@devnull If you're confident to do both of those things, then dealer's choice. On balance, I'd probably pick up rather than down given cruxes are typically a few moves (here I'm kinda assuming you're not totally sandbagging your second with a route they have no chance of sending ). TBH before either of those things, I'd probably start by maybe sticking a prussic on for some leverage and see if I could aid my climber past the crux with a bit of extra support.
J
jcmchammy@mountains.social
@jcmchammy@mountains.social
Posts
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DMM Pivot for lowering to ground via top belay? -
DMM Pivot for lowering to ground via top belay?@devnull Short answer is "Yes".
Guide mode belay devices released by a 'biner are largely, due to the way the blocking works, an on/off proposition when it comes to the braking applied to the rope - it's very hard/all but impossible to control the lower well especially over long distances. In the "braking off" position, you're relying increasingly on strength for control, which gets worse the heavier the climber. There are various ways to mitigate this, but it required quite a bit of knowledge and practice to do safely.
This is not to say it's impossible to fully lower in guide mode, but not a great option.