CapeTownSchoolofMountaineeringCC

GetaHigherEducation

AbseilGuideHandbook
CompiledbyWaltherMeyer

Issue1:2006

AbseilGuideHandbook
Contents
1 2 3 4 5 6 Introduction Equipment KnotsandAnchors Siteselection Groupmanagement&Safety TechnicalSkillsforAbseilGuides a) TheReleasableAbseilSystem b) Abseilingwithaprussicbackup c) Loweringaperson d) Abseilingwithanotherpersonon1device e) Assistedevacuation(aka:PickoffRescue) f) Abseilingpastaknot g) Ropeascending h) Ropeascendingpastaknot i) ChangeOverAbseiltoAscend j) Hoistingsystems:AssistedHoist UnAssistedHoist Sources

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2 3 8 14 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 21 22 23 24 25

2 1. Introduction

Abseilingwasalwaysanactivityreservedformountaineersandrockclimbers.Itwasmostlya coincidentalactivityusedtoretreatfromapeakorarockfaceandwashardlyeverthefocusofanouting. Thesedays,however,youincreasinglyhearofpeoplegoingabseilingasithasnowbecomeastand aloneactivity.Popularwiththrillseekers,andanexcellenttoolforcorporateteambuildingandoutdoor education,abseilingisnowwidelyofferedbymanyadventureoperators. Itisaphysicallyeasyactivity(gravitydoesallthework),butmentallychallenging.Yes,abseilingisvery enjoyable,but,ifnotproperlyoperated,abseilingcanbeextremelydangerousandcausethedeathofthe peopleinvolved. Thedomainoftheabseilguideisfilledwithfunandexcitement,butalsowithveryrealdangersand extremelyhighlevelsofresponsibility.Thismakesitsoimportantthattheguideiscorrectlyand thoroughlytrainedandgainslotsofexperienceundersupervisionbeforeventuringoutintothevertical worldwithaclientslifeinhisorherhands.

IMPORTANTNOTE
Thishandbookisnotintendedtobeastandalonetraining manual.Itistobeusedasatrainingaidinconjunction withaproperAbseilGuideTrainingCourserunbya suitablyqualifiedinstructor.

Abseilguiding:Hints&Tips LookafterandrespectyourequipmentasYOURLIFEDEPENDSONIT! Alwayskeepathoroughlogbookofyourexperienceandwriteareportaftereveryevent. Safetybeforeallelse,evenfun! Keepyourqualifications,certificationsandregistrationsuptodate.Itsthelaw. Takecareofournaturalenvironmentitsearningyoualiving. Educateandenthusegrowmountainsports. Youareahuman,notsuperman. Respectlandownersaskforpermissionandpayyourpermits. And,yes,alwayswearsunscreen..

3 1. Equipment Ropes
Inclimbingweusewhatisknownaskernmantelropes.Thekernisthethickinnerpartandconsistsof smallintertwinedthreadsthatmakeupthebodyoftherope.Themantelistheoutside,oftencolourful, sheaththatcoversthekernandprotectsitfromdamagefromtheoutside. So,KERN=INNERandMANTEL=SHEATHorOUTER,thusitiscalledKERNMANTELROPES makessensedoesntit!

Twotypesofropearecommonlyusedforabseilingactivities: 1) STATICROPE 2) DYNAMICROPE Staticropehasverylowstretchwhiledynamicropeisdesignedtostretchunderloadandsohelpabsorb theforcescreatedinasuddenloadsituation,suchasafall.Staticropeischeaperthandynamicandis oftenfoundoncommercialabseilsiteswherethereishighwearandtearontheropes.Inanormal, properlyrunabseiloperationthereshouldbenoneedfordynamicropeasshockloadingshould NEVERoccur.Someabseilguidesprefertousestaticastheabseilropeanddynamicasthebelayrope. Thisisusuallybecausedynamicisniceronthehandsandeasiertooperatethroughabelaydevicethan static. Staticropescomeinvariousdiametersandthemostusefulforcommercialabseilingis10mm,10.5mmor 11mm.Thethickertherope,thestrongertherope,thelongeritshouldlastbuttheheavieritistocarry uptotheabseilsite! Dynamicropesalsocomeinvariousdiameterswithvariousratings.Usuallydynamicropesaremarked withoneofthefollowingsignsonitsendtape:

