grigri vs normal belay device
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- This topic has 9 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 6 months ago by
Conrad S..
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Hynek
Hi,
Just wondering what would be the advantages/disadvatages of using a grigri for belaying outdoors as opposed to my normal ATC style belay device?
I’m more interested in top-roping, but would sometimes belay for lead as well.
This question’s inspired by a nice fist sized rock that came down and I had to side step while belaying my partner.
Thanks,
Hynek
Ben
Would a helmet not be more appropriate than a different belay device???
ed nepia
i guess your thinking that having a grigri may save the leader if you get knocked out? there are no guarantees in this scenario, but a grigri ‘may’ improve your odds.. helmets are good..
grigris are very useful in some scenarios eg. belaying a leader whose working and dogging a sport route where they spend a lot of time hanging on the rope, a grigri helps take the load off the belayer OR belaying aid pitches which may take a very very long time to complete
but grigris arent fool proof, thin single ropes will often slip when the device is ‘locked’ so check your rope diameter and performance before assuming the grigri will auto lock. also a grigri does not allow a semi dynamic belay as they wont let any rope slip during a fall, this is fine when belaying a fall on bolts but will increase the impact forces on the anchors therefore is not suitable for belaying with trad gear (unless your convinced the gears bomber!) they are also heavy, can jam when trying to feed rope in a hurry, and arent useful for rapping on double ropes but can be used as an ascender and for rapping on single ropes..
so lots of pluses and minuses really
i reckon a decent belay device is more versatile, cheaper and lighter then a grigri but i also own and use a grigri a lot .. best belay devices i have used are latest generation petzl reverso (reverso3) and black diamond atc guide , both these are super functional and versatile
Dinah
I know of one case where a grigri was being used and it probably saved a nasty fall, perhaps a life. The belayer was under a roof, the lead climber was up over the roof and fell. The belayer was pulled upwards, smashing the head on the roof causing unconciousness and the hand coming off the belay. The grigri automatically stopped the fall.
Hynek
Thanks Ed, Dinah and Ben,
Sounds like we’ll buy a grigri – most of the minuses like small diameter rope and stress on natural pro don’t apply to us yet.
I’ll probably still use the normal belay at times.
Toc
I agree with Dinah, the grigri saved the leader, but a helmet may well have saved the belayer. I have the greatest respect for the climber concerned, so this is not a criticism. She was very good climber with a wealth of experience.
She was under an overhang and could quite rightly have assumed nothing could fall on her. Also the lead climber was not a heavy man, no heavier than her certainly. Falls are dynamic and the forces generated can be very great and in this case the belayer suffered a serious injury, which could also have resulted in possibly the death of the lead climber.
Sometimes it’s not the obvious that is going to get us.
Cheers,
Toc.
Different Ben
If you’re new to climbing I think a belay device is a better investment. It promotes a more active belayer. Gri-gri’s tend to make sloppy, lazy belayers in the long term. Not sure on the price nowadays but a helmet and a belay device used to be about the same as one gri-gri.
Assuming you don’t need a helmet outdoors is stupid. Not wearing a helmet outdoors is stupid. Doesn’t look cool eh? Neither will you after that fist sized rock caves your skull in…. Get the idea?
John Knight
Call me old fashioned, but I prefer the old belay plate device. I just find I lack the feel of security with the grigri and find it too easy to let out too much rope at one time. Then again, the kind of climbing I’ve always been involved in is relatively slow, if you’re doing speedy stuff, a grigri would probably be a lot better.
IdratherbeclimbingM9
Gri gri’s are OK; … but it is hard to go by the standard belay devices, like ATC or even the old fashioned sticht plate!
Conrad S.
An old discussion, but I thought that I would add my two cents worth.
Like a lot of climbers, I’ve seen a fair bit of sloppy belaying with by people using gri-gri devices. They do seem to encourage some people to be lazy and less attentive. I don’t like leading with someone using a gri-gri.
Sometimes the rope can be slow to pay out, and among other things you can’t rappel down on double ropes with them (a big minus in my book).
Gri-gri devices have their place, but so do helmets, adequate awareness, a belayer placing themself in a position of lowest risk, a climber advising the belayer of an imminent fall or the possibility of one; and so on.
The load/stress on natural protection during a fall is an issue that should not be under-estimated.
I seem to recall that gri-gris are rated to not be used with ropes that are less than 10mm diametre. So most single lead ropes will be fine when used by that device.
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