Page 34 - Rappelling

Locking carabiners (left to right): Petzl William Triac, Petzl William Ball Lock, Black Diamond
Twistlock, Black Diamond Screwgate.

Locking carabiners are used for critical links and lock it, and it’s an important habit to always check
applications where it is absolutely imperative that your locking carabiners to make sure they are
the carabiner gate stays closed, like on a rappel or locked. Check them with a close visual inspection
belay device, at a critical link in the anchor system, and also by pressing on the gate (squeeze test) for
or when attaching the rope to the anchor. an additional safety precaution.
D-shaped carabiners have the strongest con- If you are a bit absentminded, or catch yourself
figuration, because when the carabiner is loaded on occasionally not locking your screwgate carabiner,
the major (long) axis, the weight naturally is loaded you might want to buy an autolock, or twistlock,
closest to the spine. For this reason, a locking D is a carabiner. The twistlock design has a spring-loaded
good choice for a rappel carabiner. A locking pear- gate that locks automatically, and there are several
shaped carabiner is useful for many applications autolocking designs on the market that have even
because of its wide aperture on one side and is a safer mechanisms that must be manipulated (like
good carabiner to use with a Munter hitch. pushing the gate upward, then twisting the gate to
The most common locking carabiner is the lock it; or pressing a button, then twisting open the
screwgate. The screwgate locking carabiner is just gate), but some people find these difficult to use.
that, a mechanism with a collar that screws shut Interestingly, for industrial workers in the verti-
over the nose of the carabiner. I like the Petzl cal rope access environment (rappelling and rope
designs that show a red stripe (red means danger!) ascending on the faces of dams, buildings, and
when the gate is unlocked. Obviously, with a screw- bridges), OSHA standards require autolocking cara-
gate locking carabiner, you have to remember to biners, as does the tree trimming industry.

Equipment 23

Rappelling_i-174_3pp_CS55le.indd 23 7/24/13 10:15 AM