David has devoted his entire adult life to climbing - pushing his grade on recreational objectives and working as a professional mountain guide. After a stint in the United States Marine Corp, he was hired as a rock and ice instructor and since has expanded his repertoire to include alpine, skiing and avalanche education. David is a certified Single Pitch Instructor through the American Mountain Guide Association [AMGA], an Ortovox Team Athlete, a DPS Ski Ambassador, an expert gear tester at the Gear Institute, an American Institute for Avalanche Awareness and Education [AIARE] Course Leader, holds a Wilderness First Responder [WFR] and is a volunteer member of Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue [AVSAR] and Lakes Region Search and Rescue (LRSAR). On this channel you will find tech tips, gear reviews, and hopefully some inspiration to have some adventure!
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Everytime i see videos of your gear, i get sad that BD stopped making the smaller version of the magnetrons.
Teach newbs to over rig belay points and then they can get sketchy later. No old bold climbers.
That's so interesting!
Nut looks a little shallow and unnecessary considering the two bomber cams. I love cluster equalising gear, used it today for an intermediate anchor while TRsoloing.
While I would have been fine with the two bomber cams sometimes adding a third piece in the name of redundancy makes sense, especially with trad anchors. While shallow, this nut was an excellent back up to the two cams already placed... and I often build this part of the anchor after getting my partner on belay here to keep us moving quickly. Doesn't really cost me any time to have a 3 piece anchor vs. a 2 piece anchor... so why not?
Tree?!?!
While there is a tree behind me here and some people belay from it, it is more comfortable to belay with a higher master point in front of me then a lower master point behind me when belaying directly from the anchor. This way I can stand on the sizeable ledge
Always climb up were you are going to ski down.
This advice isn’t always the best when you’re dealing with avalanche terrain. In this specific ravine, that is the common suggestion, as there aren’t great ways to easily access, the steeper terrain from less steep approaches.
The equalization isn't great on that nut but the cams look super solid.
Yes, the design of this anchor keeping load off of the nut was intentional! In this way the nut is way easier for the second to clean but the nut is a very effective "backup" to the other pieces to create an all around solid anchor
@@NorthEastAlpineStartI'm English so a solid two-piece anchor isn't that crazy to me, but I've lived and climbed in America for a really long time, and I know some people would lose their minds haha. These days I always try to equalize the three pieces. I think it's good to know how to build an anchor like this, but if I went to the trouble of placing three pieces I would only rig like this if I didn't have sufficient material to equalize all three pieces. If I came up to the top of the pitch and saw his anchor, I'd probably be fine with it, but there would be questions, lol.
@@versusgravity So many ways to create "good enough" anchors these days. I'd also mention the less thought about aspect in anchor craft of "efficiency" of material... Many climbers would use a 18 foot (3 meter) cordelette to "equalize" a three piece anchor like this... this method only used a shoulder length sling to create a mostly distributed redundant master point. This is much faster to build and deconstruct then the traditional cordelette style anchor... my choice here was made in knowing I would have been fine with just belaying off the two bomber cams... but a solid unweighted nut was an easy way to make it a 3-piece anchor eventually. I actually build this anchor a lot in this spot where I will start with the two solid cams and call off belay, and get my follower on belay, then add the nut while they are climbing so we have a three piece anchor before I start the next pitch where fall forces could be higher then a follower falling... so much context to consider...
If useful to others, I gave ascending a try and didn’t see much improvement, if any, over the Grigri. The wheel stays locked, not spinning, for pretty much the whole motion.
That's what I would expect as well. The wheel is only designed to spin when there is very little rope tension, and in a hauling / ascending system there is tension on both strands coming up out of the Neox, which pulls the wheel up into the locked position. Hard is easy found that the friction measured very similar through a locked Neox wheel and a GriGri cam.
probably should go in direct before calling for slack though haha 🤣...
That depends on if you have a secure stance. There is no need to “go in direct” if you have a secure stance.
Hello, thank you very much for the information about the jacket. Thanks to that I decided. Greetings from Argentina!
Glad it was helpful!
Well, that's just nuts1
Sounds a bit scary / less predictable than the usual devices 😕
It’s really not that scary IRL… and once you experience the first time it’s quite predictable. Just thought I’d share this as I noticed it the first time. The dozen more times I’ve lowered someone I’m 100% used to it now.
Great video - thanks.
Minor correction -- at 1m30, the anti-panic is not related to the speed of the rope, but to a common panic response of pulling the lever instead of letting it go when the rope begins to move too fast.
