Things You'll Need:
- Harness
- Rope
- Helmet
- Climbing skills
- Belay
-
Step 1
Get your arms into rappel position. There is a proper position for rappelling. Your left hand will hold the rope with about 3 to 4 feet of slack. The right hand takes some of the slack and is positioned behind the back. This allows you to control the speed at which you rappel. Your left hand simply guides the rope. The right hand when placed behind the back and pressed to your back will stop you. When you relieve some tension with your right hand the rope can pass through and you will rappel.
-
Step 2
Let your belay know that you intend to rappel back down. Generally there are several climbing terms. Many climbers may use customized or different terms to communicate with their climbing team. Make sure that you let your belay know that you intend to rappel down.
-
Step 3
Get your feet and body into rappel position. When rappelling the ideal position is with your feet up against the cliff face in front you so you are leaning entirely back. Your feet should come up above your head. This allows you to push off with your feet and land safely back at the cliff side as you do rappel jumps.
-
Step 4
Rappel down the cliff. You can either go slow or fast. Remember you can control your speed of descent with your right hand. As you push off the cliff release the tension with your right hand and allow the rope to pass through. Once you have completed a rappel jump catch the face of the cliff with your feet as your create tension with your right hand to control your speed of descent. Keep doing this until you reach the bottom.
