Soft catch with Wren/ Rock Exoctica Soloist

Hey y'all

Anybody have a good system for providing a soft catch while rope soloing ? I was thinking of tying some weight/ my pack into the system like in the picture to disperse some of the energy generated in a fall.

You'd want something fairly heavy I feel like because other wise you're just introducing more slack into the system and not dispersing enough during a fall which would be no bueno.

Any ideas/ thoughts?

Unless you are doing some crazy hard aid it's not really needed. There is always a certain amount of slack in the system to dampen the fall and the rope is dynamic too.

If you have enough air to fall into, I guess. Don't fall low or onto a ledge.

Try the Kong Kisa.
Attach one end to your anchor and the other to your rope.
When you fall, the force will pull cord (not your rope) through the Kisa and reduce impact. Kind of like a reusable screamer.

kong.it/en/2-products/items…

Ryan7crew wrote: There is always a certain amount of slack in the system to dampen the fall and the rope is dynamic too.

Adding slack into the system increases the fall factor and force on the top piece, not reduces it. This is well known, well discussed, and well documented on this forum and every other one.

At some distance, the extra fall distance outweighs the energy dissipation of lifting a heavy object. I do not remember the distance, but I remember it was relatively short, like 10 cm or something.

With that in mind, perhaps a better solution would be to attach the weight to the masterpoint. Doing so would, theoretically, keep the masterpoint weighted downwards so it would have to lift that weight to travel upwards to catch a fall

20 kN wrote: Adding slack into the system increases the fall factor and force on the top piece, not reduces it. This is well known, well discussed, and well documented on this forum and every other one.

You are correct. I was more comparing it to the tightness that an incompetent belayer could create when you are above your last piece. This could increase your acceleration into the wall. I was just saying that this is not an issue when rope soloing.

use a rope with 7-8 KN of impact force

beal, tendon, etc ...

thats all there is to it

;)

Ryan7crew wrote: You are correct. I was more comparing it to the tightness that an incompetent belayer could create when you are above your last piece. This could increase your acceleration into the wall. I was just saying that this is not an issue when rope soloing.

That sounds more like an issue of a hard catch vs soft catch. Indeed noob belayers often tend to pull you tight and give you a hard catch when you're about to whip. But a soft catch is not created by feeding slack into the system, it's created by the belayer jumping into the fall and allowing himself to get yanked up, which is effectively the scenario the OP is trying to create.

Alright if you´ve got a fully loaded haul bag or two as you need to at least enough weight to equal a belayer.
If you haven´t that much weight then just arrange the rope through a belay device attatched to the anchor and use a normal pack to simulate the belayers hand grip, I use about a 15kg pack and two karabiners (for extra braking) in an ATC XP.

Jim Titt wrote:Alright if you´ve got a fully loaded haul bag or two as you need to at least enough weight to equal a belayer. If you haven´t that much weight then just arrange the rope through a belay device attatched to the anchor and use a normal pack to simulate the belayers hand grip, I use about a 15kg pack and two karabiners (for extra braking) in an ATC XP.

I've been rope soloing for years, and I never even thought of that. Nice. How do you attach the pack to the rope? A Prusik?

thebmags wrote:Hey y'all Anybody have a good system for providing a soft catch while rope soloing ?

I just use the weight of the haul bag if I have one, or use a screamer if I don't.

You are rope soloing, don't effing fall. Typically when I am rope soloing there is plenty of slack to offer a softish catch. Once you climb past the middle mark on a rope then there is usually even more slack in the system.That word, solo, is your indicator to pucker your butthole extra tight and to not fall. Or at least that's what I was taught. Who is really bringing all the gear required to rope solo and then bringing an extra dead body for a soft catch anyways.

YATES SCREAMER attached directly to anchor. If on two bolts, have screamer take most force until other bolt(s)/anchor piece(s) are tensioned.

David Coley wrote: I just use the weight of the haul bag if I have one, or use a screamer if I don't.

I put a Screamer in the anchor. Never tested it though.

turd furgeson wrote:Who is really bringing all the gear required to rope solo and then bringing an extra dead body for a soft catch anyways.

Fill bag with rocks right before you take off.

sam england wrote: Fill bag with rocks right before you take off.

Take pic of rocks before you fill bag so that you can return them all to their original and natural locations after your glorious send. (You wouldn't want to accidentally improve the fall zone.)

Jim Titt wrote:Alright if you´ve got a fully loaded haul bag or two as you need to at least enough weight to equal a belayer. If you haven´t that much weight then just arrange the rope through a belay device attatched to the anchor and use a normal pack to simulate the belayers hand grip, I use about a 15kg pack and two karabiners (for extra braking) in an ATC XP.

I like this idea a lot, you come up with this yourself ?

David Coley wrote: I've been rope soloing for years, and I never even thought of that. Nice. How do you attach the pack to the rope? A Prusik?

Just a knot and a karabiner or tie a few half hitches through the haul loop, anything will do. I normally set up a ground anchor and put the ATC on the first bolt, the sack sits on the ground with enough slack to get nearly to the ATC before the rope comes finally tight. If there´s no reasonable ground anchor then the first bolt does double duty, whatever knot you use isn´t going through an ATC.

thebmags wrote: I like this idea a lot, you come up with this yourself ?

Sure, I don´t big-wall so don´t drag a 100kg pig around but rope-solo other stuff so looked for an easier way to get the same effect.

Screamer in the line, just up rope of the anchor (between two fig 8's on a bight with enough slack to let the screamer extend). I have been leading with a soloist for many years and taken just one fall that ripped the screamer. Mostly I don't lead stuff I expect to fall on and climb conservatively when alone. I am talking about real climbing - not aiding.