Rappelling

Review: Basic Rappelling

For a common and simple rappel situation, setting up a rappel would have these steps:

Secure yourself — usually by clipping a personal tether to the anchor
Thread the rope through the anchor and tie knots in both ends to avoid the possibility of rappelling off the ends
Pull rope through to the middle (or until both ends are visibly on the ground)
Rig both ropes into rappel device
Attach autoblock third hand backup
Cinch up rappel to transfer weight from tether to rappel system (a.k.a. weight the system)
Safety check entire system (BARK or other method)
Disconnect tether and rappel

Finding the Middle of the Rope

Middle may be marked in various ways — know your rope

Black ink (may be faint)
Change in rope color
Change in rope pattern

Ink middle marks may wear off or any middle mark may become unreliable if one end of the rope is trimmed. In those cases, the most reliable way to find the middle is to start with both ends of the rope and flake or coil to the middle.

Third Hand Backup

The third hand backup is intended to stop a rappel if the climber loses control of the brake strands for any reason. Failure to use a backup has been a contributing factor in many rappelling accidents and using one has prevented many more. There is rarely a good reason not to use one.

While any friction hitch can work, a 3- or 4-wrap autoblock usually provides a good combination of grip, releasability, and length. It is critical that the autoblock not be able to reach the rappel device, where it could be deactivated. This should be verified during the safety check.

Many factors can affect the friction of an autoblock hitch:

Rope diameter
Rope treatments
Rope age
Dirt
Water
Ice

Adjust the number of number of wraps to achieve the required friction.

Rappel Extensions

Rather than rappelling with the device clipped directly to the belay loop, using a rappel extension (or setting up an extended rappel) provides several safety and convenience benefits:

Autoblock attaches to load-rated belay loop rather than leg loop
More reliable separation between autoblock and rappel device, even if you lift your leg or flip upside down
Less likely to catch objects in rappel device since it is farther from your body
More comfortable body/hand position
Makes it possible to pre-rig rappel devices
Easily convert to ascension rig
Useful when rappelling with a patient in rescue scenarios

Troubleshooting Rappels

Converting from Rappelling to Ascending

If rappelling with an extended rappel and a belay device with guide mode, the belay device can be used as a progress capture for ascending by clipping the guide mode loop back to the belay loop. If the terrain is low angle, this may be all that's needed. In steeper terrain, use a prusik on the rope above the device as a foot loop, stand up, and pull slack through the device. Tie a soft backup knot before beginning and every 6 to 10 feet as you ascend.

Note: If you need to ascend very far, using two prusiks or another ascension method could be more efficient. Tie a hard backup knot and lock it to the belay loop if removing the belay device.

Additional pre-lecture homework

1) Go to http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/

2) In the search box type "rappel," select "Accidents," then click Search.

3) Skim through the titles of the lengthy list of rappel accidents. Do you notice any patterns or recurring themes? Come to the lecture ready to discuss.

4) Pick any one of the rappel accidents from the list and read the full accident report. Come to the lecture ready to share what you read about.

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