Rappelling is the process of descending a rope under your own power. It can be used to descend from a climb after completing the climb, usually from a multi-pitch route. (A single pitch route can be descended either via lowering off fixed hardware or rappelling - check local climbing ethics about lowering from fixed gear).
The basic idea is that the rope is threaded through a fixed anchor, such as two bolts with rappel rings, stopper knots are tied in both ends of the rope, and the rope is thrown down (unless it might get stuck or is highly windy - more on that later). Next, the climber rigs a rappel setup with their belay device and a safety backup friction hitch (third hand) which will catch you in case you accidentally let go of the rope. Finally, the climber tests the system, unclips from the anchor, and descends the rope by controlling the progression of rope through their belay device and friction hitch.
What you'll need
- Rappel extension (e.g. double-length nylon sling) + locking carabiner
- Tubular belay device (such as an ATC or Reverso) + locking carabiner. Check the instructions for your particular belay device published by the manufacturer.
- Friction hitch (e.g. Hollow Block) + locking carabiner
Setup
- Rig an extension for your rappel device. One way to do this is to girth hitch a double length nylon sling through both hard points and tie a flat overhand knot in the middle. Then click the locking carabiner attached to your belay device over the overhand knot so the carabiner passes through both loops (for redundancy).
- Using the end of your nylon sling, attach yourself directly to a SERENE-A anchor (e.g. the masterpoint of a quad attached to two bolts).
- Thread one end of the rope through both rappel rings or the ends of the chains.
- Tie a stopper knot in both ends of the rope. This closes the system and ensures you don't accidentally rappel off the end of the rope.
- Pull the rope until the middle marker is at the bolts (both strands hang down with equal length).
- Rig an autoblock for your third hand. Clip it to your belay loop and lock the carabiner. One benefit of rigging this before your belay device is that it holds up some slack for you, making it easier to rig your belay device.
- Rig both strands of the rope through your rappel device and locking carabiner. Lock the carabiner.
- Test the system. Pull the slack through the belay device and weight the rope directly (so your weight is no longer on your tether). Hold both strands of the rope with both hands. It often works to have one hand below the friction hitch and one above.
- Hold the brake strand, then unclip the end of your tether from the anchor and clip it to your belay loop for redundancy.
- Rappel by letting rope flow through your hands in a controlled fashion. Keep an eye out for the next anchor if you are on a multi-pitch rappel.
- Once you reach the next anchor, attach yourself to it in a redundant way (a SERENE-A anchor). Then break down your rappel device in the opposite order in which you set it up. And call "Off rappel!" to your partner.
- After you have both rappelled, untie both the stopper knots and feed one end of the rope through the new anchor. Tie a new stopper knot in that end. Then pull the other end through the anchor above you (double check there are no knots left in the rope).
- Repeat until you reach the ground!
Keep track on this interactive checklist!
Joining two ropes
A flat overhand is the recommended knot for joining two ropes for rappel. Make sure it has at least 12 inches of tail and is well dressed. If one rope is smaller than the other, it is slightly stronger to have the smaller diameter rope on the bottom of the knot (closer to the long strands).
Preventing a Stuck Rope
Pulling the Rope
Untie all knots in the strand that is passing through the rappel rings. Pull the rope deliberately with a little flick at the end to get the rope away from the rock. Rappel in an area where the rock face is as smooth as possible to minimize the chances of the rope getting stuck on the way down.
Windy Conditions
In windy conditions the ends of your rope may blow sideways and get stuck somewhere out of reach. To avoid this, rig the rope into saddlebags. This involves flaking each half of the rope into a sling, and using those two slings as saddlebags to hold half the rope on each side of your harness. Make sure you flake it so that rope feeds cleanly as you rappel. Once you no longer need them, just unclip half of the sling and let the rest of the rope fall.
The rope got stuck. Now what?
A stuck rope is a tricky situation. If there is a party above you, they might be able to free your rope for you. If you have enough rope down with you on the other end of the rope, and the route is climb-able, you might be able to lead up to where the rope is stuck and free it. And then down lead back to where you started (or rappel again). If neither of these options are available, call for a rescue.
Fireman's belay
A fireman's belay is a technique that can be used by a climber at the bottom of the rappel line. If they pull down on both ropes, it will halt the rappel of the person rappelling above them. This can be used as an additional safety measure, but the rappeller should have a third hand as a safety measure already.