Page 142 - Rappelling

Rope Management If it’s windy, note the wind direction and where
it will take the rope. Calling out “Rope” as the rope
Tossing the Rope comes sailing down is too late for anyone to move
There is an art to tossing a rope. The key is prepa- out of the way.
ration—taking a little time for rope management Before you begin pulling the rope down, look
will save you time in the long run. Several meth- up and make sure there are no twists in the rope. If
ods work well: One is to flake about half the rope it’s a long rappel, it’s important for the last person
(coming from the anchor) right at your feet, then down to safeguard against any twists and to be care-
butterfly coil the bottom half. Before you toss the ful when they unclip their rappel device to separate
rope, check that no one is directly below, so you the strands. If two ropes are tied together, make sure
don’t toss the rope right on top of them. Make sure everyone in the party is clear on which rope to pull
there are no loose rocks where you’ve flaked your before you head down (e.g., “pull red”). If there
rope, as the rope will launch any loose stones. If is any chance of rope drag hampering the pull, do
there are people directly below, yell “Rope!” and a test pull when the first person rappels down to
give them enough time to move out of the way ensure the rope can be pulled without jamming,
before you toss it down. If there are trees at the cliff and make the necessary adjustments (e.g., a longer
base, be careful not to throw the rope too far out- sling extended over an edge) before the last person
ward and get it hung up in a tree. comes down.
There is a technique to pulling a rappel rope
Retrieving the Rope down, and it takes a little practice to get a feel for it.
One of the best days of climbing in my entire life First, double-check that there are no knots, kinks,
was nearly ruined by a careless retrieval of a rappel or twists in the end you’ll be pulling up toward
rope. My exuberance faded to grave concern in the the anchor. As the end approaches the anchor, slow
time it takes a tear to flow down a cheek. I had just your pull, so you can feel when the weight of the
rappelled to the ground after completing one of the rope coming down toward you starts to pull the
most difficult rock climbs I’d ever done, in Eldo- free end of the rope up toward the anchor without
rado Canyon, Colorado. I pulled my rappel rope your assistance. Wait a second—for the end to pass
to retrieve it, and just as the end of the rope passed through the anchor—then make an instantaneous,
through the rappel anchor rings I said, “Rope,” to sharp, forceful outward tug on the rope, which
alert my wife and partner, Yvonne, that the rope was should fall away from the rock. Beware that a pulled
coming down. She looked up, and the end of the rope can knock rocks off the cliff face, so be alert
rope, now whipping down with the sound of a fast for rockfall. If all goes well, the rope will be lying in
jump rope slicing through the air, hit her squarely a big pile on the ground.
in the eye, temporarily blinding her. Luckily it Dealing with Stuck Ropes
wasn’t a serious eye injury, but it could have been
much worse. Early one summer morning I came across a curious
I learned an important lesson that day, and scene at the base of a multipitch climb on Tahquitz
after that near-miss I’ve always been more vigilant Rock, in Idyllwild, California. There was a doubled
whenever I pull a rope down. First I make an assess- rope, seemingly abandoned, hanging from the first
ment on where the rope will go; if anyone is in the pitch of a moderate climb I was planning on tak-
path, I explain that I’m going to pull a rope and ask ing my client up. I pulled on one end of the rope. It
them to move out of the way beforehand. didn’t budge. At the base of the climb were telltale

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