Rappelling basics 101

Rappelling basics 101, some of the basics for beginners. I will cover the harness, carabiners, rope, anchoring, and the rescue 8.

[rjstewart]

I'm not sure if anyone mentioned it in the comments but I'd strongly suggest you add an autoblock to your system. You just need a locking carabiner and a loop to make a prusik or similar. There are a couple ways to do it and you can find them online. The idea is that if you lose control of the rope the autoblock stops you!

[bvrcavalera]

I bought a book when I was a kid that showed how to make a harness out of only rope, and I used padlocks for carabiners and as a figure 8. God knows how I'm alive. 😂

[edwinshimmyshammy]

a lot more gear than was used at jungle warfare school in the early 80's. you were issued twice your height of dynamic rope and one nonlocking carabiner. you made your own swiss seat or went ranger style (a bite of your rope between the legs the trailing ends came around to the front making a bend through said bite in opposing directions went around you back to the front finishing with a square knot and a half hitch for both ends) in about as much time as it took to tie your boots. then without question or hesitation took two turns of rope around your carabiner clipped it to your seat with the gate side away from your breaking side hip and carried out your orders "getting the fk off his rock" as fast as you could with a loud and thunderous AIRBORNE!!

[jeffvader]

i haven't rappelled since i use to rock climb in high school this video was a good refresher

[darrenhill]

I'll preface this by saying I dont climb so have no knowledge on the subject but... would you not want a prussick or something as a backup? Seems like there is redundancy in the anchor but not on your end of the rope! Maybe I'm missing something.

[AZDESERTGUARDIANS]

I used to rappel a bit in my teens and 20s getting ready to start getting out again and this is the only video I have seen where someone did it the way I was taught. There seems to be a gazillion new gadgets out there that I have to look into.

[ЛУПО]

Do you have another video, showing in more detail you implementing a anchor system with your sling backup system as well?.. Cheers

[PrepperAction]

Almost 10, 000 views ! Thanks everyone, I will have more videos of this subject soon, stay tuned!

[Jyock]

Do usally put the line around your back? Been awhile i remember it coming straight out to the right side from my figure 8

[JeremieLaliberte]

There is a lot of redundancy, which is great, but ultimately if your right hand lets go of the rope there is no backup, right? Isn’t that a concern? Wouldn’t you want some friction knot tied from your harness to the main line somehow?

[GruntProof]

Now this is military style! Great job!

[NealD]

I am curious to see what you anchored into. Also, how did you get your "anchoring system" back? I assume you climbed back up and then climbed back down?

[lifeontheriver]

Hey @prepper action, make sure you use the same carabiners when you connect the rope to your anchor. Using two different carabiners can put undue stress on one of your carabiner, causing it to fail. If it fails bad enough, it could inflict damage on another the carabiner next to it bad enough to hamper that carabiners performance. It's not too crucial to have the same carabiners connected to the anchor itself, but it is definitely necessary to use the same carabiners anytime you're doubling up carabiners on a rope!

[dennisthepeasent]

A figure 8 end loop would be a more appropriate anchor knot to tie than a bowline. A bowline is acceptable for scenarios where time is critical, or the ability to easily tie the knot one handed is necessary. For any other scenario I would always reccomend a figure 8 knot. It is not an issue of security of the knot in as much as it is a matter of maintaining strength of the cordage.

[wildlandsairsoft]

You need to use static rope to climb or repel right? Not dynamic lines? Or do I have that backwards

[rainmakerat]

Thanks for the video! Where did you get the straps in your redundancy system shown at 3:52? What are the straps called?

[bsykes]

Another great video. Thank you for sharing.

[GodzillaGoesGaga]

I'd like to comment that you should ALWAYS wear leather gloves when rappelling like this. The heat buildup can be rapid and can burn you (friction or rapel device) causing you to "reflex reaction" let go. No break hand = rapid descent into an early grave !! Also I'd also like to point out that if you rappel fast the belay device (8) gets really hot and it can actually melt your rope. Take it slow and let the device cool down if you're doing long rappels 😀

[samoldgraysquare]

I like the idea of a secondary prussic below the figure 8 ! Redundancy

[jakerisley]

Wow thanks I'm 10 and I'm trying it for the first time u helped me out alot