I’ve been climbing since 2011. Beyond being a sport of focus and precision, at it’s core climbing requires trust between the person climbing and the belayor, the person below who is responsible for giving the climber the right amount of rope by giving out more or pulling in excess rope. The rope is feed through a device as depicted below.
The GriGri made by Petzl, originally released in 1991, is an assisted breaking device used by the belayor. The seatbelt of climbing, the GriGri helps to provide more confidence and comfort between the belayer + climber. When a person climbing falls while the belayor is using a manual locking system, she or he must keep the climber where they are on the wall by creating friction with the manual device by pulling down. This becomes harder if there is a big weight differential (where the climber is much heavier), if the belayor is not paying attention, and if the climber wants to take frequent breaks to rest, etc.
I’ve used a GriGri for the past 3 years. It’s of the most popular indoor climbing devices. It is ideal for leading, working on crux moves and lowering people. It has a huge benefits. Beyond the GriGri, it’s critical to have a belayor who is engaged— a GriGri won’t save you from a lazy belayor.
Image + Info: https://www.petzl.com/CA/en/Sport/News/2015-7-22/The-GRIGRI-belay-device–a-concept-that-forever-changed-climbing#.WJhrA7YrKu4
