UKH

I'm considering investing in gear to let me self-belay (top rope solo) 
I'm still building my rack, so it's usefull if this gear has additional uses. 

Considering the advice from petzl, but trying to keep costs down and looking at gear from others I'm considering a setup based on:

Edelrid Spoc  (similar to a micro-traxion but a lot cheaper) (as the back-up)
Climbing Technology RollNLock as the primary device

These are both pulley type devices, but with very different design (reducing risks warned by Petzl about not using 2 micro / mini traxion devices but to use 2 different devices)

My current rope is a 8.9mm triple-certified.

During the Lockdown I intend to climb at a quiet, local urban quarry, and not head into the mountains. - but I dont have a climbing partner in the family.  As I hope to train as a RCI, having rope solo/self belay experience will be invaluable - especially if I can work up to mid-level coaching.

What are people's thoughts on this proposed setup?

https://m.facebook.com/groups/2051163811622809?tsid=0.5268512389263471&...

Apart from the fact that you shouldn't climb given current advice, I would also not recommend taking new risks (learning new techniques). Top rope solo isn't that complicated or dangerous, but you are on your own, with no one to overlook your rope work and you don't exactly know what you are doing. 

If you insist, I wouldn't bother with a potentially expensive 8.9mm rope, something thick and cheap is what I used on solos. 

Fat rope will be better for sure - even a second rope you can use as your back up. Lot's of people run a two rope system with a device on each of the ropes on the basis that you one have one chance at a catch if you are one one rope and one device. Toothed devices are fairly adept at stripping the sheath off a rope during a fall...

It does worry me that some folk will venture into rope soloing just as a way to avoid needing a belay partner.

Its totally understandable but just a reminder that your belay partner is also your buddy check, and the risk of getting something wrong and not noticing till its too late has to be significantly higher when there’s just you!

• I use a Spoc, had read some concerns prior to buying about the string to lock the cam open, but having used it I'm not concerned about it at all - works well.
• Carabiners love to get into all sorts of orientations when clipped to your self arrest devices, make sure your setup is working well before committing.  Especially if you're using a chest rig to reduce slack on your main device, this will twist and tip the carabiner if clipped directly.
• If you're light on hardware as I was, it's very much worth investing in gear to make the transition from rope-solo to abseil/ascending the rope easy.  At the very least, practice whatever system you decide on before needing it.  Relying on prussics and a tube is not fun.
• Depending on the terrain, the rope can take a beating as you work a route.  Have a plan for protecting the rope over edges, a re-belay is not always feasible.   I frequently feel the need for more than one rope protector.

Choice of self arrest device is less than half the story, make sure everything works safely and you've practised escape systems before committing.  There's a very good chance something isn't going to work as expected and stuck halfway up a cliff isn't the place to sort it out or improvise self rescue techniques.

This is how Dave Mcloud dose it.

youtube.com/watch?v=kd13IaWS8gQ&

I use a Microtraction with a pice of string tied in a loop through the fixed part of the cheek, then I put the string over my head to keep it up. 

I use a DMM Buddy. It doesn't have teeth so it won't strip your rope.

The Dave Macleod video linked above is a great source of info.  

If you can generate enough force to strip the rope you are doing something wrong. Toothed devices are fine. In fact I’d challenge you to try and strip a rope by falling on it in a top rope setting. 

Never used a toothed device for top roping. I have however ruined a few ropes with a traxion at work so didn’t see the point in risking trashing my own ropes top roping (other people had advised against toothed devices when I was starting out) 

The most popular system for stuff you might well get clean is probably 2 micro trax, other equivalent devices no doubt just as good. The petzl logic of having two different devices I think is valid.

Test each other device each time you leave the ground. I have found a locked open trax twice. Both times it was user error. 

There is a small essay on the Web possibly on Climber, about a guy falling when his device doesn't lock.

For stuff where you are falling a lot,  the death modified grigri without the keeper cord is possibly the best as you can fall, lower, climb, fall... With zero faff. A backup knot is compulsory, as is weighting the rope. If modding the grigri, cut the tap to a slot not straight across. And of course modifying anything means you might die. 

