Via GearCaster and Western Colorado Climbing comes news that 2011 will bring a major redesign to the main belay device in most people’s lives: the Petzl GriGri. Promising a lighter weight, a “progressive descent control system” and a compatibility with a wider range of rope sizes, the GriGri 2 will be available some time in 2011.
Here’s a promo video from Petzl:
GRIGRI 2 – Assisted braking belay device by Petzl from Petzl-sport on Vimeo.
The GearCaster’s post on the GriGri 2 also has additional info on a new Universo device from Petzl, a new belay carabiner from Black Diamond and a new belay device from Mammut. Definitely worth checking out if you are into that sort of thing.
With respect to the new GriGri, I’m interested in hearing thoughts from current GriGri owners about whether or not you plan on dropping the cash to upgrade to the new model. Obviously it’s too early to make any sort of real judgement about the new device, but this is the internet and we need something to talk about I’m curious to hear people’s first thoughts.
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i suppose the fourth possible response is to this point, but what about “not if it costs 95 dollars like the old one”? I bought mine a few years ago for the already unreasonably steep $65. I don’t know to whom these companies are selling, but it seems as though they could use a high school kid with one semester of econ under his belt to explain that you can’t increase cost without decreasing demand. Then again, maybe it’s just my demand that is decreasing.
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I know a few climbers who are alive today because they’re belayer was using a GriGri. To me, you can’t put a price on life. So paying a bit extra for a device that has never failed, it just fine in my book. I never look for cheap climbing gear. There is no reason to skimp on gear that saves your life.
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That may be true however any belay device that is used incorrectly can be extremely dangerous. It’s important to be vigilant no matter what belay device you use.
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Agreed. User error is the #1 cause of death in rock climbing. There are so many things we (as climbers) have to remember to check and keep in mind before/while/after we climb.
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John K said : “So paying a bit extra for a device that has never failed, it just fine in my book.”
This is incorrect. Gri-gri’s have failed, and the attitude that they have never failed is prevalent and a major reason why people are killed every year being “belayed” by the devices.
I know for a fact that Gri gri’s can fail. I was cleaning a route for development while using a gri-gri, and without anything contacting the device, it slipped. Luckily I fell 10 feet onto soft soil. I am not the only person this has happened to either.
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You are correct. I have always heard it has never failed. But I just looked it up and found a few instances where it didnt perform correctly while a climbing was simply taking near a bolt. http://www.thebmc.co.uk/Feature.aspx?id=1547
The key thing that I always do with the grigri, is treat it like a normal belay device. My hand never leaves the break line and I always have the rope to the right side of the grigri to ensure that if it does fail, I still have the rope locked off manually.
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to be fair, petzl has never marketed the grigri as a “handsfree” belay device, so i’d argue that still comes down to operator error.
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i like my ATC. you can’t slack on attention that way.
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i’m still belaying off the same grigri i got 3 years ago off of EBAY for $20… i think it might be in my best interest to pick up the new rig, but i’m still broke, so i’ll probably just wait for the first one to wind up on ebay again.. =/
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It’s sooo sexy……
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With the arrival of our baby, I think Mark and I are going to have to drop the traddie-ness and accept sport climbing in all of its glory. The gri-gri is awesome for this. And if they are making a lighter one, I’ll buy it now! Less weight to carry with all of the other stuff.
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I’m glad to see it accommodates smaller-diameter ropes, as the current model has a recommended lower limit of something stupidly fat like 10mm. With how many people use 9.2-9.8mm ropes these days, that is a nice improvement…
…although I’ve been using a Petzl Fuse 9.2 for years with the current GriGri and never any slippage that I could detect.
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That’s probably the main benefit in my view although as you say we’ve been using thinner cords with the current GriGri for year.
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FYI the Petzl Fuse is a 9.4 not a 9.2
There have been accidents with the Joker a 9.1 and I believe the Maxim 9.1 with autolocking belay devices like the Gri-Gri
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Looks nice but I’m going to agree with Peter, no plans to buy one. I’ve been using the grigri for 10 years and as far as I can tell, it still works, so no need to upgrade until my current two wear out.
Agreed that the price increase in the original grigri from $65 to $95 seemed sudden and arbitrary?
it would be nice to try out the new device, but the old one works with almost any rope with a competent belay.
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I have a harness from about 1999 that was a free rental at a Galyans climbing wall before I inherited it. My gri-gri is equally as old… These sport climbing things have like lifetime warranties don’t they?
