Rappelling Safety

[Nick]

I'm still very new to the activity of canyoneering, but the recent tragedy in the Subway has me thinking of any possible safety measures that could be taken to avoid such a situation. I thought it might be good to open this up for discussion so I, and others, can learn more.

I can't emphasize enough that I am still very new to this sport and the ideas I've thrown out below are just the ideas I've come up with, hopefully more experienced canyoneers will confirm or reject their usefulness. By asking these questions, I am in no trying to point out or suggest any mistakes made by the victim, I'm just trying to identify what the rest of us can do to try and avoid ever being in a similar situation.

From the limited information we have, the victim got his autoblock stuck in his descender, tried to cut out of his harness and ended up hanging from his foot, unable to free himself.

Here are my initial thoughts:

1. Keep all loose objects far away from descender, t-shirt, slings, hair, etc.

2. Have an ascending device that is accessible and know how to use it in an emergency if you need to move back up the rope.

3. Always carry a knife and have it easily accessible while on rappel. We met a guy in Fat Man's last weekend that had modified his helmet so that he could mount his knife on the back of it. The knife's lock kept it locked in the open or closed position so the possibility of it coming open accidentally was slim. Not a bad idea.

4. How to setup 'throw and go' raps? Double strand or with a biner block and send people down single-strand so that if a problem occurs, someone up top can anchor the other half of the rope and rap down to assist or have an extra rope available at the top and use that?

What else?

 

[Sandro]

I would say 1st thing is to have some experience with what you are doing otherway absolutely avoid going alone. And even if you have experience it's safer if you are in a group with more than 2 people.

In the last 12 years, expecially in climbing and hiking, I've seen so many mistakes (mostly due to lack of experience, but also to lack of commonsense or attention) that I keep thinking that things go always way better then they could go. Many more tragedies could happen given the way many people face such kind of activities...

 

[lostlandscapes]

I've seen so many mistakes (mostly due to lack of experience, but also to lack of commonsense or attention) that I keep thinking that things go always way better then they could go

Couldn't be truer words. But I think "common sense" wears thin at the end of a long day in a canyon. Especially if its also cold. Which is why I truly feel that an early start is crucial to every canyon I enter, so in case something goes awry, there likely will be a group or two behind to lend a hand.

Back to the OP. I'm also by no means an expert, but I agree whole-heartedly with you about possessing a Prussik and knowing how to use it. Ditto on the knife--but be careful! With the weight of a human body on a rope, even the slightest nick--you're gone. I think the most important thing we can do is NOT complicate things unless we have to. Toss & Go whenever possible--don't introduce a block unless you have to (long raps). A number of deaths/injuries can be directly attributed to someone clipping into the wrong side or the rigging itself failing. This way you also have to worry less about a knot or biner getting stuck somewhere on the rope pull. Also, I also think its a good idea to carry more rope than what is needed--on top of extra webbing. But then again, I don't mind hauling extra weight.

A good technique for noobs is an 8-block with contingency, which allows for lowering on a single strand if someone happens to become stuck. Of course, the only caveat with this method is you have to have enough rope at the anchor to enable you to feed the stuck person down--so it isn't really applicable on long raps where all rope is in use.

http://canyonquest.com/~steve/cerberuscanyons.com/tech/007_eightrelease/tech_007_release8.html

Looking forward to hearing what other folks have to say about this.

 

[Artemus]

Well, as a long time climber with hundreds of rappels behind me, my philosophy is to avoid rappelling at all costs. Most climbers will go out of their way to descend down the back of a climb even if it is very sketchy instead of trusting your life to gear and anchors. Gear can be misused or rigged, anchors can fail or be missing, so many things to go wrong. Climbing up you have your hands and feet and experience to trust and the rope system is a whole other, rarely used, backup system in parallel to that. That said, sometimes you must rappel and sometimes jumping in to a canyon you know you must take that risk before you go. I hesitate to give skill advice but will say: practice, experienced partners, practicing emergency conditions, another set of eyes to check all your rigging, practice, triple checking your own rigging and more practice are all crucial.

This event is frightening in that a seemingly simple rappel situation could go that wrong. We often approach a short and easy rappel like this casually but s@# happens. If he would have looked around he would have noticed the out-of-the-waterfall, safely rigged, chain anchors. If he would have had even one more person there, if he would have rigged a prussik (or other) backup to his rappell device, if, if, if. Even if the system failed and he fell the distance he would have probably been better off. This was a freak accident by an inexperienced couple but I am still not going to sleep well tonight.

 

[Artemus]

A good rappelling safety reference: http://alpineinstitute.blogspot.com/2011/03/rappelling-safely.html

 

[Tyler]

I'm extremely raw with only a few trips on my belt, so I don't even know what half the terms you're speaking about.

What is an "autoblock". I've never seen something like this for sale anywhere.

