RAPPELLING IS DANGEROUS - When you rappel, you trust your life to an anchor system which has to be secure for you to be safe. Most accidents occur as a result of the climber’s misjudgment and errors and can be avoided. Rappelling is always dangerous and sometimes scary. When you rappel, lots of things can go wrong. 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 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.

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What Can Go Wrong Rappelling?

Rappelling is dangerous: how to stay safe

by Stewart Green 

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.

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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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https://www.thoughtco.com/what-can-go-wrong-rappelling-755422