The Art Of Abseiling by Andrew Tupalski
Abseiling is a word which brings with it a taste of adventure, of things untouched, or relatively so, of fantastic places available only to those who dare.
As more people dare, and our beauty spots are sometimes crammed with young, or in my case young at heart people, enjoying the marvellous venues that we are blessed with, I sometimes ponder on the need for improving the safety of people doing this sport.
We read of people getting stuck in waterfalls, unable to descend further, and unable to clear whatever has gone wrong with their equipment. The news media don't care to go into useful details, so often we don't find out what actually happened to cause the problem.
It is with some alarm that I and my friends come across belay
points which have been left in a potentially dangerous state, and
it is this more than anything else which has moved me to write
this article.
Packing for the trip
Now you might think that this is really a trivial requirement, given that you are going to be in and out rapidly with your competent small group who all say they've done it before, and you see no problem about getting everyone ready to go, trusting that they know what to bring and what to do.
I find that I am carrying more "What if ?" gear, than other things in my pack, and my car is loaded with about 3 bags of "spare " equipment just in case someone has forgotten some crucial item.
I have made it a rule for myself that I check everybody, whom
I haven't personally seen abseiling, before the day of the trip,
on a small cliff somewhere and make sure that they understand how
the gear works, how to lock off, how to use a safety line, what
shoes to wear, etc. Its also a good idea to ask about medical
problems or phobias before they commit to the trip. Feedback
indicates that getting people familiar with the gear in a non
threatening environment, a couple of days before the trip,
greatly enhances their enjoyment of the trip itself.
Preparation
Here is what I suggest should be carried on a typical day trip.
A sturdy pack, or a waterproof canyon pack.
Containing the following:- Harness. Main Carabiner. Descender or
abseil device. Gloves. Safety line and clip. Hard hat if its that
kind of place. Lunch. Water bottle. Small torch or head torch
(tested). Wet suit if its a wet canyon. Thermal top and wind
proof shell if no wet suit. Warm hat. Sun cream. Large tough
plastic garbage bag. Copy of the relevant part of the map in case
of separation. Compass. Matches or lighter. Energy snacks like
Mars bars and chocolate.
The leader and at least one other person should also carry a pair of ascenders. They should be proficient in their use, including the art of changing from abseil to ascend and back again on a rope ( not as easy as it sounds), and rigging up haul systems with the ascenders. Spare tapes. Steel links. Shackle bolts. Pitons and hammer. Whistle for those who cant. Small roll of duct tape. Short lengths of cordage or prussic loops. Pocket knife or tool pack similar to a Leatherman. First aid kit. Optional extras include things like stoves and tea bags/ condensed milk, and cups. The good news is that seeing how the leader and his off-sider are carrying all this extra gear, they are not expected to carry the ropes!
Now a lot of you will baulk at all this gear and tell me that you have been doing it for years with half of it with no problems! I agree, but how will you feel if Fred's daughter doesn't come home with you this trip, and how will you tell Fred?
If you and your experienced team are taking a large group of new chums, and it's that kind of canyon, make sure that you have lots of ropes so that you can rig more than one pitch at a time, and that you have short ropes for extra running belays etc. After all you have lots of people willing to carry stuff for you!!
HarnessFor the leader in the group, or his other experienced partners, the harness needs to have gear loops on the side for the attachment of spare crabs, and an attachment point on the back for holding up a chest ascender.
Main Carabiner. This has to be dependable so it needs to be at least a screw gate crab. Be careful to place it so that the locking direction is downwards if possible, as I have seen the gates unscrew by themselves. I would suggest that a better choice is a spring twist locking crab such as the Black Diamond crab which locks itself, or Maillon type links which can be done up with pliers. I use 2 of these, one for my abseil rack and one for my safety line, the safety line one also gets used for my chest ascender.
Abseil device. The most common device is a Figure 8 descender. Whilst this does the job it has a few important shortcomings. To put the rope through a figure 8, the device has to be removed from the main carabiner, and the rope threaded through the hole and over the small end, This may be done in 2 ways resulting in either right hand or left hand operation. The disadvantage lies in the fact that the device can be dropped at either end of the abseil, and could result in loss of the device. That's a problem.
The rope, when laid up on a figure 8 is bent in the same direction all the way around, resulting in stress on the fibres on the outside of the bend in the rope in preference to the inner fibres resulting in some damage to the rope. (non visual). The lay up around the figure 8 also results in twisting of the rope, causing tangles on the descent. Make sure that the figure 8 is large enough to take your rope as a double rope comfortably, and will not jam up if a twist in the rope enters the device. There is no easy way of varying the friction of these devices.