SingleRope

DoubleRope aka:HalfRope

Whenclimbing,singleropesareusedontheirownwiththeropebeingclippedintoeachpieceof protection.Doubleropesarealwaysusedinapairandmostlyfoundonmultipitchclimbs,especiallyif theroutedoesnotfollowaverystraightline.Theropescanbeclippedtogetherintoasinglepieceof protectionorseparatelyintodifferentpiecesofprotection.Adoubleratedropecanbeeffectivelyand safelyusedtobelayanabseil.

Do: Dont:

Washyourropewithcleanwaterandnaturalsoap.Youcanalsousespecialropecaresoapfrom manufacturerssuchasBealorNikwax. Storeyourropeproperlycoiledandhanginginacool,dryplace. Keepyourropeinaropebagorbackpackwheninthefield. Placeatarpunderyourropewhenitslyingontheground. Neversteporstandonyourrope. Letyourropecomeincontactwithchemicals. Neverstoreyourropeindirectsunlightorwarmplaceslikeyourcarbootforprolongedperiods. Neveruseyourropeforanythingotherthanitsintendedpurpose. _______________________

Lifespanofyourrope: Followthemanufacturersrecommendations.Mostrecommend5yearsforneverusedropesand2to3 yearsforoccasionallyusedropes.Commerciallyusedropesmayhavetobereplacedasoftenas monthlydependingonactivity. Whentoretireyourrope: Afterafalllongerthan10metres Ropehasbeenincontactwithchemicalsoracids. Sheath(mantel)isdamagedandthecore(kern)isvisible. Sheathisextremelywarnandfuzzyorhasslippednoticeably. Strongdeformitiesarepresent(stiffness,nicksand/orsponginess). Ropeiscoatedwithgrease,oilortar. Ropedamagedbyheat,abrasionorfriction. Whenyourropegetswet: Itsweightincreases Itsabrasionresistancereducesbecausethesheathissofter. Itstensilestrengthreducesbecausethefibresstretchmorewhenloaded. ________________________

Karabiners
Essentiallythesearemetalconnectorsthatlinkthesystemtogether.Alsoknowsaskrabsorsnaplinks orbiners. Wecommonlyusetwotypesofkarabinerforclimbing: 1.OpenGateKarabiners Straightgates Bentgates 2.LockingKarabiners Screwgates Autolocks

Abseilguidesmostlyuselockingkarabiners,althoughafewopenstraightgatebinerscanalsobeuseful. Karabinersusedforclimbingareusuallymadefromaluminiumandthoseforindustrialapplicationsfrom steel.Eitherisfineformostabseilguidingapplicationsbearinginmindthatsteelbinersarestrongerbut muchheavierthanaluminium. Karabinersalsocomeinvariousshapes,mostnotably: Dshape PearshapeorHMS Oval

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MarkingsfoundonKarabiners:

below:CEemblemtoshowratingandapproval

Loading: Karabinersaredesignedtobeloadedalongitslongaxiswiththegateclosedandnotcrossgate,3way, withanopengateorwithtoowidealoadasdepictedinthegraphicbelow.Byincorrectlyloadinga karabineryoucanreduceitsstrengthbymorethanhalf!

