Lifeguard on Duty

Mad Rock Lifeguard

If belay devices were to be seen as children in a family, then the Black Diamond ATC would be the first child and the Petzl Grigri 2 is the youngest child. Many climbers literally learn the ropes with the ATC in hand, probably because it is an affordable device to start with or came in their harness package. The ATC’s market dominance couldn’t be more obvious with the reality that all other tube devices often just get referred to by climbers as ATCs, regardless of what they are actually called. The ATC might grow up to be Smart, a Guide, a Pilot, or a Reverso but at the end of the day it really is just an ATC with bells and whistles.

At some point in their progress, the sport climbers and gym climbers are likely to get their paws on a Petzl Grigri 2, for darn good reasons. Grigris makes belaying your buddy on their project a far less taxing activity with the added safety (when properly used) that assisted locking provides.

This brings us to the neglected middle children of the belay device world. Edelrid has the Eddy, Camp has the Matik, Trango has the Vergo, and Mad Rock has the Lifeguard. These devices are in an uphill battle to get noticed over the Petzl Grigri 2. Although not widely available, this does not mean these devices should be ignored.

This review looks at the Mad Rock Lifeguard and is based on one year of use in the gym and at crags. Petzl has set the standard for this style of device so it becomes unavoidable to make some direct comparisons with the Grigri 2.

Lifeguard - The Specs

Rope diameter - 8.9mm to 11mm (identical to the Grigri 2)

Weight - 154 grams (170 grams Grigri 2)

Price - $109 CND ($128 Grigri 2)

Top Rope belaying/lowering – Top rope belaying feels no different from other devices. No learning curve here. The lowering is not that different from the Grigri 2 except, for us, it feels easier to find and maintain that “sweet spot” for the smooth lower. Other climbers have reported the opposite, so like many things, your experience may vary.

Lead belay – Unlike the Grigri, the Lifeguard doesn’t require you to override the device in order to quickly feed out slack. Feed it out like you would an ATC. However, there is a learning curve involved if you happen to short rope your leader. The cam will flutter from open to locked position as your leader is desperately trying to clip. Without the design feature that allows you to override the device (the lip for your index finger that allows you to use your thumb on the cam for the Grigri), dealing with short roping is a bit trickier to manage with a Lifeguard.

You can try to override it like a Grigri, it works, but is awkward.

The best solution we found was for the belayer to be extra attentive (never a bad thing)to avoid short roping to begin with or quickly stepping closer to the wall as you feed out more slack (no different to other short roping situations but more important for this device). Having a leader not go into panic clipping mode (which makes things worse) when short roped helps a lot. Like everything in climbing, repetition and practice eventually makes it second nature.

Catching falls - It feels like the Lifeguard needs a bit more force to engage than the Grigri 2. This makes sense, because this is what allows the Lifeguard to feed out slack like an ATC. In theory, this should allow more rope to slip before locking, which should provide softer catches than a Grigri 2. In application, it was hard to feel a real world difference (catching or being caught) between the two given that so many factors come into play when trying to provide soft catches.

Final thoughts

The Mad Rock Lifeguard is a great belay device but not a game changer -- Wild Country’s Revo might be that device if it gains traction in the market. The Lifeguard is a cheaper and lighter alternative to a Grigri. We recommend it to anyone who doesn’t yet own a device of this type. We would also recommend climbers who dislike using Grigris to try the Lifeguard because, although similar, they are different enough that it may feel better for some climbers.

The Mad Rock Lifeguard retails for $109 CND and is available at some local gyms or you can purchase it online at Verti Call or directly from Mad Rock Canada.

** The device was used with the following ropes: a stiff 9.8mm Mammut Transformer, a super soft 9.8mm Tendon Smart Lite, a 9.5mm Mammut Infinity and a 9.4mm Petzl Fuse.