Adding friction to a rappel
Note - This post discusses techniques and methods used in vertical rope work. If you do them wrong, you could die. Always practice vertical rope techniques under the supervision of a qualified instructor, and ideally in a progression: from flat ground, to staircase, to vertical close to the ground before you ever try them in a real climbing situation.
Sure, on a bluebird day, standard rappel practice is probably going to work fine. However, some rappel situations, such as:
a single strand
wet/icy rope
skinny rope
cold hands
no gloves
forgot your third hand friction hitch backup
wearing a heavy pack or dangling a haulbag
a rescue where you have the weight of 2 climbers on the rappel rope
dark
an icy, slippery slab
a knuckle scraping overhang
not sure where the next anchors are, need to go slowly and look around
or any multiple combination of these cluster factors, can make adding some friction a fine idea.
Raps under Less Than Ideal conditions are often safer and easier when you add extra friction to the rap to better control your descent speed. This can be especially true for beginners, who most of the time are happy to go down a little more slowly under greater control.
Note, using these techniques does not replace having a third hand backup autoblock.
Note: It is critically important that you always use a rappel device that is properly sized for your rope.
This is especially true if you are using twin or half ropes. Many accidents have happened when people have started to slide uncontrollably when they had a skinny rope in a rappel device designed for something larger. The techniques below do not replace having the correct rappel device to begin with.
Here are a few easy ways to add friction to a rappel.
Note - Method 3 is my favorite, because it's more easily adjustable on the fly. Need just a little bit of extra friction? Redirect the brake strand through the bottom carabiner. Need even more friction? Redirect the brake strand through the top carabiner.
Methods 3 is what we might call “adjustable”. Meaning, you can have the carabiners in place, ready to go in case you need them. If you find your rap is going faster than you like, you can then use them. Because rappels get faster near the bottom when there is less rope weight, this can be a good approach.
1) Use TWO carabiners and clip the rope through both.
The extra friction of the second carabiner slows your descent. This may be counterintuitive, as it seems that the sharper angle made by a single carabiner would slow the rope more. It’s actually the opposite - try it yourself and see. This second carabiner does not necessarily need to be locking, and it does not have to be clipped to your belay loop.
Lots of pro guides advocate this technique, but personally I‘ve found it doesn’t make much of a difference.
Bonus tip - if you find yourself having to belay on a skinny rope with a belay device that's not quite rated for it, you can use this same “double belay carabiner” trick to add a bit more friction. (Ideally, you should never find yourself in this situation . . .)
2) Clip a spare carabiner to your device’s “ear”, then to the belay loop.
If you have a plaquette style belay device such as a DMM Pivot or ATC Guide, try this: feed the rope as for a normal rappel. Clip a spare carabiner (non locker is fine) through the “ear” of the device, then clip that carabiner to your belay loop. Doing this changes the braking angle of the device, increasing friction.
Note: The effectiveness of this has a lot to do with the rope diameter, how slippery the sheath is, and the size of the carabiners you’re using. This might be the perfect solution, it may only give a tiny bit of increased friction at all, or it may completely lock up your device. Definitely practice this one on a staircase first!
Note, if you’re rappelling from a sling with an extended rappel, can you clip this year back to your belay loop, you will immediately lock up your device and be in ascending mode. Which at times can be super helpful! Learn more at this article.
3) “Rappel Z” with an extended rappel
This is pretty hard to describe in words, so check out the diagram below.
This has the advantage of working with an autoblock backup, if you choose to use it. Note that you need to attach the autoblock to the leg loop, and it might also add an unnecessary extra amount of friction and cluster. As always, practice in a controlled situation, like a staircase, before you use it for real.
image: “Self Rescue”, by DAvid Fasulo, illustration by Mike CLelland