The second most common (particularly with the older generation) is the piton and crab system. This is still hard on the rope (and ropes are expensive) and can sometimes result in quick descents. more importantly it doesn't leave you room for improvisation during the descent if you find that it is a bit fast. Extra friction can be added if necessary by adding more pitons or another crab, but not on the fly. Whale tails,( which are heavy,) and racks offer a much smoother path to the rope and do much less damage.
I use an invention of my own (See Here), it is a stainless steel rack with an innovation on the top, which allows me to lock off with 100% certainty. I can add friction whilst on the move. I can abseil on ropes from 11mm to as thin as I like (down to 6mm). Single or double rope.
Gloves. Leather gloves of the Rigger type seem to be the most common, Glaziers gloves are cheap and handle wet conditions well, but the leather gloves deal with prickly bushes better on the walk in and out of these places.
Safety line. This is an essential piece of gear! It should be made of around 9mm DYNAMIC rope. It should be about 600mm long when made up. People have been killed because they were not clipped on when swinging a pack up onto their shoulders, or they tripped over something, or they dropped something on the cliff edge and tried to catch it. Stay clipped on until your abseil device has been put on the rope and your hand is on the tail rope, or you are locked off. Static rope (which has little stretch), and particularly tape should not be used as a safety line as it will not protect adequately against the dynamic forces of a factor 2 fall. An exception to that is the Petzl tape belay line which depends on special stitching giving way to absorb dynamic shocks. The safety line should have a loop at one end, (preferably protected with a piece of tube tape) which is attached to the harness on the main Carabiner below the abseil device. The other end is tied to a non locking crab with a double fisherman's knot ( so that you don't leave the crab behind) and again protected by a piece of tube tape. When not in use the crab is clipped off to any convenient point on the harness (like a gear loop). Be careful that the ensuing loop cannot drop over the raised knee when walking.
Footwear This needs to be comfortable, preferably with a bit of ankle support, and a bit higher to avoid sand getting in. The sole must be as non skid as possible to ensure good grip in slippery conditions. Sandshoes or joggers are the minimum requirement, synthetic hiking boots are probably as good as you need to go. I use a pair of wet suit boots with dunlop sandshoes glued over, they keep my feet clean and warm and have great grip.
The trip itself
Setting out It is a
good idea to plan the trip so that the weakest people will be
able to complete it without getting to the point of collapse.
make sure that everyone has all their gear and that there will
not be any surprises when you get to the venue. Please stress
that bodily functions must be completed before the canyon, do not
pollute the canyon in any way. (If all else fails use the garbage
bag!).The leader should keep contact with the last person in the
group and stay aware of any problems as they happen. Keep
together, the problems always happen at the back of the group!
Belay points My friends and I are often amazed at the things that people are willing to abseil off! Loose pitons. Thin cordage which is all ragged and bleached. 13mm tube tape which has a loop tied in it ensuring that all comers will pull down in the same place on it. Old bits of sun bleached UV affected tapes. Rock bolts that are half in. They are all there to be seen! Why bother carrying an 11mm rope with a 3000 kg breaking strain if we are going to abseil off belay points that might stand 200 kg or less?
The favourite configuration that I come across is the " 3 point staggered release belay."
This is designed to give repeated thrills as first one tape lets go, drops you onto another tape, which now has a dynamic load to cope with as well, and then drops you onto the last tape which had better hold!
Now for goodness sake! when you see a belay configured this way, retie it so that all well fixed points are tied so that they all meet at a common point, and they all share the load equally. The included angle between the outer tapes must be less than 120 degrees to minimise stress, so make sure that the tapes are long enough. All anchors need to be examined to make sure they are solid. Tie the tapes in a single loop so that they may be rotated by the next party, so that pull down will not be on the same spot each time. If you find a tape or a rope that is past it, cut it off, and remove it.
I like to assemble my belay point tapes at the load point,
with a steel link or shackle bolt so that the pull down is far
easier, and there is no burning on the tapes, and they last
longer. Do not use the "D" connectors (similar to
maillons), found in the hardware stores as they fail at 240 kg.
3/8" shackle bolts are OK to 1200 kg
Some Canyons such as Kalang have been set up with
eye bolts spaced about 6 inches apart. This is a great belay and
is also easy to pull down on. Some people insist on tying a piece
of tube tape through both eyes and then hanging off the tape!!
