How to Rig a Climbing Harness
One of the key pieces of safety equipment in rappelling is the climbing harness. It is designed to help keep you physically connected to the rope that you are using to rappel; even if your grip slips, the harness will help to keep you from falling uncontrollably. To ensure your safety, it's important that you rig your climbing harness correctly. There are several ways that you can put on and rig your climbing harness, but this one offers a bit more stability and safety than some other methods.
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Instructions
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Put on the climbing harness, fastening it in place around your waist and legs according to the specific instructions that come with the harness. If your harness has an optional chest piece or other straps that go over the shoulders, then you should attach them to the waist belt as well.
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Attach your rappelling anchor to a solid anchor point, making sure to use a double knot to secure it. Attach your safety cord directly to the anchor so as to keep yourself safe while setting up the rest of your gear. Test to make sure that the anchor point won't give under pressure. Lay the rope along the ground so that you can make sure that you won't be applying pressure on it across rocks or other objects that might have sharp edges that could fray the rope as you descend on your rappel.
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3
Attach the rappelling device to your rope according to the device's instructions. Using a large locking carabiner, attach the rappelling device to your harness so that you have a firm connection with it. To add stability and safety to your rappel, loop the carabiner through the leg loop and waist belt instead of solely through the harness's rappel loop; this will give your line a stronger connection to your harness. It will also give you a redundant safety feature should one or the other connection points fail.
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Test your line and connections again, then unhook your safety line. Now that your climbing harness is securely rigged, you can begin your descent with the knowledge that you are firmly secured to your line.
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Tips & Warnings
Make sure that you have the proper training before beginning a rappel so that you learn all of the proper safety procedures.
Always check your harness and other gear before you begin your rappelling trip.
