Weight the bottom of the fixed rope
Coiling excess rope in your top rope solo system will keep your rope clean and (more importantly) create tension in system. This will keep your progress capture devices feeding smoothly throughout the climb.
>> Watch: how to weight the bottom of the rope for TRS
Keep the rope between your legs.
This is going to feel counter intuitive when you are used to keeping the rope on the outside of your legs when lead climbing.
But when top rope soloing, if the rope runs outside your legs, it can create extra friction and awkward angles that cause your progress capturing devices to not autofeed smoothly.
Keeping the rope hanging as straight as possible, between your legs, keeps your devices feeding smoothly and predictably.
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>> Watch a short video demonstration of how to keep the rope outside your legs
Managing slack at the start of a pitch
When top rope soloing, there isn’t always enough rope weight below you to keep the system feeding smoothly — especially when you’re starting a pitch as the follower in a fix-and-follow setup.
In those moments, it’s tempting to yard slack through by grabbing the rope below your devices and cinching upward like a GriGri.
Don’t.
Pulling from below can interfere with autofeeding — the devices can collide and bind, making them less likely to resume feeding on your next moves.
Best practice: pull slack through between the devices.
It keeps the system feeding cleanly, and working the way it’s designed to.
If you do grab from below, make sure to pull the rope straight downward.
>> Watch a short video demonstration of how to pull slack between the devices
Small habits like these make top rope soloing smoother, safer and more enjoyable.
