Double rope rap: clip tether carabiner to the “pull” strand

For a double rope rap, of course it’s super important to pull the side that has the knot!

Nine times out of ten, you’ll be able to remember just fine. But for multipitch rappels, when you’re threading the lower anchor before pulling and swapping the rope that gets pulled every time, it’s dark, you’re tired after a big day, the weather is challenging, adrenaline-induced brain shrinkage, or whatever, this tip gives you one less thing to pay attention to. 

After you unclip your tether carabiner from the anchor, clip it onto the rope that needs to get pulled (here, that’s green).

The carabiner politely slides down the rope above your device. At the bottom, there’s no question about which rope needs to get pulled; it’s always the one with your tether carabiner. 

This isn't just for the last person. If the first person down does this, they can start threading the correct pull rope through the lower anchor. 

Note: in the photo, I decided to not show a rappel extension to more easily see the rigging. Typically I use a rappel extension and third hand back up.