Page 153 - Rappelling

Detail of a typical vertical rope access rappel. The worker is rappelling using a Petzl Rig attached to
the D ring on his harness waist belt. The black rope is his safety line, to which he’s connected using a
Petzl ASAPsorber attached to his harness’s upper D ring with a shock-absorbing lanyard.

The Petzl Company, in particular, has led the been largely replaced by a new and innovative Petzl
way in developing innovative equipment for use in product called the ASAPsorber, a fall protection
the vertical rope access environment, including self- device consisting of a toothed wheel that travels up
braking descenders used for rappelling. One exam- and down the safety line with no need for manipu-
ple is the Petzl Rig, essentially an industrial strength lation by the worker. The big disadvantage of the
Grigri that has become the device of choice for Shunt was that to descend, the device had to be
most professionals. Petzl also makes a similar device, towed down with a piece of cord in the hand of the
called the ID, which includes an “anti-panic func- rappeller, who was keeping the device in the “open”
tion,” meaning that if the handle is pulled all the position to freely slide down the rope; letting go of
way open the device locks off, just as it does when the cord caused the device to engage and lock on
the handle is released and closed. the rope, stopping a fall. However, it was recently
The Petzl Shunt, long used as the standard discovered that in a fall, human reflex is too slow to
device for clipping into the safety line, has now react and let go of the cord, leading to accidents.

142 RAPPELLING

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