Anyone know of where I can track down the no longer made and very elusive solo aid from Rock Exotica? I think I'd rather have a solo aid than a silent partner, but I'd be interested in hearing first hand accounts about climbing with the silent partner also.

grazie

-- sharif taha (staha@phy.ucsf.edu), October 04, 1999

Answers

If you act fast you can find one on auction @ ebay.com under; misc., sporting goods, rock climbing, item #175793507

-- D. Nurock (dnurock@yahoo.com), October 06, 1999.

Try Mountain Gear at www.mgear.com or email at sales@mgear.com

-- D.Nurock (dnurock@yahoo.com), October 07, 1999.

You must not be up with the times. All of the soloing devices made by Rock Exotica are now made by Wren Industries. Check either Climbing or Rock and Ice for the phone number and address. The Silent Partner is the way to go for any soling device. Do not buy or improvise anything else. I have used the former Rock Exotica Soloist device for three years now for solo aid and free climbing. While it was the best device at the time, there are limitations (have to wear full-strength chest harness, does not catch low-angle fall, tends to require rope feeding). I have now used a Silent Partner I purchased from Mountain Tools in Monterey, CA for six months. This device is the bomb! Well worth the money! I use this device for solo free climbing and solo aid climbing. You do not have to wear a chest harness with this device, it will catch a low angle fall, and it does not require self-feeding (with the proper rope).

I have never tried the Solo-aid, but would not use it because it requires self-feeding. Few aid climbs are entirely aid, so you have to do some free climbing between the aid. If you are using the Solo-aid, you must either feed out enough rope for the entire free climbing section (no thank you!) or you must find rests in the free-climbing section where you can hang on at the same time as manually feeding the rope (much easier said then done, especially when you are gripped out of your mind, which you will be when soloing). The Silent Partner works equally well with free and aid climbing and does not require the manually feeding the rope.

I have taken leader falls with the Silent Partner. It takes a while to learn not to grab the rope while falling (rope burn!), but it locks up to give a smooth catch after falling about five feet. Whenever I go on climbing trips, I always pack the Silent Partner just in case a partner flakes. Save your coins and buy the Silent Partner instead of the Solo-Aid.

-- Mark A. Fletcher (mfletche@turnerdesigns.com), October 14, 1999.

How about just get a Gri-gri, modify it and save $150 over the silent partner. It self feeds, it can still be used for regular old belaying, plus you dont have to rig some weird thing to safely rappel with it.

-- Brian (slobri@aol.com), April 10, 2000.

The silent partner is way better then a moddified GriGri. the silent partner will catch falls in any position, the modified grigri won't. there is nothing dangerous about rapping with the silent partner, it feels kinda weird but if you loose control it will lock up. there is nothing safe about a piece of gear (GriGri) after it has had pieces cut off of it and holes driled in it.

happy climbing Ben

-- Ben (Benbuilds@aol.com), April 11, 2000.

i ended up using a soloist which i thought was a piece of sheist -- its got a loads of friction at the beginning of each pitch, then once you have some rope out, is self feeding, and pays out slack when you don't want it. back-up knots are a hassle and tying the backups onto my harness, which seemed like the safe way to do it, was a nightmare. i'd say get the silent partner, which i've sinced used also, or just use clove hitches. in my opinion, the soloist isn't worth using.

-- sharif taha (staha@phy.ucsf.edu), April 11, 2000.

How about leaving the rope at home-eh?

-- Peter Croft (propete100@hotmial.com), February 10, 2001.

Should have listened to the advice you asked for. The SP is costly but for roped free climbing, it rules.

-- Tea (gunslingerillustration@hotmail.com), February 10, 2001.

i tried to follow Peter Croft advice but i felt "weird" after falling to the ground after 12 feet so i bought a silent patner; it`s a great piece of gear and after a couple of falls ( without grabbing the rope!!!!!) you realize how nice it is...............

-- Giancarlo Viano (gcsoondc@hotmail.com), April 30, 2001.

Silent partner it is then....

-- J. P. (millenium_kid_1@hotmail.com), March 31, 2003.