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Slings
NylonandDyneemaslingsaremadefromlengthsoftapewiththeendsbartackedortiedtoformbig loopsusedmainlyforsettingupanchorspoints.Sewnslingsusuallycomeinlengthsof30cm,60cm, 90cm,120cm,180cmand240cm.Dyneemacanonlybestitchedandshouldneverbetiedintoaslingas itdoesnotholdsknotswell. ________________________

6 Helmets
Helmetsservemostlytoprotectyourheadfromfallingobjects,suchasstones,thatmaybedislodged aboveyou.Helmetsshouldfitcorrectlyandbeingoodcondition.Therearemanybrandsavailableonthe market,butmakesureyourhelmetisCEratedformountaineering.YouandyourclientsshouldALWAYS wearhelmetswhileonabseilorwherethereisevenaremotechanceoffallingdebriscomingfromthe top. ________________________

Harnesses
MakesuretheharnessesyouareusingareCEratedformountaineeringandingoodcondition. Harnessesshouldbeadjustedtofitcorrectlyoverthehipbonesandaroundthelegs.Paddedharnesses aremorecomfortablethantapeoralpinestyleharnessesbutusuallydonotofferthesamewiderange ofadjustability.Achestharnessshouldbefittedandusedwithasitharnessforsmallchildren,really skinnyadultsorobesepersons. Mostharnessbucklesneedtobedoublebackedforsafetyalthoughyoudogetsomethatareauto locking.Makesureyouknowwhattypeyouareusingitsamatteroflifeordeath!Seepicturebelow.

TyingIn: Therearetwoacceptablewaysofattachingaropetoaharness: 1) Tieindirectlyusinganappropriateknotsuchasafigureofeightoratiedoffbowline. 2) TieafigureofeightloopintheropeendandattachitusingTWOlockingkarabinerswithgates reversedandopposed.YoucanuseONElockingkarabinerifitisaDMMBelayMasteroraPetzl BallLock. Onaharnesswithabelayloop(asinthepictureabove)youalwaystiedirectlyintothelegloopsand waistbelt.Whenyouclipintosuchaharness,however,youonlyclipintothebelayloop.Onaharness withasingletieinpoint,suchasmostalpinestyleharnesses,youtieorclipintothesamepoint. HANDYSAFETYHINT:HarnessesshouldbeONcorrectlyorcompletelyOFF.Nohalfefforts withundonebucklesornontightenedstrapsshouldeverbeallowed. ________________________

7 Descenders
DescendersorAbseilDevicesaredevicesthatcreatefrictionwiththeropeallowingtheabseilertocontrol hisownspeedofdescent.Somedescenderscanbeusedasbelaydevicesjustaseffectivelyasfor abseiling. ThemostcommondeviceusedforcommercialabseilsistheFigureofEight.Thisdeviceiseasytouse, butshouldberestrictedtoabseilsoflessthan60minheightduetothemassiveheatbuildupthatcanbe expectedwithitsuse. Thetubetypebelaydevice,suchasaDMMBug,BlackDiamondATCandPetzlReversoworkswell ondynamicropesbutcanbeverystickyonstaticrope.Theyarefirstlyintendedasbelaydevicesand secondlyonlyforabseiling. Forlongerabseilsthe5or6BarRackistheidealsolutionwithexcellentcontrolandheatdispensing qualities. OtherdevicessuchasthePetzlGriGri,PetzlStop,AlporProAlparebestleftfortheirintended purposes.Itisgoodtoknowhowtousethesedevicesbutyoushouldbeabletoperformalloperations usingstandardmountaineeringequipment. ________________________

Ascenders
Ascendersaredevicesthatenableapersontoclimbuparopewhichwouldoverwisebeimpossible. Therearemanymechanicaldevicesavailableonthemarket,butthesimplestandmostusefulforabseil guidingisasimplesetoftwoPrussicCords.Thesecanbemadeof6mmaccessorycord.Allyouneed aretwolengthsofapproximately1.5mwiththeendstiedtogetherusingadoublefishermansknot. ________________________

OtherEquipment
Ropeprotectorsaretubesofcanvasthatcanbefittedoveryourropetoprotectitfromedgesandother abrasiveareas. Ropebagsareheavydutybagsdesignedsothattheropecanbepiledinsidewithoutcoilingitfirst. Someropebagscanevenbeusedasathrowbagtoallowforrapiddeploymentoftherope. Itisagoodideaforanabseilguidetoalwayscarryagoodquality,sharp,foldingknife. Acomprehensivefirstaidkitshouldalwaystravelwitheverygroupandsoshouldsomeonewiththe knowledgetouseit. Onsomeabseilsitescommunicationdevicessuchastwowayradiosmaybeofvitalimportance.

