Page 150 - Rappelling

magnified, since a single point on the rope is saw-
ing back and forth. In most situations the sheath
of the rope will sustain some damage, but the rope
won’t cut completely. Static and low-stretch ropes
are far more abrasion resistant than dynamic ones,
but any rope can cut over a sharp rock edge when
under strain. For fixed line work, the best solution
is to use a commercially made edge protector. These
are made from a very tough ballistic cloth material
with a Velcro closure. They can be attached to the
rope with a short piece of cord tied with a friction
hitch to position the protector as needed. They are
indispensable when working with fixed lines. If you
have to deal with a sharp edge and don’t have an
edge protector with you, an improvised technique
is to use a sling over the edge, then knot the rope
to carabiners on each end of the sling, with a bit of
slack in between, so the sling takes all the abrasion
and not the rope.

Passing a Knot

When rappelling fixed lines where two or more
ropes are tied together between anchor points, as
is often the case in big wall climbing, caving, and
mountaineering, you’ll need the skill to pass a knot
safely during the rappel. The process isn’t overly
complicated, but you’ll want to be prepared with
the right equipment and use a backup knot for
safety during the process.
In 1988 a young Yugoslavian climber by the
A rope protector is attached with a klemheist name of Dragan Rogic died from a fall as a result
knot. of a failed attempt to pass a knot while descending
fixed lines on the Aquarian Wall route on El Capi-
tan. In the investigation after the accident, Dragan’s
each bounce and shift of his weight on the rope it two climbing partners, Cujc and Meic, character-
cut deeper. Just before Chris reached the anchor, his ized him as a stubborn climber whose ego fre-
rope was severed, and he plummeted to his death. quently got in the way—someone who would not
Nylon ropes, particularly dynamic ropes, are listen to their advice, relying instead on his brute
rather easily cut under the tension of body weight strength to get him out of tough spots. Dragan rap-
with the rope over a sharp rock edge. When pelled on a figure eight descender to just above
using fixed lines tied to an anchor, the problem is the knot, then attached a jumar ascender to the

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