Sylvan Rocks Climbing

I'd guess this is the most common device I see around. It's about as simple and straight forward as they come. There is beauty in a piece of climbing equipment when there is nothing left to add or take away. Cheryl climbed with these devices for a decade or more, and she always caught my leader falls with style. I never thought they offered the smoothness of a Pyramid, but it was probably that I just never worked with them enough to figure it out. Every climber develops his or her personal favorite, and mine was the Trango. My climbing guides prefer that I buy ATC's for our guest to use because there is only one way to feed the rope through them. Simple and time tested... you gotta like that in your climbing gear. Daryl Stisser Sylvan Rocks Climbing School

We got one of these as a gift while on one of our 6 month climbing road trips. Its not the device for fat ropes, but since we only climb on skinny strings these days it works great. If you are headed into the mountains with doubles or a single skinny rope, you will be happy to have one of these on your harness. They really shine on long raps when you need a bit of extra friction to slow things down. Daryl Sylvan Rocks Climbing www.sylvanrocks.com

The ability to do everything the Kong Gi-Gi can do, plus belay a leader was a brilliant move by Petzl. I'm very thankful that they created this device as it has made other companies step up innovation and create better gear. I don't feel that anyone has come up with a better answer though. The only reason you don't find one on my harness full time is the additional friction needed to pull a rope through the device. The metal frame that keeps the carabiner from twisting is a great feature. The frame also allows relatively easy flip- ability of this device so that you can release it, which is great if your friends or client run outa gas half way up the climbing route you are on. The only other downer about this great Petzl tool is that it does become grooved out and sharp, such that its life isn't as long as it should be. Daryl Sylvan Rocks Climbing School www.sylvanrocks.com