8 3. KnotsandAnchors
Youshouldknowthefollowingknotsandbeabletochoosethecorrectoneforanyapplication.Practise untilyoucandothemblindfolded. 1.FigureofEightonaBite Endoflineknotusedtocreatealoopforclippinginto.

2.FigureofEightRethreaded Endofthelineknotusedtotiedirectlyintoananchorpointoraharness.

3.FigureofEightDoubleLoop Endoflineknotusedwheretwoloopsarerequiredorforrescueprocedures.

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4.CloveHitch Middleofthelineknotusedtoquicklyattachtoandanchorpoint.Itisaneasilyadjustableknot.

5.DoubleFishermansKnot(belowleft) Usedtojointworopeendstogether.

6.TapeKnotorWaterKnot(aboveright) Joiningknotusedwithslingtape. 7.ClassicPrussikKnot Slidingfrictionknotbitesreallyhardontotherope.

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7.FrenchPrussikKnot(belowleft) Slidingfrictionknotreleasableunderload.

9.KlemheistKnot(aboveright) Slidingfrictionknotworkswellusingslingtape.

10.BachmannKnot Slidingfrictionknotaroundakarabiner.

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11.AlpineButterfly Middleofthelineknotusedtocreatealoopforattachmentorholding.

12.Bowline EndoflineknotusedtotieintoananchororharnessMUSTbetiedoff!

13.FrictionHitch Slidingfrictionknotusedforbelayingorabseiling.

12 Anchorssystems
Weoftenconnectanumberofanchorpointstogetherinordertocreateoneanchorsystem,strong enoughforourchosenapplication. Rememberthesaying:Dontputallyoureggsinonebasket. Whatthatmeansisthatwewantto buildouranchorsinsuchawaythat,shouldoneanchorpointfail,thesystemwillstayinpositionwithout anyshockloadingtakingplace.Inordertofacilitatethiswemustequaliseouranchorpointstosharethe load.TheeasiestwayofdoingthisisbyusingaCordelette.CordeletteSystem Takealoopofrope(orcord,minimum8mm)andcliptheanchorpointseachtotheloop.Nowpullinthe partsofloopbetweeneachanchorpoint,equaliseinthedirectionofpull,andtieanoverhandknotor figureofeightonabightintheend.Youhaveeffectivelycreatedseveralindependentslingsoutofone loopofrope.

Acordelettesystemusedtoequalisea3pointanchor.

TreesandRocks/Bouldersasanchors Whenusingtreestoanchortomakesureofthefollowing: 1) Thetreemustbehealthyandalive. 2) Neverrunaliveropedirectlyaroundatree. 3) Alwaysprotectthetreefromdamage. 4) Makesurethetreeisnotoozinggumnorhaveanysharppointsthatcandamagetheropeor slings. 5) Thetreemustbeofsubstantialthicknessandsolidlyrootedingoodground. 6) Placetheanchorattachmentaslowdownaspossibleonthetreeasthisreducesleverageand chancesofthetreebreaking. Whenusingrocks/bouldersasanchorsmakesureofthefollowing: 1) Therockmustbesecurelyattachedtothemountainsideorbeofsuchasizethatitwouldbe impossibletomovewiththeanticipatedload. 2) Therockmustnothavesharpedgesorpointsthatcandamageorbreaktheropeorslings. 3) Therockmustbeofsuchashapethattheropeorslingwillstaysecurelyattachedandnotslip overoroff. FACT: WhensettingupanabseilsystemforgroupsyourbelaysystemandyourabseilsystemdoNOT havetobetwoseparateanchors.Youshouldbuild1anchorthatiscapableofhandlingboth.Ifyouhave anyconcernthattheanchormayfailthenitshouldNOTbeused.

