RRC Archives

My friend Elodie told me two stories today of which a grigri saved her ass. First story, she fell and hit her belayer and he released both of his hands from the grigri. But it locked and she was fine. Another time, a big rock hit her head (she was wearing her helmet) but it really disoriented her for a few moments.

I've personally seen an incident where someone yelled for a belayer's attention at the moment her climber fell from the chains on chainsaw. Ripped her head into the hanger and quicklink on the first draw, gashed it pretty good and disoriented her. Black vision and all but her climber was safe.

ATC's scare the shit out me. I personally don't like people belaying me with one while I lead climb. This coming from someone that was mysteriously dropped by a guy using a gri-gri.

ATCs are for trad..are you now a trad climber rhunt? trad is where old crusty out of shaped climbers die and still pretend it is climbing. are you there yet?

if I have to explain a gri gri, then it is hopeless. on a steep pitch and the climber is hanging, it is nice to lightly hold the brake end wiht a glove, whereas wiht an ATC you always have to be diligent to keep enough pressure so your brah doesn't get pissed that you lower them two inches. a gri gri is great for bolting routes, where I use it 100% hands off while rapping.

gri gris are great for switching belayers mid climb...seamless.

gri gris are great when you want to eat and belay. or do dope. or drink. or pick your nose. or kcik the dog on your rope.

gri gris are safer than sex. period.

I belay on 9.5s and under almost exclusively.

The gri-gri is the best tool for the single pitch setting.

The gri-gri is a safer device than an ATC.

Hey piggies - yep its easy trad or not climbing at all so yes I am there. Actually I am planning a trip to the gunks in two weeks. Plus you got it wrong - mountain biking is were ex-climbers go to die.

And all your reasons for using a grigri are for lazy conveniences. The other non-sport climbing examples don't count. And all this non-sence that its harder to hold a climber with an ATC while they work a climb...if you are that weak then you shouldn't be belaying.

GriGri's got all trendy in the 90's because of the lazy conveniences and now people think they are safer....yet clearly they are not.

It would be helpful if there was a way to complie all the accidents of the last 5 years at the red to see how often an auto-locking device was involved.

I am burning my grigri tonight, who's with me?

compling accidents won't prove anything, since 90% of folks use a gri gri we would expect 90% of the accidents to come from their use, just to say all devices were equally "safe"....

climbing trad or not at all..that is a very hard choice for sure..I am thinking I would just stay home.

rhunt, are you seriously serious? i can't tell. i can't imagine any logical person thinking an ATC is safer than a grigri neglecting operator error in which case either is equally deadly, but perhaps i'm wrong. i remember you being a pretty logical kinda guy.

seriously...I thought i was being logical...huh maybe its the long day playing outside while the rest of you work day jobs...

Now there's two thread's discussing the safety of the gri-gri... Gri-gri's are not unsafe, climbers are unsafe. The device is only as safe as the belayer using it.