This video is designed for someone who already has a working understanding of how to do a load transfer with a friction hitch secured with a munter mule overhand.
My friend did this a much easier way. We had just climbed the nose in 2 days. Our first big wall. Freed up to 5.11, French free to 5.12. Then full aid after that. Slept on on a ledge at camp 4, the actual rock , no portaledge, space bags to sleep in, we went light. Now the relevant part. We rapped fixed single lines down the east ledge descent. I went first and had all the climbing gear. My friend Jared had our small haul bag. His ATC was in the bottom of the bag and I had my spare rappel figure 8, so I gave that to him for the rappel. Within 200’ of the bottom, I noticed the rope had a knot joining another 60 meter rope to the ground. I also noticed chains to my right with another fixed 60 meter rope to the ground. Seemed easier, so I swung over switched ropes at a ledge, then rappelled to the ground. Jared didn’t see me do this, and didn’t notice the knot until he was on it. By good luck and some bouncing, the knot went throw the large eye of the figure eight rappel device. Badda-Bing Badda-Bang passed the knot in seconds. Knot a recommendation though🙀
sound and solid but yeah often the material gets tossed around for "faster" rappel after many hours of approach and climbing...then you or your partner find themselves going down with little more than a locker and a few slings. Hopefully there is many ways to do this!
Nice presentation. Isn't it a pity that it has to be so complicated; I hope some manufacturer comes up with a simple system. But thank you, from Australia.
Quick tip. If you use a machard (releases under tension) instead of a klemheist, you save yourself a lot of time and effort (no need for munther hitch, etc.). It means you avoid having to do an extra "prusik" to step on to retrieve your klemheist. If you use a machard in the first place, once you have your belay below the knot, simply grab the machard and slowly press it from the top down, and it will release. You do this slowly to sit the weight on your belay device. Job done. Off you go. Hope you try it and hope you find it adecuate.
Not to mention that using the klemheist the way you do, requires a long cordelette, or extra slings for the munter hitch. Things should be done with minimum use of equipment.
Hey Miguel, thanks for the idea, I certainly always appreciate different ways of looking at systems - particularly because I agree that this method has a lot of steps and requires the correct material though I always carry a cordelette on me regardless. It appears their are variations for the machard. One variation is also called the klemheist and another variation is also called the autblock. If you're referring to the autoblock variation I can see what you mean. In my experience, the autoblock slides more easily when light force is applied and catches when full weight is applied. It seems that might be tricky once weighting the friction hitch to keep yourself from sliding as you're repositioning the rappel or to lower your weight back onto the repositioned rappel device without using physical effort to lighten the force on the autoblock so as to allow it to slide. I'm definitely going to try it though to see for myself so thanks!
If you have two strands of rope, you should never need to pass a knot on rappel. Fix both strands. First person goes down on the strand of rope that doesn’t have the knot. Unfix both strands. The first person down ties the strand of rope that has the knot into them selves or into the anchor or on a tree or something else, and the second person does a counterbalance rappel on one strand. Bang, both people down with zero knot passing.
Nice! This would work! In this scenario it would be best practice for security of the second climber to have a tether connected to your belay loop and attached to the other rope (with the knot) with a friction hitch. You'd have to mind the friction hitch as you descend and either use a second below the knot when you get to it (and clean the first) or tie both ropes into a bhk and directly into your belay loop while you unattach the friction hitch and reattach below the knot. It's a few extra steps but worth it to rule out any accidental miscommunication with your partner especially since an unfortunate amount of accidents have occurred while rappelling and while counterbalance rappelling without securing the other rope in some way if something were to happen (check out a related video I've done on simul rappels if you'd like!) Another way that is pretty slick and leaves less chance for error or miscommunication is to do a single strand rappel using the "carabineer block" to fix the rope. I'll have to make a video for this but you could look it up too! Basically you thread the rope through the rings until you get to the middle as normal but tie an overhand on a bight on the strand that has has a knot on it, then clip the bight to the other strand with a locker. Rappel on the now fixed strand. When you get down, you pull the side with a bight knot to get your rope back!
