Hands free during rappel

I'm sure this has been covered ad nauseum, but...

I was rapping down a very overhanging sport route the other day to put draws on it. And I had to swing like crazy to get to the rock so I could clip the rap line in. I was using an ATC and wrapping 3 winds around my right leg before letting go to use 2 hands.

This sucked balls:

• I'm white, so the coordination of keeping my swing going while wrapping the rope around my leg was very challenging
• The wraps of rope around my leg meant I had to keep my right leg up: if I dropped it, the rope would unwind and I would start to descend
• Sometimes I had to hang for a while and after a few times my leg would go numb from the tight rope around my thigh

Soo... Looking for a better method. Ideas are (1) Auto-block, (2) Grigri 2, and... I'm out of ideas.

Is it safe to rap on a grigri and just let go?

Simple solution: lower, don't rappel on overhanging sport routes. Other solution is getting a stick clip.

Why don't you just hang the draws while climbing?

Have your belayer brake for you by pulling down hard on both sides of the rope, aka Fireman's Belay

What does you being white have to do with your lack of coordination?

I'm solo, so I can't lower, or do fireman's, or lead, or anything else that requires a partner.

I'm TRing the route with micro-traxions after I fix the rope.

I have tried dropping the rope without clipping the draws, but the crux is down low, so if I fall, I can't get back on the route and have to start over.

I use a Megajul, the Gri could get pinched and unlock.

Use a grigri. It's probably best to tie in overhand on a bight in the brake strand before going hands free, but you probably wouldn't die otherwise.

Fwiw, I lead on rope solo with a stick clip to fix cliffs when I rebolt. It's generally easier and faster than rappelling to hang directionals. I can generally get up a route and have the line fixed in less than 5 minutes once I leave the ground.

John, can you explain how you do this? I have a stick clip... how do you self-belay?

The route itself is very hard for me, so free-climbing (while hauling a stick clip and other gear) is probably not practical.

If you have super easy top access, just fix the line, rappel with a grigri and use a stick clip (clip the brake side of the rope to the draw you're hanging and keep the other side with you to tram in), as this method will also work fine, although it can take longer if the route is really overhanging.
I don't understand: you clip the brake side to the draw you're about to hang? I'm rapping a single fixed line. How does this work?!

John RB wrote: The wraps of rope around my leg meant I had to keep my right leg up: if I dropped it, the rope would unwind and I would start to descend

The cure for this, after wrapping, is to drop a loop of rope over your head so that the rope runs up from the wraps over the opposite shoulder and then down. Or, if that bothers your shoulder, you can just run the rope coming off the last wrap up through a carabiner somewhere on your harness. The point is to get the hanging rope weight to pull up on the wraps, not down.

But leg wraps are just for brief stops. If you are hanging for a while, they'll make your leg go numb, as you noticed. The other advice offered on the thread is what you should consider.

rgold wrote: The cure for this, after wrapping, is to drop a loop of rope over your head so that the rope runs up from the wraps over the opposite shoulder and then down. Or, if that bothers your shoulder, you can just run the rope coming off the last wrap up through a carabiner somewhere on your harness. The point is to get the hanging rope weight to pull up on the wraps, not down. But leg wraps are just for brief stops. If you are hanging for a while, they'll make your leg go numb, as you noticed. The other advice offered on the thread is what you should consider.

Wow thank you

A backed-up or doubled prussik or autoblock backup off a leg loop works really well. Look into it. I'm a photographer and use this technique more than the standard ascender etc. rig.

just use a grigri for christ sake, you guys are making things way to complicated.

If you're going to be teaching yourself rope soloing (which I'd say is something to be approached with caution in general), consider getting on a very straightforward route (ie, not your overhanging swinging project) and practicing it with some kind of backup toprope belay method.

I've gotta second the prusik or autoblok. In reality, especially since you're going solo, you should have some sort of back up when you rappel anyway.

If you're concerned about going hands free with a grigri, they actually outline the proper way to tie off the brake side through the locking carabiner. It involves passing a bite through the locking carabiner, then another bite through that, and clipping it with a carabiner.

hands free grigri

Like most people who bolt routes I just use a Grigri as well. I´d guess I´ve rapped 50,000m on one and the nearest I get to backing it up is a leg wrap of the rope.

MEGAJUL.

Ok.
this

ol' school,circa1990s (What's up? That is a small picture?)

The Robot, it allows for a controlled " hands free" descent or stopping mid-rap.

. Then. . . .

A Stick clip -or a rig to reach out and capture a bolt?

The thing Is Called a "Frog" - a burley industrial rated, climbing certified clip that closes (captures)
'locks' around the eye of the bolt.

The "Frog" Carabiner

There is "The Prog"

The fancy frog ?
Ymmv.
Same goes for anything that is named The Panic - a standard wire gate 'biener w/a latch that shuts and locks the wire gate

Warning, if you check out the Tree climbin' -Arborist- gear web-sites
The cookies, & resulting, 'banner adds.' and spam can bring you down,;-\
But there are all sorts of rope assist devices.

I was going to echo everyone's comments about using a grigri.

But the thing is, if the route is steep enough for you to go hands free, and if you plan on retrieving your rope, you'll probably wind up trying to lower yourself down on a doubled-line: tied in on one end of the rope and lowering yourself by grigri on the other end. This means that you'll wind up clipping one strand of the rope through your draws as you descend, and if the route is steep enough, you'll be essentially clothes-lining yourself by the time you hit the ground. If you wind up clipping both strands of rope into the draws, you'll stay closer to the ground but the rope drag may eventually get so bad that you won't be able to lower yourself anymore.

Short version-- use a stickclip and go ground up if you want to hang draws, just like John Wilder said. It will be much less of a clusterfuck, probably quicker, and you won't look like such a noob. Or just fix a single line and lower yourself on a grigri.

Wouldn't it just be easier (and safer) to bring a fiend? ;)