Why? Why put a weak link in the belay which is going to be harder
to pull through at the end? No matter what you do it wont be
stronger than the 2 eye bolts! Added to that how do they place
their rope? Do they go through the loop thus retaining the
strength of both eye bolts, or do they go over both tape sides
between the eye bolts, thus depending on both staying in for sure
as either eye bolt pulling out would allow the rope to slip off
the end!!
The descent David Noble's excellent guide talks in terms of 50 metre ropes as a standard and canyons requiring longer lengths or different techniques are not mentioned. Make sure that the riggers in your party know how to tie the required knots so that they won't fail, and they wont get stuck in silly places. Each person should be made aware that the rope has to be looked after at all costs, and that it is up to the abseiler to pick the path and make sure that the rope above him is laid over round or smooth rock if possible, to minimise damage to the rope. As more of the descent is completed there is more stretch in the rope, and it is possible to bounce. Whilst this is great fun, be mindful of the danger of abrading the rope above, and if its all sharp rock up there then don't bounce. The last person down has to make sure that the rope will not get stuck when pulling down. One great reason for the rope getting stuck is the knot getting hooked up on a small rock protrusion. It is amazing how little added friction is required to make the thing difficult to pull down. If the belay is such that the knot in the rope has to be pulled over rough rock, it may be a good idea to pull the knot down past the rough rock as you are descending the upper part of the pitch. This can often be achieved whilst supporting nearly all of your weight on a small rock ledge so as to minimise damage to the tapes. The situation becomes vastly easier if a steel link, or shackle bolt is installed on the belay.
Bottom belaying This essential
technique needs to be shown to all participants when checking
them out so that they can keep each other safe whilst the leader
and the other experienced people look after rigging, and de
rigging, and people getting on the rope at the head of each
pitch.
Approaching the abseil point
"Clip on" is the rule that saves nasty experiences.
There are no second chances to get this right. When taking new
chums down some canyons running belays can be set up so that
people can walk cliff edges with their safety line clipped over
the set rope. This gives them lots of confidence and ensures that
you wont have to upset Fred at home coming time. If the spot you
are in does not have much space for a large party or there are no
other belay points other than the next descent point to belay to,
(like the notorious ledge in Kalang) then use the tail of the
rope above as a running belay for the ones who have already come
down and are sitting around. Then get on with rigging the next
pitch and move people on as soon as possible.
Walking out Get everyone together, have a rest and a drink whilst packing up all the gear. If possible refill water bottles, and store them in easily accessible places. On the walk out make sure that the group stays together. The problems usually happen at the back, and the faster climbers are often unaware that someone is hurt or tired and needs help.
The plastic bag You are all dying
of curiosity about why I carry a plastic bag. Well a large tough
variety garbage bag has lots of good uses. Obviously you can put
garbage in it, You can put things that are wet or dry in it and
thus separate them from other things, you can make a wind and
water proof shelter out of them, you can wear them by adding a
few holes. They weigh next to nothing and they can be of great
help if you are in trouble. Bright coloured ones are easy to spot
from helicopters.
were taken from one side the rope whilst counter balancing
John on the other side (see "Why Double Rope"). - A Tupalski
Other techniques
Knots It's a good idea to make sure that all the experienced people in your group know their knots, and can do them under difficult conditions.
The basic knots we use are:-
Figure 8 knot, figure 8 loop, and double figure 8 around the belay. Bowline with finger knot after (to stop shaking out), Double rope bowline and bosuns chair. Fisherman's bend, as a stopper knot, as a joining knot, and fisherman's loop. Alpine butterfly, used for temporary belay points, and for rigging double rope into 2 single ropes. (A very useful knot.) Clove hitches, and friction belays.
Why Double rope? There is, more to this than abseiling on double rope. To start off with let me explain a simple thing. If a rope doubled through a tape has one 80 kg person abseiling on it the stress on the rope at the tape belay point is 80 kg. Most people will see that as self evident. Similarly if the rope is tied to the tape belay and the abseiler is on single rope the stress is still 80 kg, with the knot holding the opposing force of 80 kg. If we now substitute another abseiler for the knot, the stress on the rope is still only 80 kg, but now we can have 2 abseilers on the rope counter balancing each other. Yes! The stress on the belay has now gone up to 160 kg! We often use this technique when we have only experienced people with us, as we can move twice as fast this way, and take action photos of each other as well.
Using single rope has other
benefits as well. When we have a larger group of
inexperienced people we often use a 100 metre rope and we put it
through the belay point to its mid point in the usual fashion. We
then tie 2 Alpine Butterfly knots in each side and use a
Carabiner to clip them to the belay point. The result is 2 single
ropes which can be used in any manner of ways.
