Ascending on Rappel

The ability to begin ascending while still set-up on rappel is an essential skill for overcoming some common problems in multi-pitch and alpine climbing. These problems may include having a rappel rope that does not reach the next intended anchor, over-shooting the correct rappel anchor, rappelling past the end of your rope which has become stuck in a crack, having a rappel rope that won't pull to clear the anchor above you, rappelling into and ascending out of a crevasse, descending to retrieve a piece of gear that your follower couldn't clean from a crack, and more. In short, this is a skill that benefits all climbers.

In this video I show a simple method that converts an auto-blocking device/plaquette device into a tool for rope ascent. In this case I am using the ATC Guide by Black Diamond. Some devices, such as the Petzl Reverso, have idiosyncrasies that make this technique a bit more difficult with skinny ropes, as they may bind-up in the rappel slots. It is a good idea to back this system up by placing an overhand-on-a-bite on the brake strand, and clipping this into your belay loop. This is particularly true when you convert the system back to a lower, since failing to reapply the third-hand back-up without having your brake-hand on could result in a rapid descent down the rope with potentially dangerous consequences.

I hope you all enjoy!

[joewagnerphoto]

Very nicely demonstrated. Clear and concise. I like the dubbed narration, too. I find it easier to see/hear what's going on.

[theopinson]

LEARN THIS. Missing a rap station is very easy and ascending back up isn’t easy if you haven’t practiced it. This is very clean and well presented - if you are hanging in space however, you may need to put the foot loop on first to step up to clip your guide mode biner your belay loop.

[amandathaete]

Finally had the rite of passage at El Potrero Chico last month. Full 35m reascend to fix stuck rope at the summit. Double-checked your info to make sure systems were safe. Thanks!!

[ScratchesInmygelcoat]

I would put in a back up knot as my step 1, before reconfiguring my atc and removing the third hand. Looks fine as is in a controlled and practiced environment but this sort of thing normally happens at the end of a long day, in low light, or bad weather. He does mention this as an option in the commentary, but after reconfiguring the atc.

[howardk]

Excellent! Most concise demo of this I have seen on youtube. Thanks for posting!

[martin]

Quality explanation, with clear motions. 19/10 how am i not paying thousands of $$$$'s for this?!?!?!?!?

[johngo]

Very nice explanation. I also like the voice-over soundtrack, the good audio helps to understand it better.

[aviduke]

I never knew atc guide could be used like this. Great information

[benpeters]

one other tip for going from ascending to rappel is you don't need to go back into regular descend mode. you can hook a biner into the small eyelet of the guide and leverage it open and descend essentially like a gri gri.

[gdoldays]

Your videos are brilliant, so clear. Easy to pick up and learn from. The people want more! 👍🏼

[vieuxacadian]

My industrial background always finds me with a gibbs and a full harness . Love this video ! thanks

[erichirst]

Really nice video. Worth practicing in advance to get extension length correct, etc. Technique and variations do work on overhanging terrain but it's going to be harder especially if you haven't practiced.

[ericoch]

I believe you can also redirect the tail of the rope through the autoblock's carabiner to give you a pulley/mechanical advantage when you pull in slack

[stuffclimb]

2 things.

1. Very nifty use for a guide plate! I've never seen it used in that manner before and am definitely gonna test it out!

2. And second, I have those same approach shoes, they're awesome!

[richgran]

Thanks for your tips. Your video taught me that I already had what I needed - simple and light.

[alex-craft]

Amazing. I was looking for ultralight device, all in one, and this is it. Lightest universal setup for everything.

[tomdahulk]

I was in a situation just last week where this technique would have been extremely useful. Thank you for making this video! Very clear and concise, and I can effectively say I know the technique well enough to use it next time. Cheers!

[craigrichards]

Nice work, I had not considered using my atc guide like this

[xsteevox]

This is so much cleaner than the other top one on YouTube.

[BackcountryPilgrim]

Great work, I appreciate the minimal gear.