Watched four of your videos today, and I see that you went from Assistant Rock Guide to Certified Rock Guide not long ago. Congrats! That's a heck of a certification. Your videos are super helpful.
That's a great question @CtHtThomas! I occasionally use a Grigri or another assisted braking device to belay from the top, and there's nothing wrong with this. The one caveat is that most assisted braking devices, including the Grigri, need to hang in space in order ensure the cam operates correctly. If the device is pinched against terrain, the cam may be pinned in an open position, resulting minimal braking action other than the grip of your brake hand coupled with the friction of the rope bending in the device. As a result these devices are not considered "hands-free". Most guide style belay devices still function well when pinned against terrain, and although these devices are also not considered "hands free" by the manufacturer because there are special circumstances where the braking action can be defeated, they tend to be much more reliable. Here's a video on some of the things to look-out for with both types of devices: th-cam.com/video/4nr33w3XGOU/w-d-xo.html
Isn't it kinda annoying when someone leaves a quicklink as a "leaver biner" since the next person on the climb might need a tool to remove it? Why not just have a triple action carabiner and leave that if you have to bail? Wouldn't it be as safe and then the next person has a much simplet removal process?
Hi there @prospekts42! Yes indeed, it is problematic when quick-links are left on bolts. A carabiner is a much better piece of equipment to leave behind if you are bailing off of a sport route because, as you mentioned, they can be removed. The purpose of bringing a quick-link is not to add this to a bolt to descend. It is used to improve or build rappel anchors on an established descent. For multipitch trad routes, in particular, it is common to hike off the top of a climb, and encounter rappels along a descent that is different than the line of ascent (this is common because rappelling the route can overcrowd belays, and as a result many long classic routes have different rappel routes). These rappels are commonly built on trees, horns, or sometimes bolts that are equalized together with cord and a rap-ring rather than prefabricated rap rings. In each of these instances, it's important to inspect the materials composing the rappel anchor, replace the material that is old/worn out (like slings or cord), and add a new rappel ring/quick link if warranted.
Damn that videographer can really breath!
mouth breather lol
Watched four of your videos today, and I see that you went from Assistant Rock Guide to Certified Rock Guide not long ago. Congrats! That's a heck of a certification.
Your videos are super helpful.
Thanks for your support @mikepiper3736!
This was such a good video. Lots of small tricks that as a noob trad climber I haven’t heard before.
Thanks so much for the positive feedback! Hopefully the info is helpful!
A great video, thanks for sharing! Who is the breather in the background? :)
I haven't even watched the video and I know it's a bop
for the bottle, I found the gatorade, 1L bottle are perfect, they are cheap, very durable, and you can pee in it if needed on the wall
Great video. It would be nice with an amazon shopping list of all your gear.
perfect location for this video ;) !
Great video!
Thanks @joshb693!
Which water bladers do you use, do you maybe have a link from them or brand name?
The heavy breathing is a bit rough lol
You don’t get to climb with Darth Vader every day
Do you always use a ATC in guide mode for belaying from the top? Never a grigri directly on the anchor?
That's a great question @CtHtThomas! I occasionally use a Grigri or another assisted braking device to belay from the top, and there's nothing wrong with this. The one caveat is that most assisted braking devices, including the Grigri, need to hang in space in order ensure the cam operates correctly. If the device is pinched against terrain, the cam may be pinned in an open position, resulting minimal braking action other than the grip of your brake hand coupled with the friction of the rope bending in the device. As a result these devices are not considered "hands-free". Most guide style belay devices still function well when pinned against terrain, and although these devices are also not considered "hands free" by the manufacturer because there are special circumstances where the braking action can be defeated, they tend to be much more reliable. Here's a video on some of the things to look-out for with both types of devices: th-cam.com/video/4nr33w3XGOU/w-d-xo.html
Isn't it kinda annoying when someone leaves a quicklink as a "leaver biner" since the next person on the climb might need a tool to remove it? Why not just have a triple action carabiner and leave that if you have to bail? Wouldn't it be as safe and then the next person has a much simplet removal process?
Hi there @prospekts42! Yes indeed, it is problematic when quick-links are left on bolts. A carabiner is a much better piece of equipment to leave behind if you are bailing off of a sport route because, as you mentioned, they can be removed. The purpose of bringing a quick-link is not to add this to a bolt to descend. It is used to improve or build rappel anchors on an established descent. For multipitch trad routes, in particular, it is common to hike off the top of a climb, and encounter rappels along a descent that is different than the line of ascent (this is common because rappelling the route can overcrowd belays, and as a result many long classic routes have different rappel routes). These rappels are commonly built on trees, horns, or sometimes bolts that are equalized together with cord and a rap-ring rather than prefabricated rap rings. In each of these instances, it's important to inspect the materials composing the rappel anchor, replace the material that is old/worn out (like slings or cord), and add a new rappel ring/quick link if warranted.
Cammera lady is kinda out of breath there!
Videographer is annoying. What a breather