Silent Partner question?

[Sol]

i've been pondering buying a silent partner lately and having done some research I have a couple of questions?

 

1. How would one lower out on a pendulum whilst using the silent partner? I could imagine placing a gri-gri or belay device above the sp and working the rope through both devices but that just sounds like a bag...?

 

2. After taking a fall on the sp is there any way to gain your previous high point by using just the sp, or would you have to use your jumars to jug back up?

 

I know a lot of people use gri-gri's to solo because they are very easy to use in the above 2 situations. Because the gri-gri is not designed for soloing i'm just not into it. any thoughts on how the sp would work in these scenarios greatly appreciated, thanks.

[John Frieh]

Are you planning on wearing the SP on your harness or rigging it so that it stays at the belay (not recommended by manufacturer).

 

Assuming you are wearing it...

 

1) manually pull correct amount of slack through device and lower out on either your rap device or feed 2-3' sections at a time and lower out on the SP directly (doesn't work well for pendulums that require a lot of swing). Practice.

 

2) Jumars are best but you can use the device to reascend by yarding slack through the device as you pull up on the rope. Nearly impossible if one is free hanging.

[thelawgoddess]

frosty, you can always call wren industries for technical advice as well.

[Sol]

i'd plan on wearing it on my harness. kinda sounds like a hassle for the lower out. does anybody out there use the gri-gri for soloing? have you fallen on it?

[dberdinka]

Hey Frosty, the SP can be used as a rappel device, however it will not lock off (like a Gri-Gri) unless you jerk it tight (like a cars seatbelt) and then it still might slip loose. Better off using something else.

 

I've carried a Gri-gri to rap and pendi with, it's extra weight and a bit of a hassle but IMHO the benefits of a Silent Partner far outweigh the cons.

 

In a fall the rope will lock tight around the drum of the SP. You will need to use your jugs to reascend the rope. This is not a big deal as you should ALWAYS KEEP YOUR JUMARS WITH YOU when rope soloing.

 

I feel the need to point out that the idea of rigging your SP at the belay is idiotic as the rope locks tight around the drum in a fall and a majority of the time needs to be loosened manually. You'd be left hanging there rope locked off, now do tell how you'd get out of that?

 

To get proficent with a SP requires a lot of time, a lot of patience and a lot of practice. In the beginning it's 90% rope management and 10% climbing. With time it's still 50/50. The experience is as much about engineering as it is about climbing. Good luck.

 

DB

[DavidHiers]

I use my SP only for catching falls. For all other tasks I rig around it. The SP is indeed a pain in the harness, but it (1) works and (2) can't cut the rope.

[Sol]

thanks for the info folks.

[bigwalling]

I was told that you have to have a fairly new or good condtion rope for it too work best. This came from a guy who's put up tons of VI's solo too.

[Sol]

ya know i've heard something like that too. what kind of experiences have y'all had with different diameter ropes on the sp. ideally i'd like to use a 10.5 to 11mm rope for aid, and a 9.8 for free climbing. i've heard that with a thick rope that it does not feed well, any thoughts?

[chirp]

I have used the gri gri to solo with and have had no issues as well as some big falls. Mine was modified by Brian McCray who has logged some major air miles on a similar unit under a variety of situations, if you have any questions I would contact him. FB resoles

 

[Sol]

thanks for the photo and the contact beta. what do other folks think about the modified gri-gri, solid or shady? I know there was a lengthy report in a recent AINAM about a guy whose gri-gri failed while soloing on el cap but I beleive that had to do with the guy's biner becoming cross-loaded and breaking. anybody have any expereinces or stories they would like to share? my only concern is that as the gri-gri was not designed for this purpose it may lack the strength to catch big falls.

[ketch]

My experience, first the "modified" Gri-Gri is not a Petzl approved item. Second I often solo with a Gri-Gri, here's the catch. Without the modification you can occasionally fall in such a way that the device does not get loaded correctly and therefore does not brake. With the modification (the loop goes to a chest harness) you keep the orientation right and so get caught well. I feel like it is a pain to feed either way. Practice helps. Third, I think that a Gri-Gri will hold 9Kn in a textbook catch. My experience is that the catches have been solid and tend to be a little on the stiff side so it would seems to match the book. I've no experience with big whippers to know what it would do to your rope.

 

My $.02

[wildbillc]

The sp is a nice devise for self belay lead climbing but seems much less versatal then the gri for aid. In aid the gri is used for self belay leading, belaying, and jugging, when short fixing you can leave it on the rope all day long whether you are leading or following. The sp is a bit of a hassle putting on and off the rope and the aspect of having to gain some fall speed prior to locking it up can shake you up a bit. Either one you choose will work, the key with bothe is to ALLWAYS TIE A BACK UP KNOT (thats allso the key to them feeding correctly). CP

[EWolfe]

i've been pondering buying a silent partner lately and having done some research I have a couple of questions?

 

That's a great idea! Maybe my climbing partner will shut up if I pay him!

[Sol]

ha

[rockermike]

I've got a SP. Used it on 3 walls now. No complaints except big and jams at very inconvenient times (free climbing in the middle of some slippery slab typically). As to ropes, I have a 10.5, good shape to my judgment; not fuzzy but not shiny anymore either. And it always jams. Just won't feed anymore. (It was OK when bran new). I now use a bran spanking new 10.2 dry; and I reserve it only for soloing to preserve its new-ness. It works a lot better but still occasionally jams up. I hear 9.8s work even better but that's getting a bit thin for me for wall climbing.

good luck