My friend did this a much easier way. We had just climbed the nose in 2 days. Our first big wall. Freed up to 5.11, French free to 5.12. Then full aid after that. Slept on on a ledge at camp 4, the actual rock , no portaledge, space bags to sleep in, we went light. Now the relevant part. We rapped fixed single lines down the east ledge descent. I went first and had all the climbing gear. My friend Jared had our small haul bag. His ATC was in the bottom of the bag and I had my spare rappel figure 8, so I gave that to him for the rappel. Within 200’ of the bottom, I noticed the rope had a knot joining another 60 meter rope to the ground. I also noticed chains to my right with another fixed 60 meter rope to the ground. Seemed easier, so I swung over switched ropes at a ledge, then rappelled to the ground. Jared didn’t see me do this, and didn’t notice the knot until he was on it. By good luck and some bouncing, the knot went throw the large eye of the figure eight rappel device. Badda-Bing Badda-Bang passed the knot in seconds. Knot a recommendation though🙀
sound and solid but yeah often the material gets tossed around for "faster" rappel after many hours of approach and climbing...then you or your partner find themselves going down with little more than a locker and a few slings. Hopefully there is many ways to do this!
Nice presentation. Isn't it a pity that it has to be so complicated; I hope some manufacturer comes up with a simple system. But thank you, from Australia.
Thank you for watching!
Quick tip. If you use a machard (releases under tension) instead of a klemheist, you save yourself a lot of time and effort (no need for munther hitch, etc.).
It means you avoid having to do an extra "prusik" to step on to retrieve your klemheist.
If you use a machard in the first place, once you have your belay below the knot, simply grab the machard and slowly press it from the top down, and it will release. You do this slowly to sit the weight on your belay device. Job done. Off you go. Hope you try it and hope you find it adecuate.
Not to mention that using the klemheist the way you do, requires a long cordelette, or extra slings for the munter hitch. Things should be done with minimum use of equipment.
Hey Miguel, thanks for the idea, I certainly always appreciate different ways of looking at systems - particularly because I agree that this method has a lot of steps and requires the correct material though I always carry a cordelette on me regardless. It appears their are variations for the machard. One variation is also called the klemheist and another variation is also called the autblock. If you're referring to the autoblock variation I can see what you mean. In my experience, the autoblock slides more easily when light force is applied and catches when full weight is applied. It seems that might be tricky once weighting the friction hitch to keep yourself from sliding as you're repositioning the rappel or to lower your weight back onto the repositioned rappel device without using physical effort to lighten the force on the autoblock so as to allow it to slide. I'm definitely going to try it though to see for myself so thanks!
If you have two strands of rope, you should never need to pass a knot on rappel. Fix both strands. First person goes down on the strand of rope that doesn’t have the knot. Unfix both strands. The first person down ties the strand of rope that has the knot into them selves or into the anchor or on a tree or something else, and the second person does a counterbalance rappel on one strand. Bang, both people down with zero knot passing.
Nice! This would work! In this scenario it would be best practice for security of the second climber to have a tether connected to your belay loop and attached to the other rope (with the knot) with a friction hitch. You'd have to mind the friction hitch as you descend and either use a second below the knot when you get to it (and clean the first) or tie both ropes into a bhk and directly into your belay loop while you unattach the friction hitch and reattach below the knot. It's a few extra steps but worth it to rule out any accidental miscommunication with your partner especially since an unfortunate amount of accidents have occurred while rappelling and while counterbalance rappelling without securing the other rope in some way if something were to happen (check out a related video I've done on simul rappels if you'd like!) Another way that is pretty slick and leaves less chance for error or miscommunication is to do a single strand rappel using the "carabineer block" to fix the rope. I'll have to make a video for this but you could look it up too! Basically you thread the rope through the rings until you get to the middle as normal but tie an overhand on a bight on the strand that has has a knot on it, then clip the bight to the other strand with a locker. Rappel on the now fixed strand. When you get down, you pull the side with a bight knot to get your rope back!