.gif)
Grigri (climbing)
Encyclopedia
A Grigri (or Gri-gri or Gris-gris) is a hand-sized belay device
Belay device
Belay devices are mechanical pieces of climbing equipment used to control a rope during belaying. They are designed to improve belay safety for the climber by allowing the belayer to manage their duties with minimal physical effort. With the right belay device, a small, weak climber can easily...
designed to help secure rock-climbing, rappelling, and rope-acrobatic activities. Its main characteristic is a clutch that self-locks under a shock load. Belayers
Belaying
thumb|200px|right|A belayer is belaying behind a lead climberBelaying refers to a variety of techniques used in climbing to exert friction on a climbing rope so that a falling climber does not fall very far...
using a Grigri need to pay full attention to their climber and exercise skillful operation to ensure safety. "Grigri" is a trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
of Petzl
Petzl
Petzl is a world leading manufacturer of climbing gear, caving gear, work-at-height equipment, and headlamps based in Crolles , France. The company was created by the cave explorer Fernand Petzl in the mid-1970s...
, but the success of this tool has been so great that it has to some degree become a common name
Genericized trademark
A genericized trademark is a trademark or brand name that has become the colloquial or generic description for, or synonymous with, a general class of product or service, rather than as an indicator of source or affiliation as intended by the trademark's holder...
. Competitors include the Trango Cinch and Edelrid Eddy.
Mechanism of operation
The Grigri works by locking when sudden acceleration occurs to the rope (like in a fall), therefore making it an automatic belay device unlike traditional belay devices such as a Sticht plate or an ATC. The device acts like an automobile seat belt, if you move the rope slowly you can run the rope through the Grigri without it locking but a shock load locks the device so rope won't run. One of the criticisms of automatic belay devices is that they can lead to a false sense of security. The automatic functionality may result in the belayer being less attentive to the climber than with a more traditional belay device. However, like any tool, proper training is required for proper use.Pros and cons of use
Some climbers feel that the Grigri is only suitable for top rope climbing and not lead climbingLead climbing
Lead climbing is a climbing technique used to ascend a route. This technique is predominantly used in rock climbing and involves a lead climber attaching themselves to a length of dynamic climbing rope and ascending a route while periodically attaching protection to the face of the route and...
due to the auto-locking feature, though Petzl recommends the device for use in both applications. The claim against usage for lead climbing is that since the device auto-locks, the belayer is required to hold the device open while feeding rope to the leader. A common mistake while belaying a lead climber is to hold open the device the entire time, thus defeating the auto-locking mechanism. This practice does compromise the added margin of safety that the GriGri contributes to the belay over more traditional belay devices, though release of the device during a fall will still allow the device to lock normally. Users can and should learn how to feed rope without holding the device open, though learning to quickly and confidently disengage the braking mechanism is important for a safe belay, as accidental locking of the Grigri can cause problems for the leader that may lead to a fall. Petzl has released information on how rope should be fed through in a lead climb, including how to let slack out quickly so that the climber can clip a quickdraw
Quickdraw
Quickdraws are used by rock climbers to connect the climbing rope to bolt anchors or other protection, while lead climbing...
on a sport route.
When used correctly, the Grigri's camming mechanism can protect against problems, such as inattentive or incapacitated belayers. For lead climbing, a Grigri is more difficult to use correctly than an ATC; for top-rope climbing, the opposite is true. When belaying the same technique for "taking in" that is used with an ATC or similar device is used, however in the event of a fall instead of having to "lock off the device" the belay does nothing and the device locks by itself. However while paying slack out into the system if the device is held open (with one technique being referred to as "the thumb") and the climber falls, unless the belayer lets go the device will not lock and the climber will hit the ground.
While designed as a belay device, big wall climbers have invented novel ways to use the Grigri that are not recommended by the manufacturer. For example some big wall soloists use the Grigri (sometime slightly modified but not necessarily) as a self-feeding hands-free self-belay device. In big wall situations, the Grigri allows for hands-free belaying on long aid pitches while the rest of the party does other things. It can also be used by the second to self-belay while jumaring the rope as one half of the ascender pair; the leader can belay the second hands-free allowing the leader to haul, take pictures, or do other chores; the second can use it to lower out while following a traverse.
The Grigri is heavier and more expensive than other belay device
Belay device
Belay devices are mechanical pieces of climbing equipment used to control a rope during belaying. They are designed to improve belay safety for the climber by allowing the belayer to manage their duties with minimal physical effort. With the right belay device, a small, weak climber can easily...
s. Many climbers aim to reduce weight on their harness (equipment attached to the harness is known as a "rack") as much as possible as it can drain energy. However, there are applications where only an automatic belay device will work. The Grigri has a lower limit for the rope size for which the clutch will engage. This makes it unusable with many of today's skinny ropes - like those used in many alpine applications.
Many novice climbers make the mistake of thinking that an auto locking device such as the Grigri, Cinch or Eddy can make up for a lack of belaying skill. This is not true, and does cause accidents. It is very important correct training is received before belaying with any device commences.