I have been using the GriGri for many years in my guiding as well as my personalclimbing pursuits. It was a game changer when it came out. Now that Petzl GriGri 2 has come out, it seems to be a game changer as well. It is 25% smaller and 20% lighter than the original GriGri. This has made me not even think twice on carrying it in multi-pitch terrain. It preforms great for lead belaying as well as for belaying off top anchors. Descending is still tricky even with small ropes. The Frieno carabiner works well for this with its friction spur to add a little grab without burning those hands. There is an issue with the rope getting caught behind the camming device. I have been unable to replicate this in a real situation but it is very possible. Petzl is aware of this issue and has said that no problems should arise. The fix for this is to pull down on the break end of the rope which will allow the the load strand to come back around the cam. Seems easy enough.
