Page 96 - Rappelling

chapter four

Rappelling Methods and Devices

Rappelling Fundamentals The hand above the rappel device is called the
guide hand, or feel hand. You’ll want to use this
If you’ve never rappelled before and want to learn hand for balance, and not for additional braking.
the basics, I encourage you to get instruction from The brake hand is the hand holding the rope below
an AMGA Certified Instructor to learn some basic the rappel device. On steep rappels, holding the
knots, anchoring procedures, and simple rappelling rope with both hands as brake hands below the rap-
technique in a safe and comfortable environment. pel device works well.
If I’m teaching a novice, and it’s their first rap- For stability, keep your feet wide, bend your
pel, I’ll pick a site that has a safe, easily accessible flat knees slightly, and sit back in your harness. Keep
area on top where we can stage the rappel lesson. your feet relatively high, and look over your shoul-
I’ll belay the student with a separate rope for safety der to watch where you’re going. Proceed smoothly
and control. The ideal site has a rounded and grad- and slowly down the rappel, feeling how the fric-
ual transition from the flat area at the top of the cliff tion is regulated based on the position of your
to the steeper section below. The cliff, preferably brake hand and how you let the rope flow through
angled at just less than vertical, or about 70 to 80 the rappel device. Take the straight plumb line
degrees, should be relatively flat and free from cor- down the rock, and don’t track on a path too far to
ners, overhangs, or any uneven terrain that would the side, as gravity will send you swinging back to
be tricky to navigate, with a flat area at the base of the fall line (straight down from the anchor) if you
the rappel. I always try to position myself where I lose your balance.
can watch the student all the way down to the base The key variables that most affect the amount of
of the rappel. friction you’ll need for a rappel are the type of rap-
There are a few key elements that I tell my pel device you’re using, whether you’re rappelling
students to focus on, but here is the cardinal rule: on a single or doubled rope, the diameter of the
Don’t let go of the brake hand. Also, tuck in all rope or ropes you’re using, the roughness or slick-
loose clothing, and take special care with long hair ness of the sheath of the rope or ropes, the stiffness
to keep it away from the rappel device. of the rope or ropes, the angle of the rappel, and

your body weight.
The length of the rappel also changes the
amount of friction required and varies as you pro-
gress down the rappel, based on the weight of the
rope below you. For example, on a very long rappel,
Amy Lambert rappels from The Eye of the
Cyclops, Joshua Tree, California. the weight of the rope below you will be heaviest
at the start of the rappel, creating more friction at
Pho to by Catherine Colell a
your rappel device. As you approach the bottom of

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