Set the anchor, lead the pitch, fix the ropes. Rappel down, clean the pitch, haul, re-rack and trudge on. Anyone for roped soloing? Let’s face it, climbing alone is damn hard work. You go without encouragement, congratulations, camaraderie, and, worst of all, an easy-feeding, secure belay. That is, until the Silent Partner. This long-awaited tool from Wren Industries answers the call for a smooth-feeding self-belay device capable of catching falls in any situation.

Although first manufactured in 1989 and used by Steve Schneider during his first one-day solo of El Capitan’s Nose, the Silent Partner didn’t hit the market until March of this year. That’s a long wait, especially when you consider Schneider’s high praise for the device in the book Climbing Big Walls, published in 1990. So why the holdup?

Mark Blanchard, the Silent Partner’s inventor and original manufacturer, delayed production after facing the ogre of product liability and in 1996 licensed the patent to Rock Thompson of Rock Exotica. Rock Exotica already produced the Soloist and Solo-Aid, two popular solo-belay devices, and the Silent Partner would have rounded out the lineup. In 1997, however, Petzl absorbed Rock Exotica and wanted nothing to do with solo-belay gizmos. Thompson organized another company, Wren Industries, which now produces all three solo devices.

The Silent Partner differs greatly from the Soloist and the Solo-Aid. The latter two consist of a cam mounted inside a metal housing and operate like ascenders. The lead line feeds automatically through the Soloist, making it acceptable for free climbing, but the device requires a chest harness and may not hold a low-angle or inverted fall (any fall where the climbers’ body, and thus the Soloist, are not aligned parallel to the rock). The Solo-Aid holds these falls but requires one hand to feed out slack - an improvement over the old clove-hitch method, but cumbersome for free climbing and speedy aid ascents.

The Silent Partner improves upon these designs by employing a centrifugal clutch mechanism hidden in the axle drum of the device. Attach the lead line by opening the device and clove hitching the rope around the drum. The unit clips directly to the harness without need for a chest harness, and the clip-in hole accommodates two locking ‘biners, an improvement over the cord or webbing needed to attach the other devices. While climbing, the drum rotates freely, allowing the clove hitch to slip. In a fall, (or at roughly 4 mph, according to Wren Industries), the increased speed of the slipping rope locks the clutch (think of your car’s seat belt) and the clove hitch tightens around the locked drum.

During my short test falls on vertical rock, the clutch locked immediately, cinching the clove hitch securely. Just remember your ascenders so you can unweight and unlock the clutch after a fall, and get back to your high point.

Overall, the Silent Partner performed wonderfully. While free climbing, the rope fed smoothly, the clutch never cinched inadvertently, and I could feed out slack to clip overhead placements (although it is still easier to clip gear at waist level). I moved quickly and confidently on aid pitches and felt much more comfortable stepping out of my aiders to pull free moves because I didn’t have to pay out gobs of slack before casting off into the unknown.

The Silent Partner retails for $225 - pretty spendy compared to the $100 Soloist or the $80 Solo-Aid. But if you’re looking to speed up your wall times on routes with free stretches like Yosemite’s Prow or Zion’s Touchstone, and you want a belay that catches falls in any situation, then consider saving up for what Steve Schneider dubbed "the coup-de-grace of solo devices".

The myth has become a reality! Ten years after it was first developed and patented by Mark Blanchard, the Silent Partner has finally made it to the marketplace. For the serious solo free climber, this automatic belay device is well worth the wait and expense ($225).

The Silent Partner is an ingenious spin-off of the old running clove-hitch method of self-belay. In this case, the clove-hitch travels along the rope (9.8mm will work but I’d recommend a 10.5mm for safety) by rotating a 1.65 inch drum. In a fall, a speed- and acceleration-sensitive clutch locks the drum (as with a seatbelt), which causes the knot to cinch tight and the climber to stop cold.

What sets the Silent Partner apart from other self-belay options is the relatively smooth feeding and the ability to hold any direction of fall. You won’t be able to free climb at your limit with this device, but you’ll be less hampered than with other solo systems.

In testing of prototypes, Mark claims the rope always broke before the device failed. Although it’s rather heavy (15.2 oz/ 432 g) and bulky, the Silent Partner does not require a chest harness like the Soloist does ($100, also made by Wren). For routes that are almost entirely aid, the SoloAid ($80, another Wren product) is still the best choice, because it’s so much smaller and lighter (6.4 oz./180g) - manual feeding required, though.

There are some tricks to using the Silent Partner, so it’s extremely important that you memorize the manual. Also, practice a lot before committing yourself to a serious route. In particular, free-hanging rappels are problematic (a rap device may be a better option), and the Silent Partner doesn’t lock off easily when you need a rest. A major caveat is that ice will prevent the Silent Partner from locking, so it should never be used in temperatures near or below freezing. Repeat: This device cannot be used for ice climbing or mountaineering!

As with all soloing techniques, the Silent Partner should only be used by very experienced climbers with excellent rope-management skills (a rope bag is sometimes useful) and a good understanding of physics. But if you have the head for it, this is the best system going for free climbing by yourself.