Rope Solo

[JRCO]

So I have trouble finding a partner lots of time. Any suggestion for rope soloing? Fix a line and use a jumar?

[erik]

jason,

i would not use a jumar they are a static device and you can shock load your set up....look at using either a gri gri or another type of belay device.....if you do a search there is tons of info on the site about it......

[JRCO]

If you read the little book that come with your petzl ascender, it says it can be used for rope soloing a fix line. Has anyone done this? If not, what is the set up with a gri-gri.

[erik]

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/ubb/Forum9/HTML/000088.html

[monkeyboy]

JRCO, I have used a petzel ascender for self belay top roping. Locking caribiner to harness and another caribiner connecting the top hole to a chest harness{webbing}.It helps to tie the bottom of the rope to your pack or bundle it for some extra weight. Once set up it is pretty much self tending. I have never taken a fall using this technique and I can't say I would really want to. I would pretty much kept to routes I knew I could climp pretty easily.

[JRCO]

Thanks Erik and monkeyboy. I will give it a try. If you don't hear from me after this weekend call 911.

[panther]

Captain Caveman decked out one time using a JUMAR style device soloing a rock climb. I know because I set him up with it and watched it happen. I had used the setup for months, but all it takes is one time and that's it. I wouldn't recommend going that route, as attractive as it may seem, but hey go for it anyway!

[ 01-16-2002: Message edited by: panther ]

[panther]

By the way it wasn't the first time I tried to kill Caveman....one time I nailed him pretty hard with a Big Mac right in the face...

[ 01-16-2002: Message edited by: panther ]

[Rafael_H]

I personally saw this at Index. A guy set a top-rope on Iron Horse with his rope running through a Gri-Gri, a rope bag with some weight on the break side and himself on the climber's side. While the weight (bag) was free-hanging everything went smoothly. Then the wall bulged out a bit and the bag wouldn't come down. The guy was pretty amaized, said he'd done this before and, this is the funny thing, climbed unbelayed quite a ways. He was going to hit the deck if fell. Then he hung on to the rock while i tied a Jumar to his rope. I forgot if he had another one hanging or what, I just had to climb a short way up, to the first good stance.

Anyway, if the route is overhanging then it can work. No lowering though!

[Thomas]

Look at getting the USHBA basic ascender for climbing on a fixed line. I have used it tons at the Smoke Bluffs and it's bomber. Locks instantly every time with zero rope slippage. Can be set up for use as a prussik and hauler too, but doesn't really work for jumaring. For climbing by yourself on a fixed line, this is the real deal.

http://www.karstsports.com/32250.html

[genepires]

I agree with the prior fellow, ushba ascender is the best because there is no teeth biting into the rope but rather a pinching of the rope. Flows really nice and bites down great.

The problem with regular ascenders is that the teeth bite into the sheath which hold you. (not the core of the rope) If you take even a small fall (say 2 feet which could happen if the setup is sloppy) the teeth bite into the rope and tear the sheath. Then the teeth bite into the core which doesn't handle sharp things well.

Stay away from devices that have teeth and use a device that pinches the rope like a belay device does.