Page 99 - Rappelling

Arm Rappel for short rappels on very low-angle terrain. It can
This technique is relegated to very low-angle ter- also cause severe rope burns if the rope is touching
rain, and you should not attempt the arm rappel bare skin.
unless you’re wearing a thick, long-sleeved shirt and To rig the arm rappel, position the rope across
gloves; otherwise you’ll get bad rope burns. your back and wrap it one time around each arm,
In the Department of Defense’s handbook Mili- then turn your body sideways to the anchor and
tary Rappelling (1997), it’s called the “hasty rappel,” hold the rope in each hand, the downhill hand
because “it is easier and faster than other methods, being your brake hand.
especially when the rope is wet.” Dulfersitz Rappel
This improvised method is useful in an emer-
gency situation if no harness or equipment other Also referred to as a body rappel, the dulfersitz
than a rope is available. Although fast and easy to method is an antiquated classic—one of the earli-
rig, the big disadvantage is that it is only applicable est techniques used to rappel down a rope, invented
by German climber Hans Dulfer at the end of the

The arm rappel is useful for an impromptu rappel on very low-angle terrain, as it requires no
equipment other than a rope.

88 RAPPELLING

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