Climbing courses!!! (3:09) Listening to this video with care and will revert with more comments 🙂 Rope soloing has come a long way since the creation of the Rope Solo Climbing Facebook Group in 2018!! OMG!

48:00 DANG, that anchor is utterly brilliant. Golden, thank you for sharing all of your hard won secrets. ❤

I’m an engineer at my day job and have recently started tinkering with urethane casting into 3D printed molds. All the little gizmos from “big rubber” made me very happy.

I've only been watching this channel for a few years, but when I first found it, all I could think was that I would absolutely love to see a lead rope solo climbing video. Now my wish has been granted. Thank you! 🙏

This is by far the best video I have seen on this subject. So many other videos explain the basics but ignore the little nuances and safety considerations that I never would have thought of. Thanks for this!

last time i checked you only shipped to the US but now you actually ship to the EU as well!!!! i dont think there is a shop i'd rather leave my money with than yours!

Shout out for the Avant soft cinches, biggest improvement to my system so far.

This gives me hope that lead rope soloing can be done relatively safely. Probably the most comprehensive and best video I’ve come across on this topic through RU-vid. Much thanks 🙏

Brent is such a beast. Ryan, I've been watching since the highlining days and LOVE what you've done here with the channel and the store, and the breaking gear fear montra. Love to see stoked logical people like you and Brent pushing the industry and pushing our knowledge. Just bought some Avant climbing gear because its exactly what we've needed. Cheers man. Thanks for everything you've done.

Tinkerer and oldschool engineer.. thanks. For everything you've helped this introvert solo researcher.. my partner and i only get together maaayybe once a year these days. This info supports all my own exp, stay safe, y'all!

Among the many useful things I learned from this video, I now know that Brent has a Guinness World Record for the longest unicycle rail grind 🤣 Thanks guys, amazing stuff. I've avoided LRS and stuck to TRS for about 5 years but might dip into this world now.

I have been LRS for many years. I started with a grigri when they first were sold. I then switched to silent partners. I have two of them. I recently returned to a grigri for the reasons you highlighted. Simple system that gives me confidence it will work. I use a micro traction with slip knots. I am going to switch to a grigri +. Great video. Thank you.

This was truly fantastic guys, as someone who has gone out and tested his own LRS system a couple of times, I always felt a bit sketch about a couple of points. Those Soft-Cinches are a game changer for my bottom of route anchor building and back feeding concerns. Also thanks a ton for the science as always!!!!

Been waiting for this one!

It's nice to see some of my systems I use on my channel that I have been criticized for used in this video. The only thing I would like to add is when using a slipknot as a inline backup for a continues cache it is important to feed a bite of rope from the DEAD side of the rope through the knot. Using a bite from the PROTECTION side means it is easy for the slipknot to pop free when it is pulled against the belay device. Also it is nice to see Brent running into so many small issues with his well refined system that I face with my less refined system.

I had climbed a bit in the gym and learned to lead. I moved to the north cascades and didnt have a partner. I was hungry. I watched your videos and others, researched like a dog. I taught myself to rappel off a bridge and jugged back up with prusiks and a case of beer. I lrs my first trad route, 5.8. my system was clunky but worked. I hsvent done it in a year, i realize the only way to actually my expression in climbing is solo

I like the continuous cache loop method with an USD pinch with a thicker rope. Feeds well, no upright holding needed and no pretied loops on your harness. Protects you in an inverted fall and is super easy to install. A few backup knots every other 3 to 4 meters are a hassle I am happily willing to accept.

I’ve been lead soloing for a long time and I love it. I don’t use backup knots which might be sketchy but I feel comfortable doing it and have done many routes this way. I also don’t use a chest harness

Desire to lead rope solo un-intensifies after watching....

Solo climbed a lot back in the days, one take away is, tie in stopper knots (overhand knots) every to armlengts of rope or so and make sure they are the correct direction for solo lead climbing and have prussiks or other means available for rappell Also note that stepping past the first bolt you are in real factor 2 fall territory, so save your falling to at least the second bolt!

This video helped me a ton, thanks! I've had good luck with hair ties for alpine back-feed prevention - easier to slide with one hand than rubber bands, quick to add to every cam ahead of time.

Great amount of info. One thing is when you tie off (or perhaps even clamp) anything mid-pitch it could lift the gear out if it's not a multi-directional placement.

Brent is living on the wild side with all those solvent cans right next to his climbing gear!

I picked up a "Soloist" when I was young. Still have it. You climb the route twice, once on lead then back down and up to clean the pro. Never took a real fall on it, but it felt just as safe as a normal belay.

