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What Can Go Wrong Rappelling?
Rappelling is
dangerous: how to stay safe
by
Rappelling, the
act of descending by making a controlled slide down a climbing rope, is
one of climbing’s most dangerous techniques since the climber relies
exclusively on both his rappelling
equipment and his anchors for total safety.
When you lean back on your rappel rope and commit to going down,
your safety is completely dependent on your equipment and your essential
climbing skills.
Rappelling
Causes Many Accidents
When you climb a route from
the base of a cliff, your rope is attached to many points of protection,
including bolts, cams, and pitons,
which creates redundancy in case of a fall and keeps you relatively safe.
But when you rappel, you trust your life to an anchor system
which has to be secure for you to be safe.
Year after year rappelling accidents account for many climbing
fatalities and injuries, making it statistically one of the most dangerous climbing
activities you will learn and practice.
If there is an upside to the danger of rappelling it is that
most accidents occur as a result of the climber’s misjudgment and errors and
can be avoided.
What Can Go
Wrong Rappelling?
Rappelling is always
dangerous and sometimes scary, especially when you trust your life to the
anchors and the rope.
When you rappel, lots of things can go wrong including:
· Your rappel anchors can fail.
· You fail to tie a stopper knot in the ends of the
ropes.
· Your rope-connecting knot can
come untied.
· You do not use an autoblock knot as
a back-up.
· You might rig your rappel device wrong.
· Your hair or t-shirt might get stuck in your
rappel device.
· You might lose control if it’s too overhanging.
· Your rope might cut on a sharp edge.
· Your rope might get stuck when you pull it.
· You let go of the rope with your brake
hand.
.
Use the
Buddy System to Double-Check
Many times you will be
rappelling at the end of a long day of climbing when you’re tired and it’s
getting dark or the weather is turning worse.
It’s at those times that you are most vulnerable to fatal
mistakes. It’s at those times that you want to not only double-check all your
rappel systems but to triple-check them.
It’s also best at those times to remember that we always climb
as a team. Use the buddy system, just like when you’re swimming or scuba
diving, and check each other’s climbing harness and
rappel set-up.
Each of you should also eyeball the anchors, the climbing
hardware, bolts, and slings on
the anchors, and make sure the knot connecting your two ropes is tied
correctly.
Stewart Green
· Author
of more than 20 books about hiking and rock climbing
· Senior
rock climbing guide for Front Range Climbing Co. in Colorado
· Worked
with the Colorado Department of Parks to solve climbing problems
· Red
Rock Canyon Open Space and Garden of the Gods committee member
Experience
Stewart M.
Green is a former writer for ThoughtCo who wrote articles about rock climbing
for more than eight years. Stewart is an expert climber and co-owns Front Range
Climbing Company where he acts as the senior rock climbing guide in the
mountains of Colorado and Utah. Stewart started writing about and photographing
the outdoors around 1977, landing his first job with Springs Magazine in 1979.
Since that time, his writing and photography appeared in numerous books and
websites. Stewart's experience includes working as a digital editor for
Alpinist.com where he wrote about and photographed some of the most famous
climbers in the world.
Stewart is a
prolific writer. His work appears on many websites and magazines which target
the outdoor enthusiast audience. He has more than 20 books to his credit about
climbing and hiking. Stewart worked with the Colorado Springs Department of
Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services to solve problems with rock climbing
in city parks. He was a member of the committees for both the Red Rock Canyon
Open Space project and the Garden of the Gods project.
Education
Stewart M.
Green earned a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Nonfiction Writing from
Goucher College in 2007. He also holds a Bachelor Arts (B.A.) in Anthropology
from the University of Colorado–Colorado Springs.
Awards and
Publications
· 2011
Golden Quill Award in Lifetime Achievement, Pikes Peak Library District
· Best Climbs Phoenix,
Arizona: The Best Sport and Trad Routes in the Area(Falcon
Guides, 2017)
· Rock Climbing New
England: A Guide to More Than 900 Routes (Falcon
Guides, 2015)
· Rock Climbing Utah 2nd
Edition (Falcon Guides, 2012)
· Best Climbs Denver and
Boulder: Over 200 Of The Best Routes In The Area(Falcon
Guides, 2011)
· Best Climbs Moab: Over
140 Of The Best Routes In The Area (Falcon Guides,
2011)
· Rock Climbing Colorado,
2nd: A Guide to More Than 1,800 Routes (Falcon
Guides, 2010)
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