RRC Archives

Shoot, the only stories I have heard where people deck outside are almost all from improper grigri use. I think that most people now who never use an atc have no idea how the device is actually working and don't respect the mechanics of it all. I would think that most people who were raised on an atc will naturally not take their break hand off because they understand the mechanics of why these devices stop us in the first place.

A) How do you feed slack without squeezing the cam?

B) I slide my hand onto the device, squeeze to feed slack, then slide my hand back into braking position. It seems crazy when people either 'hands off' a gri-gri, or leave their hand on the cam and off the brake end, but obviously people do it.

C) Except for when someone is really dogging a route, I've been using one of the new ATCs with the 'teeth'. Feeds great, holds just fine for a fall/rest/shake.

tomdarch wrote:A) How do you feed slack without squeezing the cam?

If you feed the rope slowly through with the left hand on the rope going to the climber and the right on the break you should be able feed out ample slack without the device camming. IMO it's not about never ever squeezing the device to pay out slack, its about only doing it on a clip. While the climber is just going slowly between bolts pay out slack the same way you would with an ATC.

i always tie the overhand knot on the brake side if my partner is hanging for a while. particularlly in the winter when i want to put my hands in my pockets if he's not climbing! i know it's redundant - but isn't redundancy a big part of climbing!

my preference is either
brake hand + grigri = redundant
grigri + overhand knot = redundant

I think the best way to give out slack is to roll the rope over the curled right edge, with it in the palm of your right hand. Then, your right thumb is used to hold the cam down (on the plastic handle while folded) for feeding slack. Pull rope with your left. Now the hand holding open is also hand holding brake.

I took this at RocTrip. This guy is currently belaying a climber in the Lode, and explaining the moves to him and a climber on the ground. No overhand, no redundancy, nothing. I can't really say I'd be pleased if I were climbing and looked down to see this:

<a><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2020/164 ... 22edb5.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt="NOT the Proper way to Belay!"></a>

This article will probably spark up some debate and I'm sure everyone has seen it, but it just fits well with the context of the thread:

http://www.climbing.com/print/techtips/ttsport243/

climbers solo with a gri-gri all the time and i have never heard of it failing on a fall and they never have their hand on the brake side.

Not using a brake hand teaches laziness that can easily translate to an ATC. It's a bad habit, just like autoblock rappels. It won't kill you (or the climber) on a gri gri, but it teaches you bad habits and that sucks.

go Zach!!!!

again, anyone who climbs at the lode is exempt from malpractice advice. please delete this inflammatory picture.

charlie, don't you think just using a gri gri teached laziness, and should therefore be banned?