Page 50 - Rappelling

Here the rappel rope
is threaded through a
quick link for a retrieval
that won’t damage the
sling. Another sling
has been rigged as a
backup.

All four of these slings were removed from a rappel anchor in a desert environment where they had
been exposed to a few years in the sun. All suffer from the classic signs of UV degradation: Their color
has faded, and they were noticeably stiff. The two slings on the right show their original purple color
where the sling was not exposed to direct sunlight. The two slings on the left also show abraded and
singed fibers where a rope had been pulled across the sling. In tests of old nylon slings that were
degraded by years of UV exposure, some had lost over 75 percent of their strength.

Rappel Anchors 39

Rappelling_i-174_3pp_CS55le.indd 39 7/24/13 10:15 AM