One of the best tutorials for lead rope solo I’ve come across, and you were only brief with your setup. And probably one of the only climbers I’ve seen fall on their gear. It’s good to see confidence in the system. Great video, and send.
Congrats Brent! I usually recommend only the setups in my online course. BUT I do recommend this setup by the way. There is all the required items: Bomber rope attachment, primary device, backup, management of the lead rope weight... Only one question: Do you have a stronger "last knot" like a figure eight on a bight on a locking biner? That would be my recommendation. A trick you might add: anchor the rope at the mid-point at the bottom anchor (to cut some of the rope weight during your climb. You can cut more rope if you know precisely what you need to get to the top anchor. Then you might want to carry the Beal Escaper so you can retreat "immediately" after you top out.) Someone might not like this setup because at the moment you drop a knot, you kinda expose yourself to a bigger fall if grigri slips... (or upside down fall) But you got to weight your options in order to send 13c! And it might be a setup for experts only. (ie. don't fall upside down right after you dump the slack or ever...) Makes sense?? Congrats again! And great quality both image and sound on this one...
Not sure if this was mentioned already but one important thing to note about your setup is that there's a very high likelihood that the grigri will not lock up if you fall upside down as the rope is being pulled out and over the back/cam side. For safety It's better to not have it clipped to a chest harness in which case it should always rotate to the correct orientation to lock up, but that does make rope management even more fiddly.
They tested it on hownot2 and it locked even when they dropped it as upside down as they possibly could. It's a Grigri+ in toprope mode, so it grabs easier. And yeah, as mentioned, there are regular backup knots in addition to that.
Hey Brent, just wanted to say that watching your progress has been so cool. I remember you coming in at the UofM gym and climbing. Hard to believe we were once the same level. Congrats on all your hard work!
Hi, thanks for the interesting take on rope soloing. Your blog is very clear & informative. I noticed the draw you are experimenting with at the belay to add some shock absorption, have you tried adding a Kong Kisa plate at that point to do the same thing. Thanks & please keep putting up this stuff & stay safe! Have fun!
Hi there, I do actually own a Kisa but haven't used it.. I came to realize that one big limitation is that it only absorbs one fall, and then you'd have to lower and reset the device. The bungee allows multiple falls when working up a pitch. The Kisa probably does have a solution in certain scenarios!
Nice Work. Great Video. I currently use the upside down Grigri with cache loop micro trax. I am going to try switching to knots. Less Messing around. Does the grigri benefit from being held upright? is it necessary?
Thanks for the video Brent! Would you mind sharing some more info about your "cinching widgets" in each draw? What are you using for those widgets, and how does it differ in the quickdraws vs your first anchor you show in the video?
Hey Brent, do you have any tips on the rubber rope tension widget source or design? I've been using cloves every couple bolts but it takes some energy. Super stoked I found your blog brother, keep crushin'
Hey Brent, just found your video channel and appreciate your going to the extra trouble of videoing to document your climbs and set up. Question: have you ever taken an inverted fall on the GG HUR setup and did it lock up before hitting one of your clove hitches? Theoretically, it shouldn't catch an upside down fall. However, in reality I've wondered if it would - especially if it were a GG+ set to the TR mode.
Hey Craig, I actually have never taken an inverted fall in any of my climbing, much less while on LRS. I am very cautious to avoid it. I do wonder if it would still catch within 10-15 feet from randomness in the incoming rope angle during the tumble. It also seems unlikely that the climber's body would stay rigid and straight while upside-down for very long. It would be great to test it somehow.. perhaps dropping a log off a cliff could simulate it? I won't sign up to be the test dummy!
I am hoping to do some tests later this year with a large duffle bag loaded with weight and rigged same as I would for LRS. We have some ledgy/roofed climbs locally that would be a great venue for pushing it off so it went over backwards. Should be interesting. I have similar wonderings as you.
I know this method of dumping Cloves is just something you’ve become accustomed to, but what are your thoughts on the microtrax as a cache loop management system? When paired with a grigri 2019 upside down, I always feel like it’s the best possible method, but perhaps you’ve experienced something I haven’t. Thoughts?
