Rappelling
From Wiki Sumaq Peru
Contents |
Names
It is also known as: rappelling (American English), abbing (British slang for "abseiling"), jumping (Australian slang) rap jumping (American slang), roping down, roping, seiling (Australian slang), snapling (Israeli slang), rappling (Hindi slang).
History
The origin of the abseil is attributed[1] to Jean Estéril Charlet, a Chamonix guide who lived from 1840-1925. Charlet originally devised the technique of the abseil (or rappel) method of roping down during a failed solo attempt of Petit Dru in 1876. After many attempts, some of them solo, he managed to summit the Petit Dru in 1879 in the company of two other Chamonix guides, Prosper Payot and Frédéric Folliguet, whom he hired (a rather paradoxical move for a guide). During that ascent, Charlet perfected the abseil.
Equipment
- Helmets are worn to protect the head from bumps and falling rocks. A light source may be mounted on the helmet in order to keep the hands free in unlit areas.
- Gloves protect hands from the rope and from hits with the wall. They are mainly used by recreational abseilers, industrial access practitioners, adventure racers and military as opposed to climbers or mountaineers. In fact, they can increase the risk of accident by becoming caught in the descender in certain situations.
- Boots or other sturdy footwear with good grips.
- Knee-pads (and sometimes elbow-pads) are popular in some applications for the protection of joints during crawls or hits.
- Ropes used for descending are typically of Kernmantle rope construction, with a multi-strand core protected by an abrasion-resistant woven sheath. For most applications, low-stretch rope (typically ~2% stretch when under the load of a typical bodyweight) called static rope is used to reduce bouncing and to allow easier ascending of the rope.
- A harness is used around the waist to secure the descender. A comfortable harness is important for descents that may take many hours.
- A descender or rappel device is a friction device or friction hitch that allows for rope to be paid out in a controlled fashion, under load, with a minimal effort by the person controlling it. The speed at which the rappeller descends is controlled by applying greater or lesser force on the rope below the device. Descenders can be task-designed or improvised from other equipment:
- Mechanical descenders include braking bars, the figure eight, the abseil rack, the "bobbin" (and its self-locking variant the "stop"), the gold tail, and the "sky genie" used by some window-washers and wildfire firefighters.
- Some improvised descenders include the Munter hitch, a carabiner wrap, the basic crossed-carabiner brake and the piton bar brake (sometimes called the carabiner and piton). There is an older, more uncomfortable, method of wrapping the rope around one's body for friction, as in the Dulfersitz or Geneva methods used by climbers in the 1960s.
Things You will Need
- Athletic Tapes
- Climbing Gear
- Climbing Harnesses
- Climbing Helmets
- Climbing Ropes
- Climbing Shoes
Step 1
Set the rappel anchor. The rappel anchors should be tested before you trust them with your life. You should be securely attached to these anchors with a sling or daisy chain while you proceed through the following steps.
Step 2
Prepare the rope for a single rope rappel. Fix one end of the rope to the rappel anchors by tieing a double figure 8 knot into the carabiners at the end of the equalized anchors. Make sure the rope doesn't go over any sharp edges and that the other end of the rope makes it to the ground.
Step 3
Attach the rappel device to the rope. Be careful not to drop your device as you are attaching it to the rope. Check the manufacturer's instructions for how to use your particular rappel device.
Step 4
Attach your rappel device to your harness. Clip into the rappel device with a locking carabiner. Do not unclip from the anchors (Step 1) until you are sure you are correctly attached to the rappel device, and the rappel device is correctly attached to the rope. After you've tested both the rope and the device, you can unclip your daisy chain from the anchors and proceed with the rappel.
Step 5
Get in position. These instructions assume you are right-handed or are comfortable using your right hand in this. Place your left hand around the rope about 6 inches above the rappel device. Your left hand will be between your rappel device and the anchors holding the rope. Consider wearing gloves to protect your hands.
Step 6
Grab the rope that hangs down out of the rappel device with your right hand and slide your hand on the rope back to your right hip and wrap the rope slightly around your right hip. Your right hand in this configuration is called your brake hand.
Step 7
Rappel downward. Let some of the rope in your right hand slide up through the rappel device. As you do this you will slide down the rope.
Step 8
Move past obstructions and overhangs. Make sure not to knock loose any rocks or other debris.
Step 9
When you are safely on the ground, release the rope from your rappel device and call "Off rappel" for others who may be waiting.
Tips and Warnings
- Know how to use your rappel device before trying it out on a real rappel. The actual event is not a good time to learn how it works.
- Use a prusik to self-belay. A prusik is a large loop of 5-8 mm perlon rope that is used to tie a special self-locking knot called a prusik knot. As you slide down the rappel line with the prusik knot in your hand, the prusik slides along with you, but when you let go of the prusik, the prusik locks.
- If you're not sure your ropes reach the ground, tie a large knot in the end of the rope so that you don't rappel off the end of your rope. That could be a little hairy.
- Rappeling is one of the most dangerous activities in climbing because it is one of the few times you are fully and exclusively dependent on your rope. If you can walk off the route safely, instead of rappeling, this is preferable.
- These instructions are for a single rope rappel, not a double rope rappel. Single rope rappels should only be used in situations where you can safely return to the rappel anchors to retrive your gear and fixed rope without climbing.
- Rappeling is an inherently dangerous activity that can result in serious injury or death. We recommend that you seek proper training and equipment before attempting this activity
References
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