Gri Gri 2 Top Rope Soloing

Ethan Lwrote:I'm currently looking for a single rope, microtrax+something setup that auto-feeds, which will prevent the cluster that two ropes and a grigri create.

Microtrax + Microtrax

Heath Glasgowwrote: I believe that rod stock just means that the cross section of the carabiner is a circle rather than I-beam construction

I just want to know if the biner will fit in the hole

Lift with micro traction backup, won’t wear the rope as much. Use grigri to rap. Not shown in this photo is a non rated band that goes under the lift and around your neck to pull it up along with you.

but if you did only gri gri drill a hole in it and put a non rated string through and around a chest harness to pull it up, or just feed it through manually and back up with overhand knots every 6ft or so. 

Darren Mabewrote:

I just want to know if the biner will fit in the hole

I got one and it does

A Mwrote: Hi, Does anyone have any knowledge on top rope soloing with a grigri? Best methods for backing it up mainly.. I would like the ability to run laps on single pitch stuff to dial in technique, but without having to deal with a bored partner. I know the micro traxion is the best method, but I've already got a grigri and wouldn't mind saving $100 - although I'm not opposed to making the purchase. Just wanted to see what my options were. Thanks for anything you might know!

Rob Dillonwrote: Money well spent. Just buy the minitrax.

What he said, after using a gri gri for years I made the switch, night and day, kinda like going from tele gear to at gear 

Lots of good suggestions here already. If you are bent on not spending any extra money then the grigri method will work. It's just a bit of a hassle. Either use a single line and tie backup knots on the rope below the grigri every now and then, or tie the halfway mark of the rope on the top (eg. fig 8) and clip backup knots on the second strand when climbing.

Both methods will feed easier if there is a small amount of weight on the dead rope below the grigri. (eg water bottle or coiled remainder of the rope). For peace of mind on a single attachment point a steel locker or a 10mm maillon is cool. Plated steel maillons rated for climbing are super cheap. An alternative would be an anti crossload belay carabiner. The forces when top roping are usually small though.

If at some point you feel like it might be nice to have a device that feeds more easily, then you can get away with using the grigri as a backup on one line and having a primary device on the other. That way you wouldn't have to pull slack as often, but rapping down would still be easy.

If a microtrax is too expensive, there are lots of commonly used alternatives such as the camp lift (my primary), rollnlock, spoc, ropeman, kong duck and maybe even a shunt. Some of these might be half the price of a new microtrax. Note that most of these are not approved for top rope solo by the manufacturer and that's why you should always have a backup.

+1 for microtrax+ascender+two rope strands; ascender goes through your leg and waist loops. If you only buy one piece of gear, make it the trax and tie knots into a locker on your belay loop every so often from the other strand, if you want a backup. You can periodically find them for under $90 shipped online. I've had good success with a ~2' piece of black shockcord tied through the trax and around my neck, ensures perfect feeding and doesn't usually twist the device.

This device is pretty much ideal for self-feeding up a second line (i.e. as your backup):

ascender for TRSolo

As a minimum, I'd say just get a Petzl Mico Traxion and raise it with a chest/neck band. Then trail a maillon on a short dogbone and add a knots every not an then.

I tried all of these and would advise avoiding: Edelrid Spoc, Rollnlock, Ropeman 1 & 2, Kong Duck and Shunt. The RollNLock isn't terrible, but is ever unpredictable. The Camp Lift can work in combination with other things, but never ever alone. There's little room for error with a Lift. The Shunt, even worse. Petzl has released a Nano Traxion, which I have tested. It's too light and runs poorly in comparison the Micro Traxion, so avoid that too.

Camp Italy will release a Camp Turbolock soon and it looks really really impressive and very robust. If it runs efficiently up the rope, then I can imagine it being very popular and very safe as a backup below a Micro Traxion. The Turbolock actually looks like it was designed for TRS, which officially it wasn't. 

Noel Zwrote:

 The Camp Lift can work in combination with other things, but never ever alone. There's little room for error with a Lift. 

What are the downfalls of the lift?  I use the lift as my primary, held up with the chest harness and thin cord, and a microtrax backup.  Both on the same 10.1mm line. Haven’t figured out a way to create a failure of the system yet. Would love to know what could cause an issue though

Ryan Bowenwrote:

What are the downfalls of the lift?  I use the lift as my primary, held up with the chest harness and thin cord, and a microtrax backup.  Both on the same 10.1mm line. Haven’t figured out a way to create a failure of the system yet. Would love to know what could cause an issue though

Pretty much every device should have a backup, and I wouldn't trust my lift any more or less than other devices. The only obvious failure mode on the lift is probably related on something pressing on it from above. That could happen if it was used as a backup below another primary device. 