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Rememberthefollowingprincipleswhenchoosingandconnectinganchors:

Anchorsshouldbeequallyloadedwiththeforce pullingdownwardsontheanchorpoints. Toensureequalloading: Theanglebetweenanytwoanchorpointsshould neverbegreaterthan90.Atthisanglethe anchorseachcarry71%oftheload. Iftheanglereached120theneachanchor wouldcarry100%oftheload. Whenusingaslingaroundarockspikeorsimilar objecttheslingshouldbelongenoughasto createanacceptableanglefromwherethe karabinerattachestowheretheslingrunsover theshoulderoftherock. Anchorpointsshouldbeindependentlytied off. Ifonepointofyouranchorsystemfailtheother pointsmustbeabletoholdtheloadwithout beingshockloaded.So,useseparateslingsora tiedofflongslingwhenequalizing. So,REMEMBER:

EquallyLoaded. Anglesbetweenpointslessthan90 Pointsindividuallytiedoff.

14 4. Siteselection
Whenchoosingyourabseilsiteskeepthefollowinginmind: 1) Makesureyouhavepermissiontobethereandoperatetheactivity. 2) Theremustbeadequatenaturalorboltedprotectionpoints. 3) Whenyourabseilropeisrunningdownthecliffitshouldbeinapositionwhereitdoesnotget damagedbyabrasionorwhereyoucancontrolthisusingropeprotectors. 4) Theavailableequipmentshouldmatchtheneedsofthesite.Nousetryingtoabseildowna50m cliffwitha40mrope! 5) Youmustbeabletoeasilycontrolyourgroupinthevenueselected. 6) Theremustbesafeholdingpointsatthetopandbottomofthesitewhereclientscanwaittheir turn. 7) Bewareoflooserockandotherdebrisatthetopoftheabseil. 8) Thelandingareamustbeflatandsafewithnoriskoffallingfortheclientoncetheyhavebeen unclippedfromthebelayrope. FACT:Itiseasiertostartabseilingiftheanchorsaresituatedhigherthantheabseilstartingpoint.So, wheneverpossibletryandfindasitewhereyourclientcanhavehisweightontheropebeforegoingover thecliffside. HANDYHINT:Tryandalwaysfindabseilsiteswhereyoucaneasilysolveproblemsbyloweringaclient totheground.Abseilsiteswithbigledgesonthewaydowncanpreventthis.

5. GroupManagementandSafety
So,youwanttobeamountainguide.OK,thenrememberthis:SAFETYISYOURPRIORITY! Beforefun,beforeadventure,beforeallelse.Youarebeingpaidtoprovideafunandexcitingactivity, safely.Youwillbefacedwiththedifficulttaskofsafeguardingsometimesveryuncooperativeclientsina potentiallydangerousenvironment. Remember: 1) THINKbeforeyouACT. 2) Doublecheckyourself,yourcolleaguesandyourclientscontinuously. 3) Makesurethatyouarealwaystiedinwhenworkingneartheedge. 4) Keepequipmenttiedinorclippedtoaharnessitshouldneverbelyingaround. 5) Clientsondifficultterrainshouldbeassistedorsafeguardedbyabelayorhandrail. 6) Clientsshouldbemadeawareofthedangersandtherules.Theyshouldknowwheretowaitand whattodoatthebottomoftheabseil. 7) ALWAYSwearhelmetswhileabseilingoratthebaseoftheclifforanywherethatfallingdebris maybeadanger. 8) Clientsshouldalwaysbebelayedwhileabseiling,whetherfromthetoporbyuseofabottom belaywhereappropriate. 9) Guidesshouldalwaysabseilbelayedorwithaprussicbackupinplace. KNOWTHIS:Youareaguideandthusshouldalwaysbeanexampleofsafetyandresponsibility. YouarealsoahumanbeingNOTSUPERMAN!Donotdothingsthatareoutsideyourscopeof trainingandqualification.Practiseyourtechnicalskillsregularlyinanonpressureenvironment withyourcolleaguesorfriendsandkeepalogbookofyourexperience.

