The ABC of Abseiling

Petethebloke@gmail.com 14th June 2009

NOTE: Since writing this page I have received information that Peter's accident was caused by the failure of in-situ gear i.e. a maillon attached to a lower-off chain failed. This prompts another piece of advice: whether it's a piece of old tat, a rusty piton, a shiny bolt or a new-looking staple, in-situ gear is mysterious in several respects - we do not know who put it there, how long it's been there or how badly it has been abused. Treat it with great circumspection.

As I write this I am worrying about the wife, waens and well-being of my auld chum Peter Cooper who has just had a near-death experience in North Wales, reportedly as a result of an abseiling accident. We'll know more when the details become available, but it is an oft-repeated "fact" that getting down is more dangerous than getting up. In mountaineering, most deaths occur after the summit has been made and in rock-climbing most accidents happen when climbers are doing something fairly mundane like lowering off or negotiating cliff-top paths.

Apparently.

I don't have scientific proof, but I believe it is probably true. After all, when you're leading a route you can't fall unless you let go and, as a result, you hold on pretty tight. Loose rock can play a part, but less often because of the natural tendency to avoid it. Also, more than 50% of ascents are done on a top rope so this means that falls involving danger are restricted to less than half of ascents. I'm generalising a bit, but it's mostly true. So, you get to the top, you think you're safe and you do something stupid.

Stupid things to do at the top of a climb

1. Unclip and start dancing about. You think I'm joking? I've seen it done many's a time and it frightens me silly. If climbing safely is a percentages game, then where the heck is the percentage in acting the goat above a 100 foot drop onto spiky boulders? When you get to the top, stay clipped to the rope and fasten yourself to an anchor as soon as possible OR retreat from the top and then unclip. Likewise, belayers should never, ever release the rope from the belay device till the climber has clearly signalled he is safe.

2. Abseil without fastening in correctly. More on this below.

3. Abseil from insecure anchors. More on this below too.

4. Solo off the crag using a route more dangerous than the one just climbed. This comes back to the percentages again. Traversing off on a narrow slippery or loose path is unwise in the extreme. In the Alps it might well be the technique with the highest percentage of safety because you are against the clock and you have to take some risks to avoid other risks. On a typical day at the crag, saving a few minutes by not using a rope for a dodgy walk off is plain silly. Admittedly, one man's dodgy walk off is another woman's walk in the park, but respect your partner - after all, you don't want his/her death on your conscience.

And, at last, Pete's ABCD of Abseiling

Here's a quick checklist before you abseil:

A - A is for anchors. Make sure they're secure.
B - B is for belay plate. The rope comes from the anchors and through your belay device.
C - C is for carabiner. The krab attaches your harness to the belay device. Screw up the gate!
D - D is for "device" - prussik loop or other safety device that stops you if you let go.

The point is this: there should be a continuous chain from the anchor through the belay device to you.

Have a think about what could go wrong and what does go wrong. Believe me, imagination will keep you fearful but it may help keep you alive. Watch what other people do and look out for their mistakes - you may just save a life.

Common Mistakes

Setting bad anchors. Don't be afraid to check your partner's anchors. Ask him/her to check yours. DO NOT test them by dangling off the cliff-edge - use a bit of sense. If the rope is looped through for pulling out at the bottom you MUST abseil on BOTH ropes. If you just use one you are in mighty big trouble. Simultaneous abseiling - where your partner uses one end and you use the other - is a risky business; the anchors get double the strain and the rope is attached to nothing as soon as one person reaches the end and unclips (or just slides off the dangly bit). Take great care if using this method.

Not doing up the harness. I was halfway down a long abseil in the Wye Valley once and I noticed that the belt of my harness was creeping undone. I'd forgotten to double back through the buckle. I continued smoothly to the bottom, wiped my sweaty brow and swore never to be so stupid again. They say the leg loops should hold you, but I challenge you to have a jolly journey to the floor with your legs in the trapeze artist position and your right hand clinging to your lifeline. Many harnesses prevent this error now, but don't be too cocky; put on your harness carefully, arrange the leg loops correctly and fasten the belt as it should be fastened.

Not clipping the belay plate to the harness. There are many types of belay plate, descender, call them what you will. Familiarise yourself with the one you use. If you get a new one, try it out in a safe place, preferably above thick mats - an embarrassing crash landing and a bit of rope-burn is much better than a helicopter trip to hospital. Most belay devices need attaching to the harness with a krab. This step is vital. I have seen a climber come down 30 foot of rope with nothing but his bare hands because he forgot to loop the rope through the krab after pushing a bight through the belay plate. By the time he realised, he was committed and reached the bottom with smoke coming off his palms. The two of us at the foot of the climb were speechless!

Clipping the belay plate to the wrong bit of the harness. It's hard to believe, but quite a few accidents have happened because the climber clipped the krab to a gear loop instead of the load-bearing part of the harness. If you are climbing with inexperienced people make sure they know one from the other.

Letting go. The right hand holds the trailing end of the abseil rope (often called the "dead" end, but sometimes it's easier for beginners if names are descriptive). The left hand can have a rest if it likes. (I suppose that left-handers might do it the other way, but they'll know what I mean.) When you descend you should go smoothly and feed the rope without jerking it. Many beginners hold the rope above them as tight as they can. This is natural because it feels solid and safe, but it does nothing at all to help - they'd be better off using two hands on the trailing rope. For most experienced climbers, the idea of letting go is laughable, but bad things can happen to the nicest people - what if a rock fell in your mush? Or a wasp stung your nose? This is why sensible people insist on a safety device e.g. a prussik loop on the trailing rope. There are also a number of devices available specifically for this job, but they all cost more than a prussik. If you don't know how to use a back-up safety device, find someone who does know and get tuition.

Loose/trailing clothing. Anything loose like a flapping pertex top, a hank of your flowing golden locks or just a bit of t-shirt can get pulled into the belay device. This is dangerous and annoying. It means you have to get your weight off the rope in order to pull the offending item back through. If you are tired after a long route, hanging in free space and depending on your right hand to hold the trailing rope because you didn't follow the advice above, then you really are in a pickle.

Here's a cunning plan

If you use a short sling or a long quickdraw between your harness loop and your belay plate (approximately 8 inches is ideal) then it serves two useful purposes:

1. Your clothing is less likely to get entangled
2. Your prussik should be prevented from stopping against the belay plate (which would prevent it working correctly)

Thanks to Iain Miller for his useful advice in editing this page.