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Why would I upgrade? My Gri-Gri is going on 15 years old, and still works like a charm, weekend in and weekend out.
Does anyone have any information on when, exactly, Gri-Gris do wear out? The cam in mine is certainly worn, but there’s plenty of metal there.
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There are some wear photos here:
http://www.splitterchoss.com/2009/11/09/the-how-bad-is-your-gri-gri-photo-contest/
The main idea is like any belay device the edges on a gri-gri can become sharp and potentially damage the rope.
Also the metal can wear away so the moving part that pinches the rope no longer does so effectively.
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Wow, and I thought mine was bad. I guess those five years of exclusive bouldering helped preserve it.
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Wow, a redesign after 20 years? It really took them that long to come up with something that would work with ropes less than 10mm in diameter?
After years of balking over the price I was finally given a gri gri as a wedding gift (thanks, Amy). Don’t think I’ll be upgrading any time soon, but innovation is always welcome.
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That ad was ultra lame. What on earth. That doesn’t make me want to buy anything, just makes me want to poke my eyes out.
I have a nearly new, 6-7 year old grigri I have used maybe 6 times. I just like an ATC so much better. Part of the reason is weight, so if the new one feels that much lighter, then maybe. Anybody want to buy a practically new grigri?
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Looks tits! I’m ordering two, good for “hands off” belay on multi pitch!
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petzl/outdoor retailers should do some kind of “exchange your old gri gri for the new one and receive x% off.”
still $95 isn’t that expensive.
agree on the ad. that was horrendous.
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agreed that $95 isn’t THAT much money to pay for a piece of climbing equipment that you’ll use literally every time you go climbing. It’s like splurging on a good pillow or towel – if you use it every day, why not?
My point perhaps should be applied more broadly. It seems that nearly all climbing equipment is becoming more expensive at a substantially quicker rate than inflation. 70 or 80 bucks for a set of five holds? Even the most expensive slopers were closer to 50 or 60 a few years ago. Climbing shoes have gotten ridiculous.
I don’t know why this is – perhaps so many people have pro-deals these days either by working in the gym, or by having friends who work in the gym who can hook them up? And those who don’t haven’t been around long enough to remember the lower prices, and have actual jobs and, for a combination of the aforementioned reasons, don’t give a shit about dropping some cash…
Maybe it is the right business model for such a niche market, it just seems like if I were getting into climbing now I’d find it hard to stomach $95 – I’d use an ATC until I met someone who would “totally prodeal that for you bro” and then pick it up for $50. Only after buying it at the cheaper price would I realize that $95 would have TOTALLY been worth it, and Petzl would have missed out.
I don’t know, I’m just throwing out things to consider – the outdoor industry is bizarre and I have little grounding in economics.
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I’ll be picking one up for sure, mostly for the added confidence it will give when using skinny ropes. And the old one will still work fine on the 9.8’s and up, so no need to chuck it in the trash just yet.
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I hate to date myself – but I started climbing a few years prior to the introduction of the Gri-Gri.
While at first I was reluctant to give up my BD ATC when I was forced to work with the Gri Gri I quickly learned to like it.
If you want to be macho and belay only on an ATC that is fine. ATC’s are light, tried and true, versatile, and cheap. I’ll grant it would certainly be beneficial if most new climbers learned how to belay on them BEFORE getting the gri gri in their hands.
But let me tell you – you are the guy I worked with who wanted to belay off a munter hitch because he was an old school alpine guide and didn’t like the ATC or chalk.
So far as I can tell Gri Gri’s were not made for rope soloing… If you belay with them with proper technique you will be fine. Plus if you get hit in the head or pass out or get attacked by hornets…a bear.. .a lion… your climber might appreciate the autolock.
I’m a big fan of other devices – the Mammut Smart, Reverso – lots of neat gear to understand.
Terrible ad – a product long overdue.
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Just want to agree with kevin G that the main reason for the positive aspect of the gri gri is that if you get hit in the head with a damn rock and knocked the hell out your partner is not a goner. I’m back to SSS (solid southern sandstone) but not everywhere is as weathered.
As far as the upgrade it’s not a horrible idea after I see how other folks like them after a year or so. I can understand jumping into a newest product as far as a computer/TV but as far as climbing gear goes I’ll wait and let other folks test it out.
Hand’s free…..those comment make me laugh in the scariest way cause I’ve grown up and am lucky to have lived thru the learning curve
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