I do use the trax style cache system for moderate rambling, or fast aiding, though I prefer this clove system when repointing for two reasons: -Each clove is its own easily releasable backup (I reinforced my gear loop to be structural). I know blocker knots can be used (or a third device added) for backup with the Trax, but it seems more fiddly and less trustworthy -The cache feeding motion downward through a Trax is pumpy, and makes something hard like this even harder
@@brentbclimbs With the size of those cache loops, would the next clove hitch even keep you off the deck? I think for a large proportion of the climb there'd be so much extension that it wouldn't actually help, especially when above the last bolt. It can be tricky to judge potential fall distances though.. but with rope stretch it's often quite a bit further than you might think. Probably pretty safe after the half way mark?
Hi. Congratulations for your channel! One question: It seems like you ran out of slack (rope) when you get to the top. How do you rapel down to the ground? I just don't understand. Thank you. And sorry if it's a stupid question.
It's a little hard to see with this footage, but I actually had the rest of the lead rope dangling off my harness. Once at the top I could clip through the anchor hooks, tension the whole system, and tram lower off the GriGri to clean the whole pitch! Check out my "Mission to Mars" video for some footage of the cleaning method.
Is that a skinnier tagline on your harness that you have for rappeling at the end of the pitch and cleaning so you don't have to fix the end you're have with you and re-climb the pitch afterwards? I've tried a similar system for rope soloing at the crag and have wondered if there's a good way to avoid having to re-climb every single route to clean. Have you tried using a beal escaper?
That is actually the other side of the lead rope itself.. this tail then allows you to clip through the top anchor hooks and self lower on the tensioned rope. This tension method is needed to then tram down a steeper pitch like this one. I do sometimes use a tiny pull cord and rap the pitch using a knot-block on the rope side with draws, and then pull the tiny cord to retrieve.
It is not a particularly strong feeling (I've used the regular GriGri plenty), but it poses two advantages: -The anti panic lever seems like nice piece of mind if things tangled and held the lever open during a fall -The TR mode allows a second sensitivity setting for skinnier ropes to dial in the feeding vs locking balance
I just use it in lead mode with this 9.2mm rope. I don't have any experience with the Revo. It likely feeds better, but I do personally like the quick locking and lower-ability of the Grigri.
Great to see some information about solo lead climbing 👌 I would encourage more climbers to try it 😀 I use the Soloist by Rock Exotica & it's totally reliable !
There are so many different combinations of gear to rope solo. And there is top rope solo and lead solo. Spend a lot of time researching before you buy anything and do testing of your system in a safe environment before you get out to the cliffs. Top roping is safer generally but the issue is safely being able to get to the anchor bolts to set up a top rope which is usually done by a lead climber. there is a lot to know about climbing and it's a constant learning process. Take it very slow. Do some climbing at a gym first and learn how to climb there for awhile. Also look on Brent's website as he has an extensive manual there. But like I said go very slow with learning all this stuff.
Hi, can you explain your shock absorber System a bit more exactly? In easy English please - if possible- I am from Geemany... (I did Experiments with shock absorber by ferata Kits bit it wont work). Cheers
Stay tuned to my blog. I'll do a post soon with the 3D geometry files and plans for the keepers and draw.. still tweaking them a bit more before sharing
@@brentbclimbs Thanks... I have some proto's Ive been using after seeing yours... and the heavy haul bag is always a fine option.I had been checking up on your blog and just caught up on your AZ insanity. Vortex is strong in you!
I recently read the manga called " the climber" and he does what you are doing because he likes being alone. This intrests me a lot but i will work on my skills first b4 trying this
Yes, a few reasons.. first the locking mechanism is a metal-on-metal engagement system that relies on very small metal bits, these seem prone to wear out for redpoint soloing with lots of falls. Secondly, the Silent Partner is very bulky for hard climbing! And lastly it is really convenient to lower with the grigri, which you'd likely bring anyways even if using a SP
So using a Soloist belay device has totally more flexibility & freedom than a Gri Gri 👌 I've done over 300 solo leads up to grade 22 as that is my climbing limit 🤫 Australian grade system 👌 And it's a climbing style that i totally value more than all other's as I'm the only one who is accountable for my actions 🙂
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