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not impossible, I can recreate the event with my hands. the lever is facing foward and it just has to catch on the loop as it jerks foward. I guess I just dont see any reason why you would want to risk it.

When I belay through the tie in points, the laver is nowhere near the belay loop. The Grigri is horizontal and the lever is facing away from the belay loop.

To each there own, not trying to knock anyone, just saying that I have been able to re create that happening. I guess I am just confused on the benefit of going against the way the manufacture has recommended. Again, I dont really have any issues taking in slack, giving rope, or lowering when it is on my belay loop. The scenerio where the belay loop gets caught on the lowering lever occurs when the gri gri is loose and hanging down, like when you have the rope slightly loose and your arms are down just holding onto the brake side loosly. it can just line up right and if a suddon fall occurs, boom, they are on the ground.

I think the reason mine doesn't do that is because when you are through the tie in points, the Grigri doesn't hang down at all. Plus, the the DMM biner I have to prevent cross loading,the gri gri stays in the same position at all times. I find belaying off the belay loop slow and awkward with a lot more of the Grigri flopping around. Like you say, to each his own. I think people should use the method that results in their best belaying

Again, tri-axial loading is the main concern, not so much cross-loading (although that happens too).

I never even thought about tri axle loading, makes alot of sense.

Triaxial loading primarily is a concern with anchor set ups. The tie in parts of he harness touch when you use them to belay, so it essentially serves as one point. Triaxial loading doesn't happen automatically just because you have tree points--the points have to be separated and pulling in three different directions to cause an issue.

After trying the tie-in points at the gym last night I can't believe you guys think that is less awkward than going through the belay loop! I think if you forced yourself to use the belay loop for a couple weeks (using the newest Petzl method) then you would be sold on it.

You could attach another super short loop to your belay loop and that would reorient the Grigri to the orientation your prefer. It would place the device maybe an inch away from the built in belay loop, but it doesn't seem like that would be a big problem. Know how to tie a water knot in 1" webbing?

My first harness was a BD Bod. It had no belay loop. When I bought my next harness (a Misty Mtn I think) I avoided using the loop because 1) it seemed less strong, and 2) I wasn't used to the configuration. After seeing a belay loop tested at the MM shop I was sold on the strength of belay loops and started using it and have been using it ever since. As a side note, the belay loop I saw tested wasn't sewn together, only looped into the standard configuration and held in place with packing tape. It held far more than was needed just from the friction of the nylon alone. Anyway, it didn't take long to get used to the change in rope direction and I never had a problem with an unsafe belay because of the change. I will say my use of a Gri-gri is minimal and my preferred device is an ATC-ish device. Still, I never had a problem using a Gri-gri.

I have noticed tri-axial loading when I've worn a harness that didn't have a belay loop and when others have belayed from both points. I think even with a biner that tries to prevent crossloading there is the potential for tri-axialism or tri-axialist tendencies.