Girth Hitched Rappel Ring Anchor Failure

On April 28th, 2024 a climber fell almost 400 feet sustaining serious injuries when their rappel system failed. The suspected mechanism of failure was an improperly threaded girth hitched rappel ring. In this video I demonstrate how this occurrence is possible. Some key take home points;

For better and/or worse we are seeing girth hitched rappel rings on fixed rappel anchors
Careful inspection of the hitch and proper placement of your threaded rope is CRITICAL
Best practice is to ALWAYS stress test your rappel connection BEFORE you remove your lanyard from the anchor.

[tacul]

I always weight the anchor with a back up before I commit to it. Rappelling still frightens me after 30+ years of climbing.

[icychap]

Wow, had never seen this before. Thank you so much for sharing. Serves as a reminder to ensure that you double check everything first, including ensuring that every knot is properly dressed.

[rgr]

If you're making that mistake. You are out of your depth....