Toprope: Rope-Solo Setup with Petzl Shunt and Ascender

Caution! Rope-solo climbing is very dangerous. Most devices are not designed for self-belay. This post is in no way a tutorial. Please test every system and technique in a safe environment to ensure nothing can go wrong!

Petzl Shunt is Dangerous!

The Petzl Shunt is a rope clamp without teeth. It grips the rope through clamping action, making it gentler on the rope. However, even with rope clamps without teeth, the rope’s load-bearing capacity can be reduced, and it could break at 6kN. Therefore, a hard lead fall could lead to the rope snapping. For this reason, these ascenders are only used for Top-Rope Solo. If you ensure that there is little to no slack in the system, you are relatively safe.

However, you should never rely on a single rope clamp alone. Especially with the Shunt, there have been serious or even fatal accidents because people used the device for self-belay. In December 2021, Petzl posted the following statement on Instagram:

petzl_official: “We are committed to safety, which leads us to share the following statement: As we have previously stated, Petzl SHUNT Is Not To Be Used for Self-Belay. Petzl has learned of a fall in which a solo climber was using a Petzl SHUNT, specifically using it as a self-belay device. Information has been reported indicating that the Petzl SHUNT disconnected from the rope during a fall.
As stated in the Technical Notice, the Petzl SHUNT is not to be used as a self-belay device in any capacity. It should only be used as a back-up device for rappelling. Remember that solo climbing comes with additional risks and please always consult the relevant technical information.” (View Post on Instagram)

What to Do?

The Petzl Shunt remains an interesting device for Top-Rope Solo climbing. It’s important to pay attention to the rope diameter and to remember that although it can hold two ropes, if one is cut, the Shunt might not grip the second rope, causing it to slip. However, it can work well on a single, thick, dynamic rope. If you place an ascender below the Shunt, you’ll have a backup. Alternatively, you could tie a HMS carabiner with a glove hitch onto the rope to increase safety.

I have demonstrated this setup in an English video: