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Rock Exotica Silent Partner
Soloist Prototype
Soloist
SoloAid Prototype #1
SoloAid Prototype #2
SoloAid, Version A
SoloAid, Version B
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| Rock Exotica Silent Partner |
Soloist Prototype | Soloist |
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| SoloAid Prototype #1 | SoloAid Prototype #2 | SoloAid, Version A | SoloAid, Version B |
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DO NOT CLIMB SOLO! Nothing can make solo climbing safe. |
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If you are reading this then you do not have the necessary expertise. |
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Do not even think about learning anything about anything from an internet web site. |
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[ Top | SoloAid, Version B | SoloAid Prototype #1 | SoloAid Prototype #2 | Soloist | Soloist Prototype | Return to Self Belay ]
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Technical DetailsI acquired my Rock Exotica SoloAid from John E. Weinel, Inc. in 1994.
The Rock Exotica SoloAid is milled from aluminum alloy and then hard anodized. Mine is 38 mm. long, 113 mm. wide, 34 mm. high, and weighs 182 g. The shell has a 20.7 mm. carabiner eye and a 10.4 mm. upper eye. The cam has four shallow U-shaped grooves, forming five teeth. The cam axle assembly has the axle itself, a notched locking piece that fits into the carabiner hole, and a cross bar connecting the two.
The front of the SoloAid is engraved with a left-pointing arrow labeled "AN.," an image of the cam, and a left-pointing arrow labeled "Free."
The SoloAid was made for solo aid climbing as its name implies.
I've used it for that purpose with some success. It appears to
be fairly reliable in catching falls, and does not have the directional
problems that the Soloist does. It does not require a chest harness.
although it can be used with one (my preference, but to each his
own). The rope must be fed by hand, so it is not a practical device
for free climbing.
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DO NOT CLIMB SOLO! Nothing can make solo climbing safe. |
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[ Top | SoloAid, Version A | SoloAid Prototype #1 | SoloAid Prototype #2 | Soloist | Soloist Prototype | Return to Self Belay ]
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I acquired my first Rock Exotica SoloAid, Version B in 2017 as part of Bob Thrun’s collection. I acquired a second from jon-ncal on eBay in 2020.
The Rock Exotica SoloAid is milled from aluminum alloy and then hard anodized. Mine is 38 mm. long, 113 mm. wide, 34 mm. high, and weighs 184 g. The shell has a 20.7 mm. carabiner eye and a 10.4 mm. upper eye. The cam has four shallow U-shaped grooves, forming five teeth. The cam axle assembly has the axle itself, a notched locking piece that fits into the carabiner hole, and a cross bar connecting the two.
The front of the SoloAid is engraved with a left-pointing arrow labeled "AN.," an image of the cam, and a left-pointing arrow labeled "Free."
The makings on Version B are much finer than those on Version A. Version B’s lines are about 0.9 mm. wide and flat-bottomed, while Version A’s are 1.7 mm. and round-bottomed.
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DO NOT CLIMB SOLO! Nothing can make solo climbing safe. |
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[ Top | SoloAid, Version A | SoloAid, Version B | SoloAid Prototype #2 | Soloist | Soloist Prototype | Return to Self Belay ]
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| Left | Right | Open for Rigging |
I acquired my Rock Exotica SoloAid Prototype #1 from John Middendorf in 2005.
Prototype #1 is milled from aluminum alloy and unfinished. Mine is 39 mm. long, 112 mm. wide, 38 mm. high, and weighs 181 g.
There are no markings on this prototype.
In 2005, John Middendorf placed two SoloAid prototypes up for sale on eBay, and I purchased both of them. John wrote:
This is one of two SoloAids Rock made for me. They were the first two he made and do not have the engraved sketches on the side.
This prototype has a rougher finish than the other, and appears to have been made by manually-operated (not CNC) machinery, so I presume it is the first. The cam teeth differ from the second prototype and production model: they are "steps" that appear to have been cut with an end mill.
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DO NOT CLIMB SOLO! Nothing can make solo climbing safe. |
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[ Top | SoloAid, Version A | SoloAid, Version B | SoloAid Prototype #1 | Soloist | Soloist Prototype | Return to Self Belay ]
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| Front | Rear |
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| Left | Right | Open for Rigging |
I acquired my Rock Exotica SoloAid Prototype #2 from John Middendorf in 2005.
This prototype is 39 mm. long, 113 mm. wide, 38 mm. high, and weighs 184 g. The cam is different than the one on Prototype #1, having four shallow U-shaped grooves that form five teeth.
There are no markings on this prototype.
The second prototype appears to have been made with CNC machinery, or at least well-finished if done manually. The cam teeth follow the same pattern as on the production model.
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DO NOT CLIMB SOLO! Nothing can make solo climbing safe. |
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[ Top | SoloAid, Version A | SoloAid, Version B | SoloAid Prototype #1 | SoloAid Prototype #2 | Soloist Prototype | Return to Self Belay ]
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| Left | Right | Open for Rigging |
Technical DetailsI acquired one Rock Exotica Soloist from The Gendarme in 1989, and a second from Charles Denning in 2009. Michael Oatney gave me a third in 2023.
The Rock Exotica Soloist is has a milled aluminum alloy shell and milled rope-activated aluminum alloy cam. Mine is 63 mm. long, 148 mm. wide, 38 mm. high, and weighs 281 g. The shell has a 20.6 mm. carabiner eye at the top and a 10.2 mm. lower eye. The cam has a U-shaped face with seven shallow U-shaped grooves, forming eight teeth. The cam axle assembly has the axle itself, a notched locking piece that fits into the carabiner hole, and a cross bar connecting the two.
The front is printed with an image of the cam, an up-pointing arrow labeled "free end," a down-pointing arrow labeled "anchor," an up-pointing arrow labeled "up," "soloist," and "waist."
The Soloist was designed for free climbing. It must be used with a chest harness as shown in the figure. The rope feeds smoothly enough for free climbing, but the Soloist has one serious drawback: it will not reliably catch a head-first fall. This means that certain moves, such as heel hooks, should not be attempted if there is any chance of the hands blowing. I don't trust myself enough to guarantee that I won't peel headfirst, so I never use my soloist.
The Soloist has a slot that allows it to be used for rappelling.
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DO NOT CLIMB SOLO! Nothing can make solo climbing safe. |
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[ Top | SoloAid, Version A | SoloAid, Version B | SoloAid Prototype #1 | SoloAid Prototype #2 | Soloist | Return to Self Belay ]
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| Front | Rear |
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| Left | Right | Open for Rigging |
I acquired my Rock Exotica Soloist Prototype from John Middendorf in 2019.
The Rock Exotica Soloist is has a milled aluminum alloy shell and milled rope-activated aluminum alloy cam. Mine is 63 mm. long, 150 mm. wide, 38 mm. high, and weighs 283 g. The shell has a 20.7 mm. carabiner eye at the top and a 10.6 mm. lower eye. The cam has a U-shaped face with seven shallow U-shaped grooves, forming eight teeth. The cam axle assembly has the axle itself, a notched locking piece that fits into the carabiner hole, and a cross bar connecting the two.
There are no markings on this prototype.
The prototype has two countersunk 5.7 mm. holes that are not present on the production version. They do not appear to be functional, so I presume that these were used for alignment in the original machining jig. There is also a groove on the inside of the rope channel that indicates that a drill or cutter was not aligned properly. The prototype appears to have been CNC-machined, but the alignment holes and the groove may have been made using manual machines.
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DO NOT CLIMB SOLO! Nothing can make solo climbing safe. |
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[ Top | SoloAid, Version A | SoloAid, Version B | SoloAid Prototype #1 | SoloAid Prototype #2 | Soloist | Soloist Prototype | Return to Self Belay ]
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| Front | Rear | Left Side | Right Side |
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| Front: Open for Rigging | Rear: Open for Rigging |
I acquired my Rock Exotica Silent Partner from Greg Bumb / Santa Cruz Pawn in 2021.
The Rock Exotica Silent Partner is 73 mm. long, 171 mm. wide, 71 mm. high, and weighs 421 g.
The Rock Exotica Silent Partner consists of two stamped aluminum alloy side plates surrounding a roller with an integral centrifugal clutch. The plates are 3 mm. thick and are bent to meet at the top, where each has a 29.7 by 15.3 mm. attachment eye. The roller assembly is 44 mm. long with a 16.4 mm. central rib. The roller is 44.4 mm. in diameter at each side of the rope grooves, 42.mm at the center of the U-shaped grooves, and 59.3 mm. at the central rib. For details of the internal clutch, please refer to U.S. Patent 4,941,548. Each plate supports a 6.4mm pin at the bottom that acts to jeep the rope ends separated.
The front of my Rock Exotica Silent Partner is printed with "SILENT," "13102H0069," a book-with-an-"i" icon, and "PARTNER." The rear is printed with "WARNING," "ROCK CLIMBING IS DANGEROUS AND SOLO CLIMBING OF ANY KIND IS EVEN MORE DANGEROUS. EXPERT KNOWLEDGE OF RIGGING AND BACKUP SYSTEMS IS MANDATORY. THIS DEVICE WILL NOT CATCH EVERY FALL AND MUST BE USED WITH A BACKUP TO PREVENT INJURY AND DEATH," "WARNING," and "FOR DANGEROUS ACTIVITIES - RISK OF INJURY/DEATH CANNOT BE ELIMINATED. DO NOT USE UNLESS YOU HAVE READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS* RECEIVED SUITABLE TRAINING*CHECKED GEAR BEFORE EACH USE* ACCEPTED TOTAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR SAFETY AND GEAR SUITABILITY. ALWAYS USE A BACKUP - NEVER TRUST A LIFE TO A SINGLE TOOL!"
This is the device for roped solo. The climber ties a clove
hitch around the spool in a specific fashion, and then climbs.
The rope feeds smoothly, but if the climber falls, a centrifugal
clutch engages and keeps the spool from rotating. I was on a waiting
list for two years before I got my Silent Partner, and since testing
it I've given up on using anything else.
This device works very well, but one must thoroughly review and know everything in the manual before using it. I mean the entire manual!. Don't forget backup knots!! Remember, one mistake and the life you lose will be your own.
The Silent Partner was developed by Mark Blanchard and was protected by U.S. Patent 4,941,548 in 1989. Rock Exotica made the initial Silent Partners, but production moved to Wren Industries in 1999, where it remained until 2008 when Wren discontinued their Silent Partner and Rock Exotica resumed production. At this time, the Silent Partner is no longer manufactured, but is readily available on eBay for insane amounts of money.
The Silent Partner is protected by U.S. Patent 4,941,548.
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DO NOT CLIMB SOLO! Nothing can make solo climbing safe. |
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[ Top | SoloAid, Version A | SoloAid, Version B | SoloAid Prototype #1 | SoloAid Prototype #2 | Soloist | Soloist Prototype | Rock Exotica Silent Partner ]
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