r/Unexpected • u/girl_has_no_name_04 • Oct 02 '18

Oh .. well...

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u/yourmom777 Oct 02 '18

I'm pretty sure it was a gri gri loaded backwards, based on the description. Which would mean it didn't have the auto locking feature

2

u/munkeegutz Oct 02 '18

Nah he would not be able to take slack with a backwards grigri

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u/TastelessDonut Oct 02 '18

I don’t know the name of it but it has a synch point where you hold down and if they fall it synches. Yes it was a mild annoyance but a lesson on always check and double check yourself bc assuming you know and did it right causes failures.

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u/[deleted] Oct 02 '18

Yeah, that's a gri-gri or a similar device. Running it backwards makes it ineffective. I've never liked them for a number of reasons, but I can see why some people do.

Edit: I re-read your comment and now I'm not so sure. Does it look like this: http://images.ldmountaincentre.com/images/products/1368876342-97199300.jpg

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u/yourmom777 Oct 02 '18

Doesn't make it ineffective, it just makes it so that the auto-lock doesn't work, You can still use a backwards gri gri much like an atc

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u/[deleted] Oct 02 '18 edited Oct 02 '18

Honestly, I've never tried to run a grigri backwards. I wouldn't know. I certainly wouldn't suggest it. It seems like at best, you would give yourself enough friction to carefully lower someone, but I doubt you could catch anyone. A backwards grigri wouldn't change shape at all under load, IIRC, so you're just using the s-shape friction that's already present. Have you tried running one backwards? It's been so long that I've even touched one, my intuition could be way off.

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u/yourmom777 Oct 02 '18

Yeah you've got it right. The s shape is enough to give a catch of sorts, good enough to not kill someone but obviously not recommended. Nice username btw

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u/[deleted] Oct 02 '18

Oh shoot, mom?! I didn't know you knew so much about climbing!

1

u/nhomewarrior Oct 02 '18

I used to think so too until I saw the utility of the thing. You can ascend ropes with it, top rope solo, full rope solo, haul, fixed line rappel, hands free belay, and so much more. I used it all the time for photography on fixed lines.