I used to use a single trax, then a friend from yosemite told me Dean Potter used 2!

I’d suggest you have a good look through the Rock Climbing Instructor syllabus - absolutely no requirement for these skills in any instructor/coaching context and beyond the scope of any of the award schemes. 
 

Not to put you off learning or using it, but I’d suggest leaving the soloing kit at home when you train/assess/work as an instructor!

If you're top roping, it means you've reached the anchor in order to fix a rope. From there, a shunt (as shown on legend Dave M's video) is good enough. It's actually an intended use for that device as seen on its manual. I've tried a ropeman and work ok, but prefer the robusness of the shunt.

 An important point is that your rope has to be as static as possible and on the fatter side of the range. Weighting is also crucial (fixing it to the first bolt is not ideal as slack is introduced into the system).

Now, if you need to access that anchor, either you walk arround and abseil into it, but if not, you'll have to lead the pitch, which is a bit of a different game. I prefer the modded grigri with a chest sling, and build the anchor on the first two bolts. I try to choose a high easy route that can lead me to the anchors of others in order to try harder routes.

One last point if you're using the abseiling approach on a long route (of 2 or more pitches), is to tie runners every now and again to re-direct the rope and avoid swings. You'll have to be carefull when climbing and undoing these points that the load at the bottom will descend and move about, so be careful and vigilant on what you're doing (advise that applies to all aspects of climbing really)

I'd say a shunt for the uninitiated and low experienced is a big no-no. Too easy for the reflex to grab the rope in a fall to kick in and slide yourself all the way to the ground.

Shunt slides on a furry 8mm so 8.9 is pushing it (it's going to be new I think)

I use a static rope fixed at the top and a petzl croll and elastic stap round my neck, used for 30/40 years and for new routes.

When I set up a top rope solo on a sport route I stick clip my way up it to get to the anchor (if it can't be reached from above). Dave Macleod did show his method of doing this in another of his videos.  

youtube.com/watch?v=r_XTu00Ts4I& 

I use a microtraxion, mostly using it alone with backup knots. (You can use two devices, but there's advantages in keeping things simple.) 

I don't think that being a toothed device is a problem for top-roping since you don't really "fall", you just slump on the rope (it may be a problem for lead solo).   I think toothed devices will catch more reliably (though I admit I've little experience of anything other than the microtraxion).

Get a fat rope specifically for the purpose (10mm or 10.5mm) because it'll catch better but also because it'll get a lot more wear than with normal trad leading.  Fat, heavy ropes are also quite cheap. Also get a rope protector for the top.

On this:

You can develop a habit of always going up a metre or so and then jumping off to ensure everything is ok.  I also do that every time clipping into an autobelay indoors. 

Also: with a microtraxion, the only failure mode that Petzl list is:

"There is the possibility that the device will not lock due to an external object interfering with the cam (sling, shoelace, twig...)".

For this reason, there are advantages in keeping it simple and not carrying unnecessary things (such as an extra sling round your shoulder).  Ensure that harness straps and chalk-bag cords or similar are properly tucked away and not flapping around loose.  Ditto for clothing and long hair.

A backup knot is also a very good idea if using a single device (or even if using two for that matter).

Nice one.. I reckon that's an easy and direct way of ascending the route your going to try with out actually having to lead climb it. I'm just surprised legend Dave uses a jumar and shunt, instead of a jumar and grigri, which would leave him ready to abseil once he gets to the anchor. Anyways, his system works and that's enough.

This information from Petzl May be useful:

https://www.petzl.com/GB/en/Sport/Installation-on-one-single-rope-with-two-...

https://www.petzl.com/GB/en/Sport/Appendix-2--Detail-of-installation-on-two...

Chris

This Petzl info above is good advice. I prefer the microcender/shunt above and micro traxion below as the best system.

One thing to bear in mind is edge protection, if you’re working a route and bouncing up and down it can be a problem. Static rope makes this less of an issue.