15 6. TechnicalSkills ReleasableAbseilSystem
Weusethissystembecauseitwillhelpussolvemostcommonabseilingprobleminstantly.

Setup: 1) Connecttoyouranchor usingalargelockingHMS karabiner. 2) Attachtheabseilingrope usingaFrictionHitch. 3) Tieoffthefrictionhitch securelyusingaSlippery HitchandtwoHalfHitches.

Operatingthereleasablesystem: 1) Clientgetsobject(shirt,helmetstrap,hairetc)stuckindeviceanddevicejamsonabseilrope. 2) Identifytheproblemandthesolution. 3) Tieoffyourdelayropesecurely. 4) Releasetheabseilropebyremovingthetwohalfhitchesandtheslipperyhitchandlettingthe frictionhitchslideabit. 5) Iftheclientcangetthedeviceunstuckandwantstocontinuedowntakeuptheslackintheabseil ropeandtieoffthefrictionhitchagain.Releasethebelayropeandlettheclientcontinuewiththe abseilwhileyoubelayfromaboveasperusual. 6) Iftheclientcannotgetthedeviceunstuckorrefusesforwhateverreasontocontinueabseiling youmustcompletelyundotheabseilropeanddropitdownthecliffbeingcarefulnottodropiton yourclient.AttachaFrenchprussictothebreakingsideofthebelayropeandattachittoyour harnessasabackup.Releasethetiedoffbelayropeandslowlyloweryourclienttotheground. ________________________

16 Abseilingwithaprussicbackup
Whenabseilingonyourownwithoutabelayitisadvisablethatyoualwaysbackyourselfupwitha Frenchprusikaboveorbelowthedevice. Thereare3waysofdoingso. 1) Deviceonyourharness,attachtheprusikabovethedeviceandattachtoyourharnesstiein point.(Below,left) 2) Deviceonyourharness,attachtheprusikbelowthedeviceontheropeandtoyourharness legloop.(Below,right) 3) Deviceextendedonashortslingandprusikbackupplacedbelowontheropeandattachedto yourharnesstieinpoint.(Verybottom,left)

Advantagesof: 1) Shouldtheropebreakatthedeviceitcouldstill holdyouattached. Theprusikcannotaccidentallygetpulledinto thedevice. Whendoingaknotpassitspeedsthingsup. 2) Youcannotloosereachoftheprusikandget stuck. Theprusikonlyholdsthepressurerequiredto stopthedeviceandnotyourfullbodyweight thuspreventingitfromjammingtight. Itiseasiertocontrolandyoucouldeffectively abseilusingonehand. 3) Asfor2abovewiththeaddedbenefitthat attachingtoyourtieinpointisbetterthantoyour legloopthuspreventingyourlegfrombeing pulledupwhentheprusikarreststherope. Disadvantagesof: 1) Youcanloosereachoftheprusikandgetstuck. Theprusikcarriesyourfullweightwhenitarrestsandcanjam. Youneedalongerprusikcordorhavetoextendit. 2) Theprusikcanbepulledintothedeviceandjamit. Shouldtheropebreakatthedeviceitwillnothelpyou. Whentheprusikarrestsitpullsyourlegupwhichcancauseyoutoflipupsidedown. 3) Onaverticalfacecareshouldbetakenthattheextendingslingofthedevicedonotkeepthe prusikopen,stoppingitfromarrestingtherope. ________________________

17 Loweringaperson
Whenloweringapersonitisimportanttorememberthefollowing: 1) Theloweringfrictiondevice(inthepictureitsanATCorBUG)mustbeheldintheclosedposition inyouarestandinginfrontofthedeviceforabetterview.Soclipbackthebreakingsideofthe ropewithakarabinerasindicated. 2) YoushouldALWAYSbackupthelowerbyattachingaFrenchprusiktoyourharnessandonto thebreakingsideoftheropesothattheropecannotbedropped.(Notshownonthepicture.) 3) Lowerataslowsteadypace. 4) Makesurethattheropeisadequatelyprotectedwhereitisrunningovertheedgeofthecliff.

