Rappelling Danger

Guides wall in Grand Tetons

Though rappelling is (normally) one of the simplistic tasks in climbing, it is also one of the most dangerous (Common Climbing Dangers). Many climbers have been lost by rappelling off the end of their rope. To avoid rappelling off the end of your rope tie a knot at both ends of the rope. A double fishermans knot works well for the backup knots.

If you are looking for rappelling and other descending devices, click here

Rappelling Backups

Rappelling presents a unique set of dangers that aren't found in other forms of climbing. In no other aspect of single rope technique does the user rely so heavily on their gear without having redundant systems in place. Knowledge of how your gear works and its current state of repair is absolutely crucial.

Fireman's Belay

The best rappel backup is the fireman's belay. A fireman's belay is created by having a partner who is below you hold onto your rope(s)* while you rappel. When your partner pulls on your rope(s)* (from underneath you) then it locks off the rappeller's device and stops them from descending. *Important: If you are rappelling off of two ropes the fireman belayer must pull both ropes.

Autolocking Devices

The use of an autolocking devise like the Kong Indy are commonly used while caving but could also be used for long descents while climbing. The Kong Indy will automatically lock up if the user lets go of the devise, or applies too much pressure (which is the reason I so highly recomend it for everyone). There are several auto locking devices on the market like the Petzl Stop, that don't lock up when too much pressure is applied. This is fine for more experienced rapellers, but is a recipe for disaster in the hands of an unexperienced person. An unexperienced rappeller will grab on the device too hard as they are going over the edge and will go into an uncontrollable fall (this would be a good time to have a fireman's belay ready). Devices like the Indy will automaticly lock up when someone gets scared and puts too much pressure on the device.

Another option is the 'Petzl Shunt'. The Petzl Shunt is a mechanical replacement for a friction knot and will function on a dual or single rope rappel. It attaches to the rope strand that feeds into the belay device, so it goes under the device and not over it. It will lock up automatically when the user lets go of the device. The Shunt is easy to release (different than friction knots that tend to be very difficult to release). To use a Petzl Shunt, first of all you have to extend your rappelling device away from your harness (normally created by using slings girth hitched to your harness(. Then, you attach the shunt beneath it (often directly to your belay loop). You rappel like normal except one hand holds the shunt down to prevent it from clamping on the rope.

Friction Knot

Many friction knots are available (Knots) and allow you to backup your rappel with a sling or cord). One option is an autoblock knot. Simply attach your descending device as normal, then attach the autoblock onto one of your leg loops. When rappelling, use one hand to hold the autoblock in place so that it won't be pulled up the rope (causing it to jam) and the other to provide friction (like normal). The worse case scenario here is that the knot can become tangled in the rappelling device, so be vigilant and make sure the distance between your autoblock and rappelling devie is adequate.

Friction Knots and Long Descents

Friction Knots are good for quick, simple rappel backups that require no (or little) additional gear. Friction Knots are not designed for extended rappels (i.e. vertical caving).

Smith and Padgett have studied friction knots for the use of extended descents. They are the author of On Rope (Further Reading). The following comments discuss friction knots applications for longer drops.

Autoblock: Smith and Padgett note in their book On Rope that "In practice, the hitch always stretches into the device, rendering it useless. In the end, it is only a conditional self-belay and depends on too many variables to function properly." Note that Smith and Padgett are discussing the knot's application for longer drops, and I've seen it used successfully many times, but letting the knot go into the descending device is a very real danger (that the Petzl Shunt) doesn't have.

Prussic: Smith and Padgett note that "If a person is actually able to think to let go of a Prussik, the sling material may disintegrate, allowing the climber to descend even more rapidly then before. In actual usage, the Prussik safety has proven to be troublesome and dangerous."

Leg Wraps

As a conditional self belay, if the rappeller is using a device other than a rack, then they can execute a leg wrap to stop or slow their descent. This can be accomplished by moving their leg in a circular motion around their leg so that the rope wraps around it several times. This technique is useful if you need to hang in a static position for an extended period of time (i.e. while trying to pull a rope out of the crack). It should be noted while this is a quick and easy (but potentially painful) way to arrest an out of control fall (or come to a hands free stop) the user has to be conscious to perform it.

Second Rope Backup

Another option is to have an independent belay with a second rope. So, a partner lowers the rappeller while they proceed to rappel down on their own rope. As you can probably imagine, this is complicated, and if the ropes twist it can create a very dangerous situation. Consequently, this option is very discouraged.

Rappelling Dangers

Long hair and loose clothing are both concerns while rappelling. Hair and clothes can jam themselves between the belay device and the ropes. Many climbers have been forced to rip their hair out due to this (some climbers carry a knife incase this happens; a friend of mine had to rip out her hair by hand). Make sure your hair is tied prior to climbing.

What if I dropped my belay device?

Rappelling with the Munter hitch

First, scold yourself for being so careless. Then consider your options.

If you have enough spare biners, you can rappel with a carabiner brake. The minimum number of biners you need is one locking biner (can be substituted with two regular biners) and three (for a thick single rope) to five (for thin double or twin ropes) regular biners.

If you only have one locking biner and no spares, you can use a munter hitch to rappel. Keep in mind that munter hitch twists and kinks the rope. On multiple rappels, the kinks in the rope may increase the chance of getting it stuck.

If you dropped your only biner along with the belay device, your option is getting grim. If the rappel is not very steep, you can use a body rappel (Dulfersitz rappel). But if the rappel is vertical to overhang, or if you've never practiced the body rappel before, your best option may be stay put and call for help.

What happens if my rope gets caught?

Preparation: When setting up a rappel point try to make sure the rope is not in any thin cracks or flakes where they could be easily caught. Extend the rappel point with slings if necessary to avoid this. When rappelling have one person rappel first and test the ropes to make sure they will pull (by pulling one side a few inches). This allows the person on top to adjust the setup if necessary (extend the anchor with slings, pull rope out of cracks etc). If the anchor includes chains make sure you always feed the rope through the lowest link of the chain. Higher links can 'cam' one link into another jamming the rope.

When pulling the rope: If the difficulty of pulling a rope increases you may be beginning to jam the rope in a flake, crack, tree etc. As opposed to simply pulling harder try flicking the rope or swinging it before continuing.

When rappelling: The first person to rappel needs to be prepared to swing around and pull the rope out of cracks etc. It is important to never rappel beyond any part of the rope that is stuck. For example if the one end of the rope is laying in a crack do not rappel beyond the crack then try to pull it out. Rappel to the height of the crack and remove the rope. If you rappel beyond it there is a much higher chance of not being able to release it.

The last person to rappel needs to very careful to 'lay the rope down' away from features where it could be caught.

Aftermath: If your entire party have rappelled and your rope appears to be jammed there are several options. First of all do not immediately start pulling the rope with all your force. Try to 'flick' the rope out of the crack / flake. Try to pull the rope smoothly as opposed to jerking it. If nothing works try pulling the rope out with brute force by having you and your partner pull the rope simultaneously.

If the rope won't move at all do the following:

You still have both ends of the rope: Tie both end to the anchor and ascend one side of the rope until you reach the problem area. Fix the problem and descend.

You have more than half of the rope (the rope fell from the top anchor and was caught while falling): Because you have more than half the rope you can re-lead the pitch. Make sure you fix the earlier problem.

Related Pages

• Answers to Rock Climbing Questions
• Caving
• Danger
• Multipitch
• Rappel
• Rappelling Dangers
• Rock Climbing
• Weather