As always: simple great! And Brents Soft Cinches are the best investment you can make for LRS. I use them on every bolt.

Heck yeah Derrick Averill is a badass. Planet Rock crew!

Watching this I was all like struggling to keep up with all the thought processes and gear and then watching it at the end I was like oh that looks easy enough. Thanks for the reminder that this is not easy enough to just go out and do. lol

That looks so awesome that I want to do it. This looks so scary that I won't.

went and figured this out at a crag last night and today soloed the otter falls route. thanks for the video!

My video should be out next week on No budget top rope soloing with friction hitches 😂

I like the Avy probe stick clip

Rope soloed for training when necessary. Free soloed for personal reasons. Mostly loved having a dynamic, challenging partner to climb with.

Never been so early!

thanks so much for this! probably the most comprehensive video on lead rope solo there is. such a great channel. I hope you fully recovered from that minor stroke a while ago.

Awesome video and such good timing for the promocode

Love those sinker hand jams and tons of protection. P2 is just as good changing corners

Thank you for such great content. I keep learning about LRS and practicing a lot. It's always good to learn and review techniques. I'm from Brazil.

That stick clip is genius going try make one for arborist work..reaching tie ins and or redirects...setting rigs

the final bible of LRS 🤩 thank you guys 😊

an interesting point : Also totally possible to lead rope solo with a grigri+ held upside down, without attaching it to the neck. It will engage in case of an upside down fall. But it doen't work well with ropes having a big diameter and ropes that do not slide easily. More info can be found through the free ebook proposed by Andrea Calligaris Climbing (link on his youtube channel, if you don't want to pay for similar stuff) For example, I have a skinny rope, I don't use the neck feature, but I have to manage backfeeding a lot, because the rope slides easily through the device. I have another thicker rope with bigger diamater, and the only way to make it work is holding the grigri up with the neck sling, tho I struggle less with back feeding since the rope does not slide well through the grigri.

Absolutely loved the video! Thanks Ryan and special guest Brent :)

… you can use a Grigri for rope soloing as you can use a bicycle for ice skating, but it does not feel all good. I’ve been using a Silent Partner (for over 20 years here in the alps) for my first ascends, and then switch to a Petzl cam device fort the second / cleaning out run. This is a solid system, no need and time for a back-up systems. During first ascend I store my rope (not thinner then 9mm) in a rucksack and I put an end knot at the loose end of the rope - otherwise me and my rope can easily get lost.

the only friends I climb with are from WildCountry

Better method to hold grigri upright is to stitch a Velcro strap to your chest harness and loop the small cord through that. It is strong enough to hold the grigri upright if you use good cache loops and it comes undone without destroying the grigri cord. I pilfered an ice axe loop from an old ascensionist pack. Also keeps an extra biner from flying around if you end up in a break situation.

thank you for this video, I've been looking around and the only other video that seemed to be kind of useful was pete witakers rope soloing video but that was pretty brief

the avy probe as ultralight stick clip is genius

All I know is that I used to scramble up concerningly steep shale cliffs without gear before I knew it was a sport. I was also immortal at the time.

Brent with Magic Line on the radar?! Imagine that as a lead rope solo

I did in 1997 doing a 1 day on Half Dome . This was when he was bolting the direct NW Face. His Flugler loop was pretty warn. I asked him about it . He said to me and my partner Angelo, "This is my timer. When it goes, I go. I thought death wish. But, he said it so calmly that I figured he was joking. His girlfriend was there, I don't recall her name at the time of writing this comment. But it seems he was a lucky gentleman by the way she looked up to him. The next day, Angelo and I were up and gone. 14 hours on the Rega Route. Our Half Dome clame to fame. But enough about me. Todd was a hero to me. He lived his life on his own terms . Not reckless abandon. God bless you, Todd skinner. May the walls in Heaven open up for you. Please remember. It's not your gear that gets you up the rock. It's your skills. And as Warner Braune had said. When it's your time to go. It's your time to go.

Sge why Brent don’t use the mt or Spoc while he is climbing ? And he don’t talk about the fall homemade bungee. Apart of that best yt video about lrs. Thx for the effort

Fantastic stuff

Upsidedown drop tests with log man might be flawed as humans have a tendency to be top heavy instead of having no torso. Being top heavy in an upside down fall can keep you in that upside down position instead of flipping right side up

Love all your videos supper awesome stuff! It would be supper interesting to see if bolts break at a different force if there loaded in an upward pull,like the anchors would be during a LRS fall.

