How to Rappel from a Sport Climbing Route

On occasion, you may find it necessary or more prudent to rappel from a sport climbing route than to be lowered by your belayer. Some of the reasons for doing this are: top anchors are rigged with webbing and have no rap rings, the route has a lot of sharp edges that could damage the rope if you were to be lowered, or you're trying to help preserve the integrity of the anchors at the top of a climb. This article will help you rappel from the top of any route safely!

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 2 lengths of webbing with locking caribiners, girth-hitched to your harness
• extra caribiner on your harness
• Belay/rappel device
• Belay gloves (optional)

1. Once you've reached the top of your climbing route, clip both of the lengths of webbing girth-hitched to your harness into the anchors, one into each anchor.

2. Tell your belayer, "Slack!" and pull up about 4 feet of slack in the rope.

3. Tie a figure 8 on a bight in the rope and clip the figure 8 knot to the extra caribiner on your harness. This will prevent you from losing the rope when you untie it from your harness.

4. Yell down to your belayer, "Off Belay!" They will now remove the climbing rope from their belay device. They will respond, "Belay off!" when they have that completed.

5. Untie the rope from your climbing harness.

6. Feed your climbing rope through the rap rings on the anchor. You will have to untie the figure 8 knot from the rope that you've clipped into your harness in order to do this. Be sure to not drop the rope!

7. Feed the rope through the rap rings until you reach the midpoint of the rope and your belayer confirms that both ends of the rope are touching the ground.

8. Attach your rappel device to your belay loop on the front of your harness using a large locking caribiner.

9. Feed both strands of the climbing rope through the rappel device and clip rope ends through the caribiner. Lock the caribiner.

10. Double check your rappel set-up and then once all is secure, unclip the lengths of webbing from the anchors and clean them, removing all gear you may have placed like quickdraws, etc.

11. Announce to your belayer "Rappelling!" and rappel back down to the ground.

Tips & Warnings

• Beware of rock fall that you generate when rappelling
• Rock climbing is a dangerous sport and should only be attempted by those who have received proper instruction in equipment and safety technique.
• Double-check all systems and tie-ins when climbing