I've always wanted to know how to ascend. I have two ascenders (black diamond), but don't really know how to use them. If anyone has any videos I can watch so I can practice at home, I'd love to see some advice on that.

 

[lostlandscapes]

What is an "autoblock". I've never seen something like this for sale anywhere.

It's basically a home made Prussik that you attach below your belay device (other end is girth-hitched to your harness or leg loop) while you rappel. You have to manually slide it down with your right hand while you descend (if you're right handed). The benefit with it is you can let go with your brake hand at any time, and the tension knot will tighten and hold you in place--basically a self-belay. Handy if you need both hands free at any point on a rap, but has a reputation for causing more problems than solving--you have to be careful with them.

 

[Artemus]

.... but has a reputation for causing more problems than solving--you have to be careful with them.

A reputation for causing problems that is well deserved. As evidenced by this gentleman in the subway. The current word is that his autoblock was caught in his belay device thus the original root cause of the accident. See the rappel safety link I posted for a description and picture of an autoblock.

 

[blueeyes]

I was taught to wrap mine above my rappel device. This would keep it from getting stuck, and making it so you move it with your free hand not the hand you are rappelling with. I have only used it in the class I took.

You know you guys are fairly close to each other, you should get together once a month and practice different scenarios.

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[Nick]

I was actually thinking I'd string up a rope in my back yard this weekend and try some ascending. Need to go find some 6mm cord and learn how to tie a prussik first though..

 

[blueeyes]

I know Tim had a good article on how to make those on his FB page I happened to notice it. Book marked it but my computer is at the geek hospital ...hoping for full recovery. Otherwise I would send it to you.

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[lostlandscapes]

I think this is the article in question. The Purcell Prussik system is a tiny bit more complex, but pretty efficient and slightly more diverse in its usage.

http://swiftwaterrescue.com/technical-rope-rescue/trr-skill-purcell-prussik-building/

While no replacement for a Prussik, a simple foot wrap and step-up can sometimes be enough to get your belay device unstuck. Definitely interested in practicing.

 

[Tyler]

I was actually thinking I'd string up a rope in my back yard this weekend and try some ascending. Need to go find some 6mm cord and learn how to tie a prussik first though..

I'm assuming you're wanting to learn to tie the prussik because you don't want the extra weight of ascenders? I'd like to know how to use both.

 

[Tyler]

A reputation for causing problems that is well deserved. As evidenced by this gentleman in the subway. The current word is that his autoblock was caught in his belay device thus the original root cause of the accident. See the rappel safety link I posted for a description and picture of an autoblock.

Would a 12' rappel require the need for an autoblock? That seems a little over-kill? I'm not necessarily questioning the person who died in the Subway because I know he was a beginner, but would anyone here feel the need to use an autoblock on such a short rappel?

 

[lostlandscapes]

I was taught to wrap mine above my rappel device. This would keep it from getting stuck, and making it so you move it with your free hand not the hand you are rappelling with. I have only used it in the class I took.

I've seen it employed both ways, but your way (slide it down with free hand, above the belay device) seems a bit safer in that its less likely to jam up. Either way, I'm not really getting why people use them or why this method is taught. With exception to the first person down, all rappellers could (and should) have someone on belay in case there's a problem.

 

[lostlandscapes]

Would a 12' rappel require the need for an autoblock?

Sadly, no. That's the worst part of this.

 

[blueeyes]

I like these because of the many uses.

Ascending
safety for clipping in to set up for rappel and it is adjustable
I have hung my pack between my legs using one
And last but definitely not least..it was part of the smorgas-cord in mystery


Oh and they are cheap!

And it is one hell of a work out to ascend using these. That would be the one draw back.

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[Nick]

I'm assuming you're wanting to learn to tie the prussik because you don't want the extra weight of ascenders? I'd like to know how to use both.

Not just the weight but the bulk. Always keeping ascenders in a reachable place while on rappel could be a problem. The way I see it, the prussik is more of an emergency thing to just get back up the rope as much as needed to fix the situation while on rappel (jammed descender for example). Meanwhile, ascenders would be a situation where you leave your rope fixed and if you can't continue, say in the case of a keeper pothole, you use the ascenders to go back up the canyon.

 

[Nick]

Also, I believe most ascenders have a tendency to damage the rope because of their 'teeth' but a prussik will not. Someone correct me if I'm wrong on that.

 

[lostlandscapes]

I like these because of the many uses.

Ascending
safety for clipping in to set up for rappel and it is adjustable
I have hung my pack between my legs using one
And last but definitely not least..it was part of the smorgas-cord in mystery

I think you might be confusing carrying a plain old Prussik cord versus using it as an auto block. Two different things. I'm all about carrying a Prussik. Just not employing it as an auto block. Those things you listed were useful because we were carrying Prussik loops (and sling), not because we were using auto blocks.