Being released at the Outdoor Show in Friedrichshafen is a new version of the Petzl Grigri, the Grigri+.

It’s a beefed up Grigri, which looks to have been designed with adventure parks, outdoor centres and places or occasions where the standard Grigri takes a hammering, in mind!

By comparison with the previous versions of the Grigri, the Grigri + is marginally chunkier:

Key features include:

An anti-panic function where the device locks if the handle is pulled hard in panic (same clever system as found on Petzl’s most popular industrial descender the Petzl ID Descender). The anti-panic features (let go of the handle and the device locks, pull too hard on the handle and the device locks) also makes it more suitable for novice climbers who may be tasked to belay their buddy at a park or centre.

A patented switch which allows the user to change the Grigri set up to alternate between lead climbing and top roping (a knob on the reverse of the device loosens / tightens a spring to make it easier / harden to pay out rope).

A stainless steel protector place on the inside of the front plate to give more protection against the wear of the rope against it.

A wider space between the cam and body allowing more space for the rope to pass through and help reduce the wear on the device from ropes that have become furry over time (note that the maximum rope diameter is still marked as 11mm).

Small design tweaks from the standard Grigri also include the front plate central locking rivet now locking into the underneath of the front plate rather than through, and the section of the Grigri which guides the rope through the belay device at the climber end of the rope is more substantial and forms part of the main body rather than being part of the front plate.

Available in 2017, the Grigri+ is likely to retail at £85.