Why you don't use a third hand with the grigri

I've often been asked why we don't add a third hand when were rappelling with a grigri, so hopefully this video will help me put out all the different reasons why I (and many other people) find it unnecessary.
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[@testboga5991]

Gigajul in assisted mode will lock once you let go of the rope. The new megajul is even more aggressive and doesn't suffer from the GG weak point: unloaded break strand. It will eventually lock, even if the break strand comes from above as the friction around the carabineer in the small tube is enough to engage it. But either way, GG, Juls, they're all plenty good to rappel.

[@hugovaughan]

Not convinced.
The handle on the Grigri is really hard to feather just right. Rope changes - fuzz, burns, flattenings, wet patches etc , changes of the slope, one-handed moments all conspire to interfere with whatever you are doing with that handle. So you never just use the handle, you open the device fully with the left hand, and manage your decent and speed with the right. A third hand is very, very useful, and much, much safer to help that right hand.
Things get even worse with the Grigri2+ with the panic feature, and then you really have to get that torque through the handle just so. You are so busy avoiding locking it up that you cannot control the descent through the left hand and handle.

[@verticalfeel]

Almost Agreed, read my comment up there 👍hugs

[@RandalLeistikow]

Ryan, I recently watched an interesting video related to this topic: th-cam.com/video/We-nxljgnw4/w-d-xo.html. That video shows how the activation of the camming action of the GriGri depends only on the force applied to the brake side. When rappelling, you'd typically have a bunch of rope weight dangling below the brake side, so the GriGri would reliably pinch the rope. If you reach the very end of the rope at the bottom of a rappel, the possibility of the camming action failing increases if you let go of the rope, because there is less tail weight pulling on the brake side. He shows in the video some failure examples but points out that it is still quite difficult to actually get that to happen.

[@verticalfeel]

Hi, maybe they don't use third hand cause they don't know some arborist friction hitches ( there are many of them) which are very smooth and easy to unblock but still work very well as a back up; even above the devices"
I don't use third hand cause I got the Grigri plus, and it gives me safe enough
Great video, congrats for that 🙋

[@alexroberts3625]

happy to be the 1st comment love your videos alwasy great. keep up the great work

[@jonhaShel]

Totally agree with you on geometry based assisted braking devices. Awkward to rappel with and very sensitive to the rope diameter and how fuzzy it might be. Its why I'm such a fan of the gigajul, having the option to setup a third hand in manual mode is so nice.
What are your thoughts on leg wraps from a safety perspective? Leg wraps get uncomfortable after a while but always seems quicker to me than a cat knot

[@largeformatlandscape]

It's a backup to your hands rather than a backup to the device..

[@gruboziarnisty]

When it comes to Mega Jul, I like rappelling with it, even without third hand. I believe this device even better fits description of "atc and third hand built in together in one device". Especially since it's very similar to a regular tuber, it even has two holes for rope.
HOWEVER mega jul gets really nice at rappelling after you clip a small carabiner into the thumb hole in the device. Then it works as grigri like lever.

[@testboga5991]

Gigajul works even better. Use a nut tool in the front hole to adjust rappel - smooth af

[@zacharysilverzweig7715]

Ryan, just came across your channel. Would love to see you walk through the setup either on real rock or even in a a garage on a rainy day. There are a bunch of good vids online of course, but seeing how guides typically setup, and understanding why, is always awesome. I’m learning up to feel more comfortable as my family starts to get out on real rock.

[@MassimilianoGallo-wr2ez]

Ryan, I've been wondering about this! Thanks for the deep dive.

[@ExploringCabinsandMines]

As someone considering getting into climbing I would only use the two carabiner method to repel myself, my fear is something mechanical failing and sliding all the way to the bottom, is there any downside to using the two carabiner method ?

[@robertgustavsson1920]

Great videos! Do you use third hand with the Giga Jul in assisted mode?

[@rgr195]

nope, for the same reason as grigri

[@havokterra]

Thanks Im glad you explored this topic , practical and thorough . Common sense and simplicity .

[@bmacaz]

Excellent take! You really drove home the point particularly with the analogy of being lowered off a sport route by a belayer who is using a grigri.

[@bbarber1066]

Agoltha's Tower! That was my first 5.8 lead!

[@danielbaird1295]

Been enjoying your videos, thanks for sharing