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overwatch
climber
Arizona
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Jul 15, 2016 - 11:55am PT
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Yeah that thing is awesome
I will wait to see how it shakes out first though.
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Pete_N
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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Jul 15, 2016 - 03:28pm PT
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Hmmm. I'd like to see how that anti-panic device works more closely--the epictv video sorta blows through that! ;-)
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McHale's Navy
Trad climber
From Panorama City, CA
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Jul 15, 2016 - 11:00pm PT
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It looks like the lever is designed to just bypass the cam and release it if it goes to far. Great solution!
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Jul 15, 2016 - 11:16pm PT
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It basically aligns the grigri with the Edelrid Eddy which was a german take on the grigri with handle-pull relocking. On the Eddy the handle pin simply comes off the cam if you pull it too far and only works in a narrow range in the middle. Probably works more or less the same on the grigri+.
Don't particularly care for the Eddy as a belay device and only use mine for rope soloing. Would use the grigri+ if they'd reverse the damn rope path which is what makes the Eddy so good for lead rope soloing.
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chainsaw
Trad climber
CA
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Jul 16, 2016 - 08:25pm PT
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I was asked to do some testing on the Mammut Smart when it came out. My first impression was that its locking feature was nifty. I quickly learned that this device is not safe for climbing for a number of reasons. It doesnt always lock. It frequenly gets stuck and wont unlock. When locked while lowering or hanging, it spontaneously unlocks. The sheath on old ropes bunches up in the thing and screws with the action. And if the rope is wet, it doesnt hold at all. Iearned this the hardway, lowering to the edge of a slick steep roof I was cleaning raingutters in a storm at the gym. Lastly, feeding slack to a lead climber with one of these POS units is a beotch. The thing locks when you dont want it to and unlocks when you do. Gri gri is way to go. When you get tired, lowering partners from hanging belays is a bitch with the ATC and you cant belay directly off an anchor with one for guiding. Gri gri is optimum for that because you are already escaped from belay if your climber (follower) struggles. Simply add mini-traxion down rope with the tial of your belay through a biner on the traxion and youre three to one in about thirty seconds of rigging. And If you use a 10.1 or better rope the gri gri locks everytime. Ive self belayed and taken over 500 self belayed lead stagedives on a grigri and it never fails with the proper size rope. Most accidents Ive seen with one (and Ive seen a few) were caused by operator error. Always yank on your belayer before starting that lead to make sure its locking and not rigged backwards. At first, the gri gri will put terrible twists in the rope when lowering. But the method of lowering is key. The curved phlange on the belay hand side of the gri gri is made to allow you to adjust which way the rope drags on it . Eventually you learn to lower without any twists. And finally, look at who in the professional world of climbing is using them. If you are climbing alot or working as an instructor they are the only way to go. Sometimes I carry two grigris and the mini traxion when I guide.
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chainsaw
Trad climber
CA
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Jul 16, 2016 - 08:43pm PT
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One more thing. If you do alot of coursesetting in the gym, you will see why we use these blessed little widgets. Screw the little fake grigri knockoffs made by other companies. They are the wrong shape and size for dextrous handling and the handles break. They heat up really fast and give me the creeps. Check out what Touchstone setters use for self belay. When you are working with both hands hauling, rigging, setting or stripping grigri rules. You can actually lead your route as you set and take lead falls, provided theres NOT TOO MUCH ROPE OUT. When the rope gets heavy, these things will autofeed slack. Stil, for steep overhangs with lotsa draws its not usually a problem. Carry a jumar and a stepladder if you plan on whipping or else you have to hump the rope to ascend. Lots of luck and keep your harness doubled back folks!
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