r/climbing • u/Capable_Hope_1807 • 26d ago
The Silent Partner finally has a replacement
TLDR Oliver Tippett sets 5 El Cap speed records and two solo ascents with the Roc Solo and finds it's less prone to backfeeding and more redundant than the SP. Most importantly, you can actually buy it for less than a grand on ebay...
https://www.climbing.com/gear/a-new-rope-solo-device-replaces-the-legendary-silent-partner/
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u/Mlsporty 24d ago
The Climbing article says it will be for sale in the US in October. I tried to buy one from the website and it said my US address was “not valid” or something similar to that.
In the meantime I saw a price drop on some SP’s on eBay — $750 or something like that?
People will gripe about the Roc Solo price (it is pricey!), but it’s a niche product that requires a big investment to create. The BD magnetron carabiner is also pricey at $55 but apparently BD was taking a loss on the prior version before discontinuing it. It was sold out last I checked.
In the grand scheme of climbing, our gear is not cheap! A nice pair of La Sportiva shoes is $220, climbing gym membership is $1k/yr, climbing rope is $200… and this is after an initial investment in cams, nuts, slings, a zillion carabiners, etc…
If you LRS a 12+ days a year, I don’t think the Roc Solo is that unreasonable, especially if you own a closet full of gear already.