Thanks for that correction!
Thanks so much for making this video! Can’t wait to see the results of your ascension test
Good old school stuff. Not rocket science just building on the basics. 👍👍 Helpful to have in your toolkit.
Glad this video is still getting some views! This technique was one of the first things I learned back when I thought I knew everything about anchors (late 1990s) that made me realize I will never stop learning about anchors!
That's really interesting. I wonder whether lowering a climber past a ledge and they briefly unweight the rope, whether this then goes into zero friction mode and cause the belayer to experience rope burn.
I don’t think so. As long as a little tension is felt from the brake strand side the device will cam as expected. I can’t see any belayer rope burn happening here. The greater risk is the climber reaches a small stance or ledge, and a belayer stops maintaining the brake strand (against all product instructions). Then there could be an issue.
Great video. Also the first one demonstrating how this device performs on belaying a second from the top. Looks MUCH smoother than any of the other belay devices out there for that purpose.
It is super smooth when taking slack in with one hand on brake side and one hand on load side. It makes an interesting clicking sound if you have both hands pulling slack on just the brake side and doesn't feel quite as smooth. The only device I've used that has less friction is the Petzl MicroTraxion but that is not exactly endorsed by Petzl for that purpose.
180 deg opposition each wire is made weaker
It is true that the angle here multiplies forces... but if the rock is solid this setup up can still below breaking strength and might be the only way to make the placements secure enough to matter.
People will get each other killed with it.
I'm no beginner belayer, but the grigri has never suited me. Or I've been too lazy to take the time to "master" technique for feeding slack. I've ordered the Neox, and get it tomorrow, hoping it might be the Petzl device for me. Great demonstration, makes me hopefull.
I think you might be the type of person this device is perfect for. Personally I use the GriGri a ton to belay directly from the anchor but very rarely do I use a GriGri to belay a leader (which you can tell when I don't demonstrate the special hand technique for quickly giving slack)... the Neox doesn't require any special hand technique and the rope feeds out like butter.... should be easy to keep up with a dynamically climbing lead climber!
Do you think neox is dangerous for multi-pitch climbing? Please let me know your actual experience. Also, if you don't hold the braking rope on the Second climbing bilay, won't it be braking?
Inherently dangerous? No. But it does require a more attentive brake hand then the Gri Gri or a plaquette. A lot of rope will move quickly through the device if that brake hand comes off the brake strand for any reason. The fact that you can take in slack super fast might increase safety when the second is climbing fast and other belay devices make it hard to keep up with the climber.
Best video I've seen so far. I've seen the commercial video and a few more and that is the first video that actually explores the real reason behind the update. Thanks 🙏
Glad it was helpful!
Considering it is assisted breaking and, as you demonstrated, wont cam if your hand is off the brake strand, I think it would be good practice to use a backup prussic if using it to rappel. What are your thoughts?
I really don’t think a third hand friction hitch backup would be needed for rappelling a single strand with the Petzl Neox… even the weight of the rope hanging below you is enough to get the can to engage if you are not holding the lever down. I definitely would tie the device off if I wanted to halt my rappel for an extended time but with a fully loaded Neox and resistance on the brake strand at this point I still don’t think I’d ever add a friction third hand backup
Be careful when you approach the end of the rope rappelling with a GriGri or Neox, as the weight of the rope hanging below the device might not be enough to consistent engage the cam, and if you unweight it slightly the rope tension from stretching the whole rope above you can cause the rope to zip several meters through the rope in the blink of an eye. I imagine this issue would be more pronounced with the Neox. Obviously you should have knots in the end of your rope but if you don't..... you could zip off the end of the rope and die like Brad Gobright from exactly this. Be careful using the Neox for anything other than lead belaying, I honestly think the GriGri is a better and safer tool for multipitch climbing.
@@Govanification Some good points. Something I noticed yesterday while lowering a climber from the ground was when the climber reaches the ground there is a tipping point where the Neox goes from lower mode where the wheel does not spin back to the wheel spinning. It's a somewhat abrupt shift in the amount of friction at the device and something I will try to capture and share on Instagram today.
@@Govanification Good points. I think the most important point is a secure brake hand MUST be maintained at all times regardless of how much rope is still below you (and closed systems are ideal).
Good explenation and demonstration, but @3:03, are You sure Petzl approves demonstrated technique. There is a much safer technique (if leader falls while you give slack), which Petzl supports, using only thumb and index finger, so 3 fingers always stay on rope.