What about using a slipknot after the QuickDraws to avoid back feeding of the rope? ⭐️

that log with the harness was hilarious

Great stuff guys!

This needs more likes.

Thank you so very much for these videos! :)

Great content! Thanks so much for this. What is Brent's opinion about using the DMM Ceros Locksafe? The GriGri can't move to the spine of the biner with this one. Also what about using a Petzl ASAP as a backup for a full device failure?

can't wait for trad lead rope solo

38:10 I've heard something to look out for with this setup is that if your backup knot catches you on the sling, it can slide around to the front of the harness and force the buckle on the harness open, thus allowing you to fall out of your harness. This might not be a particularly likely outcome since 1) your main device has to fail, 2) there has to be enough force to rip your gearloop off, or enough force to force the loop over it, and 3) after all that happens, there still has to be enough of a twisting action for the loop to slide into the buckle and push it open.. but it is still worth considering and I would be curious to know if Brent has thought about this failure mode before and what his thoughts on it are.

It would be rad to add chapters to this to make it easier to come back and revisit topics...

My gents, thanks for a very entertaining and informative video! I might have missed some relevant comments regarding the fall tests with Woody, but I want to ask you how you think Woody's anatomy affected the results. He is very bottom heavy, opposite to a lot of climbers. Seems to me that he auto-uprighted himself fast enough to help the device take? A person on the other hand can/will be "stuck" upside-down. I think this would make the test a little less assuring than one might think! Anyways everyone must do their own risk assessments and all that. Good job on the disclaimers 😅 Keep up the good work!

We can call this crazy^crazy lads. But to the whom who have tried, congrats lol

Someone put a silent partner on ebay, bids starting at 2500. LOL I'm glad I held on to mine.

I'd love to see how the Beal birdie feeds as it gives slack super easy, does that mean it will be easier to auto feed?

Thank you so much for this video! I would love to see your thoughts and tests on the El Mudo 3.0 ;;;)

I started outdoors by top rope soloing by myself and I’ve done a lead rope solo before. I wouldn’t even say standard lead experience is required because they’re not very comparable anyways. It’s honestly pretty simple stuff to understand and I still don’t get why it’s so taboo to talk about. Just go find a bolted class 4 or low class 5 and run laps. As long as you comprehend self rescue you should be safe to learn. (I also don’t do regular lead either)

Great educational...man.....😮😅...those 2 ropes seem like they woukd work great.hopeing get equipment maintenance done ..so can get that zr2...just bought miniskidsteer so catching up.....alot guys use gri gri in tree work ,might trying one..seen uk guys useing simalar for lanyards

what about tying Munters on some of quickdraws to avoid backfeeding? if u don't have those og plastic thingies of course

Great quality video, thanks!

i hate people, i hate rocks. i only climb to get to faff with with clicky gear. So for me it doesnt get better than lead rope solo on big walls

Deformed at 11, pulling out at 30, fully collapsed at 39. Why this dude coming at me like that??

Great video, thanks a lot ❤

For a second I thought he was about to lead solo City Park lol. Have you ever tested cache loop strength or would it likely be similar to the rope rating?

Nice system, awesome repel.

I feel like my entire life was just validated

Great video, so much info. Where is the 2nd location with Mt Rainier and Little T in the background?

52:50 but wouldn't it bottom out if the second part of the anchor is the one you are falling on? It would only pivot to the top when falling on one of the pieces above?

5:00 bro tried pleading the 5th

I personally prefer the El Mudo 3.0, Yomi, & Chest Harness.

How about using prusik on the brake strand of the rope with a loop tied to it from the chest "harness" (The Bachmann Knot type of way)?This setup would still need backup knots in case of an upside down fall, but i think would help managing slack, since you could just feed the rope through it exactly like you do with the grigri when you clip into a quickdraw. It would also decrease the amout of slack in the backup system. I thought about it for a while with intention of trying it with a maillon ( avoiding soft on soft abrasion) to both harness points. Didn't try it assuming it might have a flaw I haven't been aware about.

I might write this comment too early. But I would love to hear about how this would be with a Taz 2 Lov or Taz 3 Lov.

Brent, how are you attaching the superclip to the avi probe? Thank you for the video and for your excellent blog post detailing this system.

i'd like to use grigri+ while lead solo but it too expensive for me, not that i so cheap for my life but where i live currency exchange is astronomical, so am stuck with grigri with heavy thick rope

Which Index route is that?

I also use the gummyrings for the quickdraws

What was the grade of that climb he waltzed up?