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When might a GriGri fail...

Fjell

Well-known member
For caving, the third video is interesting. It supports my feeling that the SRT rope that absorbs the least water is probably the best from all practical and safety angles. If you don’t normally go down wet caves then this is obviously moot. From weighing it is self-evident that the softer ropes I have absorb more water. The Gleistein is worse than Spelenium Gold for instance.

A long time ago there was a rope that had a sheath over the core. Can’t remember what it was called. Not sure if that is the optimum solution (any water that gets in never leaves?), but it was an idea.

Like the guy said, dry treatment wears off, possibly quite quickly if used for caving I suspect.

I would pay a premium for rope that didn’t absorb much water.
 

ChrisB

Active member
Understanding failure modes is part of not being one.
Agreed, and it is interesting to understand how a gri-gri works. But is it a failure mode when it's used outside the instructions? Petzl are very clear that it's dangerous to not hold the braking rope. If I let go of the steering wheel on my car and it crashes, is that a failure mode of the car (Tesla excluded)?
 

mikem

Well-known member
It's not a failure of the device, but many people do assume that a GriGri will lock whatever - which has resulted in numerous injuries
 
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