Comments on: Learn How to Rappel: Part 3, Descent http://www.itstactical.com/skillcom/climbing/learn-how-to-rappel-part-3-descent/ Imminent Threat Solutions Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:51:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Helix http://www.itstactical.com/skillcom/climbing/learn-how-to-rappel-part-3-descent/comment-page-1/#comment-52494 Helix Mon, 08 Aug 2011 23:25:53 +0000 http://www.itstactical.com/?p=1000#comment-52494 I love the use of the safety prussik as an emergency break however, it should be manned by your off-hand by reaching under the rappel device not your break hand. In the configuration you have it you are likely to melt it on a long rappel because it will be applying all of your breaking friction weakening it and making it useless for the next evolution. Also what is your strategy for unweighting the prussik if it should catch? One thing I've always been taught is don't go down a rope you can't get back up. If the prussik catches you need a way to climb the rope at least enough to unweight the prissik loop. This can be accomplished with an ascender or with another prissik loop that you can place above your rappel device and it is best if you can get a foothold on it with a webbing extension or a pucell prussik. Having my own safety prussik catch more than once, I know how difficult it can be to unweight it. The most likely scenario is that it passes through the figure 8 jamming it so if you can't climb the rope you will likely suffer suspension trauma before being rescued. I love the use of the safety prussik as an emergency break however, it should be manned by your off-hand by reaching under the rappel device not your break hand. In the configuration you have it you are likely to melt it on a long rappel because it will be applying all of your breaking friction weakening it and making it useless for the next evolution.

Also what is your strategy for unweighting the prussik if it should catch? One thing I’ve always been taught is don’t go down a rope you can’t get back up. If the prussik catches you need a way to climb the rope at least enough to unweight the prissik loop. This can be accomplished with an ascender or with another prissik loop that you can place above your rappel device and it is best if you can get a foothold on it with a webbing extension or a pucell prussik. Having my own safety prussik catch more than once, I know how difficult it can be to unweight it. The most likely scenario is that it passes through the figure 8 jamming it so if you can’t climb the rope you will likely suffer suspension trauma before being rescued.

]]> By: LE http://www.itstactical.com/skillcom/climbing/learn-how-to-rappel-part-3-descent/comment-page-1/#comment-38166 LE Wed, 01 Dec 2010 18:04:39 +0000 http://www.itstactical.com/?p=1000#comment-38166 There's a better way to thread your figure eight as shown in the first picture. Instead of threading from the bottom up, thread from the top down. What will happen (I've seen it 3 times) is the rope can catch on the edge of the wall, rock, helo and girth hitch itself; leaving you stuck. Better yet, use a rescue figure 8 which has the horns which will prevent the rope from girth hitching as well. There’s a better way to thread your figure eight as shown in the first picture. Instead of threading from the bottom up, thread from the top down. What will happen (I’ve seen it 3 times) is the rope can catch on the edge of the wall, rock, helo and girth hitch itself; leaving you stuck. Better yet, use a rescue figure 8 which has the horns which will prevent the rope from girth hitching as well.

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