Rope soloing (aid) with a Reverso/ATC-Guide???

Just getting into rope soloing and still trying to work out all the kinks. I've used a Gri Gri, but don't feel 100% with it. I'm only doing aid roped solos right now. Does anyone have any thoughts on using a Reverso or ATC Guide in auto-locking mode for a self belay device? I'm sure it would lock up, but just wondering about the consequences of a long leader fall on the system. Would the rope on rope friction damage the rope or possibly burn through it? Would this be an unsafe set up? I've never heard of anyone using this technique before and am just wondering why. I think it would be just as easy/difficult to manage as a Gri Gri or soloing off a clove-hitch (which I have also done), but a little safer. Curious just to hear some thoughts on the topic...

Thanks to all that respond!

With a Gri-Gri you can feed rope relatively easily with one hand and it will sometimes automatically feed rope. It would be very difficult to feed rope with an ATC Guide or Reverso in autolocking mode. At that point, it would make more sense to use a big clove hitch, which would be much safer.

Any self belay device/method should involve backup knots. If you feel nervous about the Gri-Gri, use more frequent backup knots.

Do you feel that the Reverso method would be unsafe in a leader fall?

Its expensive and bulky but the silent partner set up with occasional backup knots makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

I'm not into roped soloing but I have friends who swear by the Wren Silent Partner and the Soloist. The reason you haven't heard about using a Reverso or ATC for this is probably because they're not made to be used that way. I don't think the rope would burn through but unpredictable things can happen in a fall so a Reverso/ATC may not work the way you expect. I think it would be unsafe.

Don't reinvent the wheel. they weren't designed for it and no one uses them as such. go gri-gri for mostly aid, or get the silent partner for more free.

I've done this once with an old Kong Gi-Gi. In hind sight it was likely one of the more stupid things I've ever done. With the Gi-Gi and the ATC guide (but not the Reverso) the biner that attaches to the rope does not attach to anything else, so it is possible for this biner to rotate under extreme loading. The alows the break side of the rope and the climber side of the rope to swap positions. When it does this, your set up no longer locks up, and starts feeding out rope really fast. I' had this happen to me while belaying a second with a skinny rope.

On the reverso, the second biner clips through the bite in the rope as well as a metal bar. This bar could prevent the biner from twisting around on you.

All told, a gri-gri works really well for this application. If for some reason its not working for you, you're likely doing something different. Better to figure our how to get this tried and true method working then to experiment with something new and potentialy dangerous.

Two things to keep in mind with the Gri-Gri.

Use a DMM belay master biner to attach the gri-gri to your belay loop. I've looked down too many times and seen the gri-gri cross loading the biner. The Belay Master biner should prevent this.

Use a Wall hauler, tibloc, rope man, or something to hold the weight of the break side of the rope. When gravity starts tugging to hard on the free end of the rope, the gri-gri stops feeding so well.

Chris,

Thanks for the beta. I like your suggestion on the DMM biner in this situation. That was one of my beefs with the Gri Gri was that it was constantly rotating and cross-loading the carabiner. Made me real nervous to be seein' that constantly. I had the Gri Gri clipped through a the belay loop on the harness, then had the rope running up through a chest harness also (was told this was necessary to keep the Gri Gri properly positioned in an upside-down fall). Is this a standard set up or am I missing something? Thanks again to everyone that has chimmed in!

I find its easier and safer without a chest harness. I'm confident this would catch an upside down fall because the gri-gri will position itself freely along the line of tension regardless of the direction.

Also, without a chest harness, if the gri-gri locks up, you can reach down, grab it, and yank up while holding the locking mechanism back.

Not that you asked, but I've found the Ederid Eddy to be quite nice for rope soloing. Put the rope in a pack, feed it over the shoulder and as long as you keep the loop of slack below the device it feeds smooth as can be. From what I'm told it locks well too, but to be honest I've never given it a try.... (I keep to the easy stuff when soloing). Rather expensive if you buy it here in the US, but rather cheap if you happen to be in Europe (although I can't say how the cost falls out at the moment....)

-a.

EDIT- Oh, and after using a Reverso in autoblock mode to jug up half a pitch of fixed line I swore never to attempt something so silly ever again. Way too much friction feeding through the device to even think of using it that way for soloing.

How about this unintended use of the device?

Solution looking for a problem..

My boy Eric Moss coming through in a time of need. Bumping 8 year old threads to suggest bizarre new climbing systems.

FYI - Rock Exotica has discontinued the Silent Partner. Oh, and they are already out of stock. They'd like to bring them back some day, but have no timetable on doing so.

Jon Miller on the WS wrote:FYI - Rock Exotica has discontinued the Silent Partner. Oh, and they are already out of stock. They'd like to bring them back some day, but have no timetable on doing so.

Nice Eric. Best thing I've seen all day

jfs wrote:ROC, Maxime Turgeon used the setup you are asking about to do a long, bicycle supported set of linkups in the Alps. That said, as I recall, he regarded it as a "marginal" setup and some of the potential failure modes have already been mentioned above. Maxime Turgeon And if you are intent on giving this (not recommended) technique a go...here's a write up by some unknown, could be totally crazy, random dude on the internet. Buyer beware: Highly not recommended technique explanation...

Eric, have you actually tried that out in the field before? What do you think about putting a carabiner on the rope that crosses slots? You could pull the rope to feed slack or disengage after a big fall easily, it might reduce the chance that your rope gets jammed in the device.

Firestone wrote:Eric, have you actually tried that out in the field before? What do you think about putting a carabiner on the rope that crosses slots? You could pull the rope to feed slack or disengage after a big fall easily, it might reduce the chance that your rope gets jammed in the device.

Jon Miller on the WS wrote:FYI - Rock Exotica has discontinued the Silent Partner. Oh, and they are already out of stock. They'd like to bring them back some day, but have no timetable on doing so.

Not enough sales to justify a new manufacturing run. They can't keep up with demand on their rope access equipment (pulleys, Arizona Vortex, Aztek, etc). Its a damn shame, I wish I had know before they sold out!