Also grabbing the device hard can prevent it from tilting and locking up. If the connection point can't rotate downward, the device will just slide down. The same could maybe happen if the device dragged on the wall when falling on a slab.

Have you tried doing a misty flip off the wall while jamming a screwdriver into the cam? 

Ryan Bowenwrote:

What are the downfalls of the lift?  I use the lift as my primary, held up with the chest harness and thin cord, and a microtrax backup.  Both on the same 10.1mm line. Haven’t figured out a way to create a failure of the system yet. Would love to know what could cause an issue though

A Camp Lift is an acceptable above a Microtrax on a single line. Many use this setup so statistically you'll find out if that setup becomes a problem.
The Lift as straight through device and it needs a clean unencumbered fall for it to pivot and cam. If your fall is more of a slight drop or your rope is wet or has picked up debris, the Lift may run a bit . Sure, the Microtrax will stop it and you'll still have a backup knot between you and the deck. You must never grab a straight through device or grab above the device. I've grabbed the rope above a device while panicked burned my hand badly and almost decked.
I've tried the these straight trough devices: Kong Back, Troll, Lift, Goblin, Shunt and Lov2. They kind of all work, but the margins are small. They all are carabiner fussy, will load strangely from time to time. With straight throughs you don't know how they will behave as you start to climb harder. Straight throughs don't like outside interference so you limit yourself regarding terrain. Scrapping a Lift between your chest the rock as you drag yourself over the lip of a hard roof is a scary thing. I currently use a Taz Lov2 above a Microtraxion on a single line, so not dissimilar to a Lift above a Microtrax. I like that the Lov2 can lower so I can work out sequences or lower and laps. But, if I'm climbing way above my grade on new territory and going for an onsight, I use two microtraxes on a single line. My Microtraxions have never done anything wierd. Everything else I've use has, serveral times.

Toothed devices don't wear out ropes. It's a myth.

The routes I do TR solo are probably within 5-10 degrees of dead vertical, either slab or overhanging. And I’ve yet to deal with more than a wingspans worth of wander side to side. It’s more of a workout than trying to work a new route, so its a consistent set up and scenario.
I set up my anchor with a loop hanging down, so I can stand and unweight the climbing line to make hanging on the grigri easy enough, so lowering isn’t an issue in my case.

I’m glad I’m only gonna die from normal shenanigans, and this TRS system is safe enough. 

Ryan Bowenwrote:

I’m glad I’m only gonna die from normal shenanigans, and this TRS system is safe enough. 

Your setup sounds fine and your changeover to rappel at the anchor.
If you decide to head into off width cracks, narrow chimney, roofs and such sheanigans, then just add another ascender and you're good to go.

Heath Glasgowwrote: I'm new to rope soloing, and am in the same situation (only own a GriGri 2). Tying the rope into a ground anchor with some slack (rather than tying into a weight) seems like it solves the issue of the rope not feeding. But does this create any new issues?

Surprised nobody else commented. I'm sure you figured it out, but I'll comment here for anyone else who might be interested. The main issue is that it's much tougher to change between routes. You set the top anchor, then the bottom, climb, go back to the bottom to undo that anchor, then head back to the top to set the next route. This is instead of just topping out, hauling your weight, moving to the next climb, and setting that anchor. A second issue for non-grigri devices like a Trax is that you'll need to leave a bit of slack in the system, otherwise you won't be able to set your rappel up.

slo tawrote:

Surprised nobody else commented. I'm sure you figured it out, but I'll comment here for anyone else who might be interested. The main issue is that it's much tougher to change between routes. You set the top anchor, then the bottom, climb, go back to the bottom to undo that anchor, then head back to the top to set the next route. This is instead of just topping out, hauling your weight, moving to the next climb, and setting that anchor. A second issue for non-grigri devices like a Trax is that you'll need to leave a bit of slack in the system, otherwise you won't be able to set your rappel up.

Tying the rope to the ground can also make it impossible to tie back up knots as you climb. That's hard enough sometimes to do one-handed with a water bottle weighting it.

Be careful with ascenders and other devices with teeth! A good fall could rip the sheathe of your rope and that’s what we call a “major bummer”

drewpwrote: Should note that if the grigri twists sideways while you are climbing above it and then you fall on it you can snap the belay biner. Rare but has happened.

You can always use a anti-crossloading locker or a maillon.