Good catch and proof I have limited experience belaying leaders with a GriGri... which kind illustrates what's great about the Neox... no need to use special techniques to quickly feed out slack
Respect, very attentive observer and respectful answer👍
It is not encouraged by Petzel to pinch the whole device!! You might have enough strength to keep the cam open if squeezing when a fall happens. Only pinch with index finger under the lip and thumb on cam. It's in the manual.
That's correct, the method I showed here isn't ideal. I actually don't belay leaders with a GriGri often so this does kind of demonstrate where the Neox would fit a nice gap. There is no need for holding the device in a specific way to quickly pay out slack.
Thanks for the detailed overview.
Glad it was helpful!
backing up clove hitch is pointless
While a snug clove hitch doesn’t inherently need a back up it is a good practice to be on a “closed” system. If the climber wants to adjust the hitch to get closer to the edge and there isn’t much tail left you can see that hazard here…
Northeast?? You mean northeast Rocky Mountains right?
Huh? I'm based in the northeastern US (New Hampshire)
Great tip. I do that for sure!!
Great video and examples. Well done.
Thank you
We would wear our belts with the buckle to the side or back to prevent compass magnetic interference. I see her buckle rather close to her compass. Some of the crew used rope for a belt.. one junior famously kept getting lost and we saw him holding his compass inches from his cowboy belt buckle! We used liquid dampened compasses. Bruntons were extremely accurate but took forever to settle down. Suunto MC2 and Silva Rangers with dip meters.
That’s just wild glad you were ok! Where did you go skiing exactly? My friend and I are always looking for new backcountry spots in the White Mountains.
Thanks. If you click the accident report link in the description you can see exactly where we skied that day including my GPS track from the day.
I always weight the anchor with a back up before I commit to it. Rappelling still frightens me after 30+ years of climbing.
That’s a wise best practice!
@@NorthEastAlpineStart I fell once when I was rappelling. Rapped off the end of a rope. Wasn't paying attention when I rigged the rap. Thought the 5 meter marking on the rope was the middle mark. Should have died. Now, when I am rigging my rappel and getting ready to rap, I have a rule that I do not talk with my partner. Chit chat almost got me killed. I focus on the rap now.
@@tacul9333 I’m glad to hear you survived! That is so scary! I’m pretty sure rope manufacturers quickly stopped adding these non-middle marks as I had heard of this happening. End of the day your instinct to slow down and not let distractions effect you is a good instinct to have!
Wow, had never seen this before. Thank you so much for sharing. Serves as a reminder to ensure that you double check everything first, including ensuring that every knot is properly dressed.
Thanks! Sure is pretty scary to think about! I thought the slow motion clip was especially powerful...
@@NorthEastAlpineStart Absolutely, very compelling. Question - what sun hoodie is that?
It’s by Burgeon Outdoor! Great sun hoodie and made right in Lincoln, NH!
Nice one handed clove hitch. Gonna have to practice that one.
Once you get the muscle memory down it’s pretty quick!
That was really clear. Thanks for filming from your perspective so we can see exactly what the hitch looks like in 1st person view
Glad it was helpful!
Very usefull! Used to to do it more complex so this is awesome. Thank you
Glad you found this helpful! I have many more tech videos coming soon!
Two nuts are always better than one.
Love those new Blue Ice screws! So light.
So jealous!
Simple and brief and clear. Thanks.
Really good review, i was skeptical about the voice addition first but it makes alot of sense seeing it
U have to sit back on ur skis !! Shins forward !! Did it twice very scary!!
Is useing the orienteering lines inside my compass bezel only for shooting a bearing to travel and not for orientating my map ? Or is it all the same ?
You can use the orienteering lines inside the compass bezel to measure a bearing off the map, or to orientate the map. Some books and navigation instructors teach that you should orientate the map before measuring a bearing off the map. This is a waste time and can introduce error into your bearing measurement as it relies on the magnetic needle, which should just be ignored when taking a bearing off the map (using the compass as a protractor).
@@NorthEastAlpineStart awesome, thank you very much for taking the time to reply.
Great climb, i love Cannon Cliff.
You set 17 deg East Dec. on compass. Your map shows 17 deg. West Dec. ??
😬 *promosm*
This device is not without its issues. One time it failed to lock in the busy anchor after adjustment. It happens because it requires to rotate back to lock and sometimes one of the surrounding binners prevents it from rotating back. As a result, you simply slide to the stitched end with an adrenaline rush :D
I bet they sues the ravine for being an attractive nuisance.