Question for you SRT guys.

so the figure 8 technique seems obvious (left hand on blakes, right hand near hip to control descent)


what about the grigri...it seems that the blakes would have to be very loose so that it doesn't keep jamming...a left hand on the grigri handle and a right hand near the hip to control descent.....

anyone care to advise before I experiment with it this weekend?

thanks so much!!!

mrand wrote:

what about the grigri...it seems that the blakes would have to be very loose so that it doesn't keep jamming...a left hand on the grigri handle and a right hand near the hip to control descent.....

Besides the fact that the Grigri just doesn't work very well in this application (DRT descent), you'd need 3 hands to operate. One on the Grigri lever, one on the Blake's and most importantly, a belay hand on the tail of the rope.

If you loosen the Blake's enough so that it rides down the rope untended there's no point in having it there at all. Try it though and see if you can verify that the Grigri is a total pain for DRT descent. It's safe enough, just not functional.
-moss

If you are using the Grigri - Trust it and remove the Blake from above it completely. If you do not trust it just use the Blake hitch. No need for three hands!
Sounds like you are not descending from very high anyways.

Earlier Moss mentioned that \"the Grigri has to be fed the rope in order to work\" I have only seen that problem if you are using a very \"fat\" rope like Arborplex (13 Millimeters or more) or if you are using a very stiff rope like static KMIII.
Also, if the climber is \"very light weight\" like Moss them you create too much friction to work. I weight right at 200 lbs plus the gear and have not seen any of the problems mentioned.

I had a bad drop experience using the Grigri on DdRT in MS by Using the wrong rope (Sportline) and not keeping my hand securely over on the down rope. You can read about it on the Close Calls and Accidents reports area.

oldtimer wrote:

Earlier Moss mentioned that \"the Grigri has to be fed the rope in order to work\" I have only seen that problem if you are using a very \"fat\" rope like Arborplex (13 Millimeters or more) or if you are using a very stiff rope like static KMIII.
Also, if the climber is \"very light weight\" like Moss them you create too much friction to work. I weight right at 200 lbs plus the gear and have not seen any of the problems mentioned.

Ok, that makes sense, I was using Fly which supposed to be 11mmm but is a little fat in a Grigri. My flyweight certainly could've been a factor. I didn't like having to make effort to descend (feed the rope), that's supposed to only happen on ascent!

I guess I'm not seeing the value of using a Grgri for DRT descent. If you put it on the down rope and then take off the Blakes you're essentially doing a switchover and removing the \"no switchover\" safety advantage that DRT hitch climbing provides. Any time you do a gear configuration change like that you're introducing another layer of risk, for instance putting the Grigri on the rope upside-down or forgetting to attach the Grigi to your harness after you put it on the rope. Just basic safety check stuff but something to be aware of, it is not a seamless DRT ascent/descent scenario.
-moss

oldtimer wrote:
Earlier Moss mentioned that \"the Grigri has to be fed the rope in order to work\" I have only seen that problem if you are using a very \"fat\" rope like Arborplex (13 Millimeters or more) or if you are using a very stiff rope like static KMIII.

Arbor-plex? The Grigri is only rated up to 11mm. Do you mean something a little fatter than 11mm, or will 13mm fit inside it?

I ahev read that the grigri twists the rope alot when descending, I have an Eddy wich is similar to the grigri. I haven't had a chance to try it out yet, just curious if it will cause alot of rope twist

I have not noticed my Grigri twisting the rope but my climbs are from shorter trees so I would not know .......

I've done quite a few 300'+ rappels on static rope, on a figure 8. Twist? Oh yeah. Rappel racks are much better for the long ones. Also, when teaching high angle rescue classes, we'll put 30 or more people over the side of a 4 story building on 7/16 static 6 or 7 times (on 8s) and twist is never an issue. Go figure. I personally like 8s or piranhas 'cause they're easy, cheap, and dependable. No hinges, bars, side plates, pulleys, cams, or anything else to give you problems.

I did have a problem with twist once, when I left my tree rope stuffed in a bag at the bottom on a short climb - I simply don't do that any more. One fix was to flake my rope out on a $2 6x8 tarp while I climbed. Another was to get a shorter rope for shorter trees.

Walk your rope out when you are finished climbing and then stuff it loosely in a bag. A little bit of twist doesn't hurt the rope, but is annoying!