Page 135 - Rappelling

Here the PAS (a Sterling Chain Reactor) was clipped to the anchor for a tether while the rappel rope
was threaded through the rings. The ATC rappel device was extended and clipped into two loops of
the PAS. An autoblock backup was rigged using a Sterling Hollowblock, clipped to the harness belay
loop with a locking carabiner. Before unclipping the PAS, go through the ABCDE checklist and weight
the system. If everything is AOK, unclip the tether from the anchor and clip the locking carabiner into
the harness belay loop. Since the rappel device has been clipped into two loops of the PAS, this now
makes the PAS itself redundant.

anchor), and since the sling or PAS has virtually no virtually no stretch—like clipping in with a wire
stretch like a rope would have, you can generate cable.
a surprising amount of force. I prefer the Sterling For multipitch rappels, many climbers don’t tie
Chain Reactor, since it is made of nylon, with knots in the ends of their ropes for fear the knots
at least a modicum of stretch, compared to other may jam in a crack, especially in windy conditions
designs made of Spectra or Dyneema, which have where the ropes may blow out to the side.

124 RAPPELLING

Rappelling_i-174_3pp_CS55le.indd 124 7/24/13 10:18 AM