Belaying lead with the Grigri 101

[Adam]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSVchbjVKLE

good for a review.

[chossmonkey]

They also show the technique that lets you feed out rope without having to take your hand off the brake side like they originally suggested.


The new technique is well worth learning. I think the only reason Petzl doesn't scrap the old way is cause it would be kinda like saying they told you how to do it incorrectly to start with.

[Fred]

Great vid.

I've always struggled with belaying lead with a GriGri. I'll be the first to confess that I've probably done the unsafe way of feeding slack out more than once. Belaying with one of these is always easy once your climber is a ways off the deck and route is overhanging. You can essentially leave an extra arm reach of slack out. This prevents the climber from an unexpected tug and caming the device when the belayer doesn't anticipate the clip. Usually the problem I have when watching a climber close to the ground and I don't want to give them too much rope.

One question though. This seems to work well in theory especially with a new rope but... I'm wondering. How would the new technique fair with a big old fat rope? Seems like a big loop in the line.

Also, what is Petzl's new recommendation for rope diameters to use with GriGri's? You can't tell me that all those pro sport climbers are sending on 10.5mm ropes and we know for sure they are all using GriGri's.

[Fred]

Also, do they still recommend not to use it for trad lead belay and why? I never understood that one.

[Murph]

Also, do they still recommend not to use it for trad lead belay and why? I never understood that one.

I think it has something to do with the amount of force the device will hold before rope slippage. I remember reading it somewhere, but I’m too lazy to go look it up. Grigri’s start to slip in the 4-5 Kn range, standard ACT’s slip at 3 Kn and a munter hitch can only hold around 2.5 Kn. So in a larger fall, a Grigri would put more force on gear…. That is my understanding of it anyways.

[chossmonkey]

Also, do they still recommend not to use it for trad lead belay and why? I never understood that one.

I think it has something to do with the amount of force the device will hold before rope slippage. I remember reading it somewhere, but I’m too lazy to go look it up. Grigri’s start to slip in the 4-5 Kn range, standard ACT’s slip at 3 Kn and a munter hitch can only hold around 2.5 Kn. So in a larger fall, a Grigri would put more force on gear…. That is my understanding of it anyways.

That's pretty much it. I think the Grigri slips at a higher load though than 5kN. As long as your belayer isn't anchored it really shouldn't be much of an issue though since the belayer will be lifted off the ground in a hard fall.


Oddly they say it is okay to belay aid with the grigri.

[chossmonkey]

One question though. This seems to work well in theory especially with a new rope but... I'm wondering. How would the new technique fair with a big old fat rope? Seems like a big loop in the line.

Also, what is Petzl's new recommendation for rope diameters to use with GriGri's? You can't tell me that all those pro sport climbers are sending on 10.5mm ropes and we know for sure they are all using GriGri's.

I think the new technique works okay with fat ropes. That said, we have two Grigris. One for thin ropes and one for fat ropes. The fat rope grigri is just an older one that has been worn quite a bit and it makes feeding the rope a lot easier. It won't work with ropes less than 10.5mm. Keeping the rope in a nice pile goes a long way to easy use as well. I find when you are pulling rope through, it works best if the rope is nearly at your feet and just to the right. The angle that the device is held and that the rope runs through it can make a huge difference in how it feeds. The main pile can be wherever, but keep pulling a small pile out near where you are standing at the time. I do this even if the whole rope is right at my feet, just to make sure there are no tangles. Anticipating the clips is important to. If the draws are already up it can help if the climber lets the belayer know when they are going to clip.


With a new unworn Grigri you can normally use 9.7mm ropes without problems. Always do the yank test to see if the rope is threaded right and if the grigri will lock up on the rope. If the rope catches it should be okay. In theory, even if the rope doesn't catch, the grigri should function as a normal device (likely with less friction) as long as you hold onto the rope. Keep an eye on the rope when the climber is hanging. If the rope is slowly sliding through the device you know that the rope is getting pretty close to being to thin.