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18 Abseilingwithanotherperson
Thisprocessiscanbeusedforanumberofdifferentreasonsandisalsousedwhenperformingan assistedevacuation(pickoffrescue). Riggingitup: Usingasingleabseildeviceandkarabiner,connect twoslingsontoitwithlockingbinersoneachendasin thepicturebelow.Rememberthatyoushouldhavea prusikbackupbelowthedevice. Whogoeswhere?Seepicturesonleft. A) When2peopleabseiltogetherfromthetake offpoint,sidebyside. B) Casualtybelowtherescueronsteepor overhangingground. C) Casualtyabovetherescuerandturnedacross hislaponslabsorinclinedsteepterrain.

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19 AssistedEvacuation(pickoffrescue)
Thisisadifficultanddangerousskilltouseandshouldbepractisedregularly.Itisalastresortsolutionto getastuckclimberdowntotheground.Itisusuallytheonlysolutionifthebelayropegetsstuckorthe clientlandsonaledgeandfreezes.

Theprocedure: 1) Tieoffthebelayropesecurelyandreleasetheabseilrope.Feedout34metresofabseilrope andtieitoffagain. 2) Rigupyourextendedabseildevicewith2slingsandaprusikbackupbelow. 3) Abseildowntotheclientandstopjustabovehim.Immediatelytieoffyourabseildeviceandthen attachtheclienttoyourotherslingcomingfromyourdevice.Removetheabseilropefromthe clientsharness. 4) Attachaprussikwithakarabineraboveyourclientonthebelayrope.Feedalongslingthrough thekarabinerandattachittoyourclientsharness.Doublecheckallsafeties,thenputyourfootin theotherendoftheslingandliftyourclientsweightsothatyoucanreleasehimfromthebelay ropeandplacehisweightontoyourdevice. 5) Makingsureallissecurefirst,untieyourdeviceandabseiltothegroundwithyourclient. ________________________

20 Abseilingpastaknot
Thisskillwillbeusedinanemergencywheretworopeshavetobejoinedtogetherforaverylong abseilorwhereadamagedpartoftheropehasbeentiedoutusinganAlpineButterfly.

Procedure: 1) AbseiltowardstheknotwithyourdeviceextendedandaFrenchprusikbackupbelowattached toyourharnesstieinpoint. 2) Stopabout300mmbeforeyourprusikhitstheknot. 3) Takeupsomeslackbelowtheknotandattachtheropetoyourharnessusingalockingkarabiner andaclovehitchbackup! 4) AttachaFrenchprusikaboveyourdevice,attachedtoyourharness.Pushthisprusikuptherope untilitistightandthenreleaseyourbottomprusiktotransferyourweightontothetopone. 5) Removeyourabseildeviceandmountitbelowupagainsttheknotandtieitoff. 6) Removetheclovehitchbackup. 7) Attachyourbackupprusikbelowyourabseildevice. 8) Releasethetopprusikbypullingdownhardonituntilitslidesandyourweightistransferredto thedevice.Ifyoucannotgettheprusiktoreleasemakeafootwrapintheropebelowandstand uponit. ________________________

21 RopeAscendingandAscendingpastaknot
Ropeascendingcanbedoneusingprusikloopsormechanicalequipmentsuchashandledascenders (sometimescalledJumars),aPetzlTiblocoraWildCountryRopeman.