For a start an experienced person can go down next to a beginner to help with technique, bolster confidence, and even bottom belay, by being just below the other person. In the event of going one at a time, because of difficult access to the take off point, the next person can be loading onto the other rope whilst the first one is descending.
The first one down is usually the leader or another experienced person, who waits until a suitable replacement arrives to look after the head of the pitch, before he goes down. He then bottom belays the next person, who bottom belays the next person, and so on. The leader or rigger, is then free to go and set up the next pitch. Tail end Charlie undoes the Alpine Butterflies, puts the crab on his gear loops and comes down double rope in the normal way.
Working in this fashion allows for greater mobility of the group and stops people getting cold, and also gets us out in daylight, which is really good!!
Occasionally you may branch out into the uncharted wild and do
something that is not in the book! Make sure that your gear is up
to a few surprises. Almost anything may happen and most certainly
will!! Bad weather, rock falls, stuck ropes, extra long drops are
the norm, and you must be equal to the challenge if you do not
want to listen to the oncoming noise of a helicopter.
Embarrassing!! Hundred metre ropes are a great idea, but the end
that you are going to pull down doesn't need to be that heavy, so
I travel with 7mm rope as well.
For example if I have a 70 metre pitch, such as the
one on Long Gully and I have a reasonable size party, such that I
don't want the hazard of stopping half way down on the tiny
ledge. I rig the thing with 75 metres of a 100 metre rope by
inserting a 2 inch steel washer with a 5/8th hole in the centre
and tying an Alpine butterfly on the uphill side of it, to hold
it there. The washer will not fit through the shackle bolt that I
put on the tapes. Then I tie a 55 metre length of 7mm cordage to
the other end, using a fisherman's bend with 3 turns on the thick
rope and 5 on the thin rope, for my pull down. Everybody abseils
single rope and we do the pitch in one hit. Much safer!!
In some instances there is a significant distance where rough rock protrusions are able to catch a joining knot and prevent a pull down. Tail end Charlie has to make sure that the thing is going to pull down before he goes, and if it looks like the knot may give trouble, he can avoid it by re-setting the rope as follows. Let the bottom crew pull down past the problem spot and anchor the rope to a convenient tree or other anchor. Make sure that the remaining rope is still long enough. Abseil on the single rope counterbalanced by the pull down side, which is securely anchored below.
On Kanangra main the last abseil on the face ends in the actual sluice of the main falls, and in high water this can be an undesirable stopping place. Further to that, in order to avoid going down a dangerous waterfall full of large boulders, the leader has to negotiate a narrow slippery ledge for about 20 metres to the next belay, before he can set up a running belay for his party. Once this is set up they can negotiate the ledge and descend into the next pool safely.
This whole thing can be avoided (and made much safer) by setting up a much longer abseil from the ledge before. By using the afore mentioned technique with the washer, and 100 metre rope with light pull down it is possible to abseil to the right in the first instance until you reach a rock outcrop above the next pool below . This rock outcrop will serve to prevent the rope from swinging back to the left. The rest of the descent is free all the way to the water.
If you don't want to get your group wet at this point it is possible to set up a Tyrolean traverse right to the other side of the pool and avoid the water entirely.
When we are exploring places which we have not done before and we are faced with a pitch of unknown length, we set it up with a long single rope, and the first person down has his ascending gear on, so that he is as versatile as possible. Once a safe rebelay has been established, the rope is then reset by the man above, under the guidance of the man below, and the rest of the party are called down. In noisy places a signalling system of whistles is used.
Tyrolean Traverse This
is a great technique for crossing dangerous places. Only the
leader has to make the perilous crossing in order to set the
thing up, everyone else gets a free ride!
All you need to do is set up two ropes fixed at the top. ( The
Alpine butterflies again). Tie one rope off to a convenient belay
on the other side of the proposed traverse and tension it as much
as possible. The abseiler descends the other rope with his safety
line clipped over the tight line, which acts as a guide over the
rough terrain. This works fine if the overall path is steeply
down, but if the proposed travel is more horizontal then the
abseiler may need to propel himself across by the use of
ascenders or prussic loops. I suggest that you try the technique
out beforehand to determine the limitations and how to configure
prussicking gear.
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Conclusion We should
always be mindful of the safety aspects of our sport. When the
weather is fine and warm, and everyone is having a ball and all
is going well, it is sometimes difficult to foresee problems and
indeed we do not dwell on such thoughts. The situation can change
rapidly and we must be ready to meet the challenge. If we have
the gear and the expertise we can triumph over adversity. There
is much peace of mind in knowing that you have the skills and the
equipment for most situations, and that you wont need to listen
for the helicopter.