Has the GriGri taken over?

Post by **Wes** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 8:03 pm

UBG, you know it is easy to rig a single rope rap with a Gri-Gri. Both have their place on the rack.

Wes

Post by **Uncle Big Green** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 8:04 pm

Wes wrote:UBG, you know it is easy to rig a single rope rap with a Gri-Gri. Both have their place on the rack.

Wes

absolutely, but that doesn't help you for rope retrieval.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 8:05 pm

I've heard anectdotal evidence of gri-gri's not locking, on this website as well as on rec.climbing. I believe that can happen when pebbles get jammed up inside the gri-gri. "Fail-safe"??

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 8:07 pm

Uncle Big Green wrote:when I want some strange, I use my right hand, too.

*pondering whether to add to my sig line*

Post by **Wes** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 8:08 pm

Sure it does, you can rig a single rope rap for a gri-gri and have no issues retrieval. It just takes a little bit of ropework. And, an even better choice, is to simla-rap with two gri-gri's...

Sandy, never forget that people are dumb. With or without a gri - gri.

Wes

Post by **Uncle Big Green** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 8:14 pm

Wes wrote:Sure it does, you can rig a single rope rap for a gri-gri and have no issues retrieval. It just takes a little bit of ropework. And, an even better choice, is to simla-rap with two gri-gri's...

Sandy, never forget that people are dumb. With or without a gri - gri.

Wes

OK, I've concocted a couple of different ways to rap w/ a g-g and retrieve the ropes and they're both pains in the ass comparatively speaking. since we're all on a safety kick right now, simul-rapping is not a better choice under most (but not all) circumstances.

I agree w/ you last sentence as it even applies to me.

I think I feel like arguing today.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 8:19 pm

amen to that, brother Wes.

Post by **Wes** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 8:20 pm

Not really. Rig the rap as you would for an atc. tie an 8-on-a-bight in the left hand strand. Clip a 'biner to bight. clip biner to right hand strand. attach gri-gri to right hand strand. lower your self. pull left strand. Not as easy as an atc, but not rocket science.

Who is on a safty kick? I just do what ever works best, and isn't to crazy. Simul-rapping with gri-gri's is super safe, unless you are rapping from a slug water bottle.

Wes

Post by **Canuck** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 8:35 pm

A couple months after I started climbing, I saw a woman get dropped at the gym, while being lowered on a gri-gri. The belayer let go of the brake end of the rope with the lever all the way open (that part was operator error). But she quickly let go of the lever, and even after the lever was closed, the gri-gri did not lock. Apparently(?) the rope was moving too fast for the cams in the gri-gri to work. The climber dropped about 15-20 more feet after the gri-gri closed and shattered her ankle.
It totally went against what I'd been told at that gym and heard at several gyms and crags since: if something goes wrong just let go of the lever and the gri-gri will stop the fall. Gri-gri's are not completely fail-safe: they may fail if the rope is too thin, too wet or moving too fast.

Post by **Uncle Big Green** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 8:36 pm

that was one method that came to mind, and I don't think you'd weld the knot too much. however, that introduces one more thing to go wrong in the system (maybe clip a biner through the bite and or make 2 bites.

anyway, if 2 people are simul-rapping, that puts 2x the force on the anchor (even though a good anchor should be able to take that and then some). also with simul-rapping, you now have the potential for 2 people to screw it up instead of just one. that being said, I've simul-rapped a few times.

so listen kids, if you like the g-g, good for you. they aren't fail safe (not much is), they're heavy and $$$. I like climbing on double ropes, too (Eldo, Platte, NC, Tallulah).