REMEMBER: Youmustalwaysbeattachedtotheropewithatleast1pointandaprusikloopormechanicalascender onlycountsasapoint.Soyoualwaysneedatleast2,or1withabackupinplace.Noticeinthepicture abovetheclimberisbackedupbyaclovehitchattachedtohisharnesswithaHMSkarabiner.Everyfew metreshewilladjusttheclovehitchtoreducetheslack. Ascendingpastaknot 1) Ascendtheropeusingtwoprusikloops(orsomethingsimilar)usingaclovehitchbackup. 2) Whenyougettotheknotpushyourwaistprusikupagainstitandsitonit.Adjustyourclovehitch backuptoreducetheslack. 3) Takeyourfootprusikofandattachitabovetheknotandtoyourharness. 4) Removetheclovehitchbackupasyouarenowattachby2waistprusiks. 5) Makeafootwrapintheropebelowandstandup.Slidethetopprusikupandputyourweighton it. 6) Removethefootwrapandreplaceyourclovehitchbackup. 7) Removethebottomprusikandreplaceabovetheknot. 8) Continueonupwithyourclovehitchbackupasperusual. ________________________

22 Changeoverfromdescenttoascent
Whatgoesdownsuddenlywantstogobackupagain.

Procedure: 1) Stopandletyourprusikbackup(belowthedevice)takeyourweight. 2) Tieoffyourdevicesecurely. 3) Placeaprusikaboveyourdeviceandpushitupfully. 4) Placeaclovehitchbackuponyourharness. 5) Releasetheabseildeviceandplaceyourweightonthetopprusik. 6) Removetheabseildevicefromtherope. 7) Usingyouroriginalabseilbackupprusikasafootprusikcontinueonuprememberingtoadjust yourclovehitchbackupeveryfewmetrestolimittheslack. Youcanreversethisprocesstochangefromascendingtodescending.

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23 HoistingSystems
Whenyouneedtoliftsomeonebackuptothetoptheonlysafeandeasywayistocreateahoisting systemtogiveyouanaddedadvantage. AssistedHoist Usethismethodwhenthepersonbeinghoistediscooperatingandnotinjured.

Procedure: 1) TieoffthebelayropeandplaceaFrenchprusikinfrontofyourprusikmindingdevice. 2) Feedabiteofropefromtheslacksideofthebelaylinedowntotheabseilerwithalocking karabinerattached. 3) Theabseilerattachesthekarabinertohisharnessandlocksthegate. 4) Releasethedelaydeviceandtheprusikshouldholdtheweight. 5) Theabseilerpullsontheroperunningdowntohimwhileyoupullupontheropecomingbackup toyou. 6) Ifyouwanttorestmakesuretheprusiklocksandalwayskeepahandontheropeortieitoff.

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UnassistedHoist Usethismethodwhenthepersonbeinghoistedisunabletoassistwiththeprocess.

Procedure: 1) TieoffthebelayropeandplaceaFrenchprusikinfrontoftheprusikmindingdevice. 2) AttachasecondprusikusingaKlemheistknotasfardownasyoucancomfortablyreachandclip yourropetailthroughitwithalockingkarabiner. 3) Releasethebelaydeviceandensurethattheprusikistakingtheweight. 4) Pullonthetailendoftheropeanditshouldslidethrough. 5) WhentheKlemheistgetsclosetotheFrenchprusic,lettheFrenchtaketheweightandresetthe Klemheistlowerdownontherope. 6) Repeatuntilhoistiscomplete. 7) IfyourneedtorestmakesuretheFrenchprusikislockingandalwayskeepahandontherope ortieitoff.

25 7. Sources
Thefollowingworkswereusedasreferencesandforthegraphicsandpictures: 1) RockClimbing:EssentialSkillsandTechniques OfficialhandbookoftheBritishMIA&SPSAschemes. ByLibbyPeter PublishedbyMountainLeaderTrainingUKin2004. 2) TechnicalHandbookforProfessionalMountainGuides PublishedbyTheAmericanMountainGuidesAssociation& TheAssociationofCanadianMountainGuidesin1999 3) TheMountainSkillsTrainingHandbook ByPeteHillandStuartJohnson PublishedbyDavid&Charlesin2000 4) TheCompleteClimbersHandbook ByJerryCinnamon PublishedbyRaggedMountainPressin2000 5) BEALRopesCatalogue 2004