mtngoat59102
02-05-2005, 05:16 PM
Loss of control while on rappel: 05/2004
Drop: 110 feet or 33.5 meters approximately
Rope: 8mm Canyon Pro from Bluewater
Descending device: Black Diamond ATC-XP
Carabiner: Omega locker (steal)
Conditions: Both the rope and my gloves where soaking wet; no flowing water
Technique: single strand while carrying pull rope down in a rope bag attached my harness
The feeling is subtle at first. I noticed that I was moving faster than
is TYPICAL for me at that height, rig, etc. maybe this ‘feeling’ is
something that comes with doing a few raps that way in the past. If you
ever feel this subtle feeling the time to stop is NOW. I reached over
and grabbed the rope with my second hand and slowed down some (notice I
didn't say stopped). My next foolish thought was, 'okay that is better
only 50 feet more to go, no problem'. With 20/20 hindsight I could have
locked off using my feet at this point, shortly after that it was too
late. The final 30' of the rap went by so quick it was hard to say what
I should have done but continue to hold on as best I could. In
retro-spec I think I could have achieved a scalding/damaging/burning
thigh belay after gaining speed (loss of control). I shiver to think
about the body damaging effects this would have but on a longer drop it
might have saved my life. A thigh belay is simply achieved by running
the rope under one thigh and pulling up on it, using your thigh as added
friction and a re-direct, the thought of the pain associated with this
might make the practicality of it almost impossible, but in theory, an option.
This accident was so preventable it isn't funny. Easy solutions
include:
1.) 2-biners under ATC in conjunction with leg-loop back-up. Many
variations of leg-loop systems exist.
2.) Belay from below, A.K.A. fireman’s belay.
3.) Lock-off/stop early enough and wrap the rope around my back/under
my butt/around feet. Once things have gone too far any change of this
type is next to impossible from my experience.
5.) The use of gloves caused me to be less cautious of how I rigged my
system. A correctly rigged descending device will not require gloves to
control your descent. In short, my gloves added to my carelessness.
6.) Other devices on the market allow much easier transition of
friction options mid-rappel and this is a valuable feature if you know
how to use it. There is nothing wrong with the device I was using but
after my experience I favor other devices for the above reason.
Remember, ‘A poor workman blames his tools.’ So, the responsibility is
yours. Know how to use what you carry and only carry what you know how
to use, the life you save will most likely be your own.
7.) (February, 2005) After some more experience with the ATC-XP it is my solid belief that the device had less friction then previous use due to two factors. First, wear on the grooved side had decreased the amount of friction it had while new. Secondly, the grooved side of the device had rotated on my carabiner and the ATC-XP had tilted dramatically towards my brake hand side reducing the bend in the rope that produces friction.(this is only my opinion)
The point being, lots of options exist and the time to avail them to
Yourself is before you start the rappel or canyon, not after. The
simple act of rigging a contingency system to add friction to your
device if needed would have been easy and much less painful for me in
the end.
As a good teacher once said, ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound
of cure.’ Please, email me if you have any questions.
Drop: 110 feet or 33.5 meters approximately
Rope: 8mm Canyon Pro from Bluewater
Descending device: Black Diamond ATC-XP
Carabiner: Omega locker (steal)
Conditions: Both the rope and my gloves where soaking wet; no flowing water
Technique: single strand while carrying pull rope down in a rope bag attached my harness
The feeling is subtle at first. I noticed that I was moving faster than
is TYPICAL for me at that height, rig, etc. maybe this ‘feeling’ is
something that comes with doing a few raps that way in the past. If you
ever feel this subtle feeling the time to stop is NOW. I reached over
and grabbed the rope with my second hand and slowed down some (notice I
didn't say stopped). My next foolish thought was, 'okay that is better
only 50 feet more to go, no problem'. With 20/20 hindsight I could have
locked off using my feet at this point, shortly after that it was too
late. The final 30' of the rap went by so quick it was hard to say what
I should have done but continue to hold on as best I could. In
retro-spec I think I could have achieved a scalding/damaging/burning
thigh belay after gaining speed (loss of control). I shiver to think
about the body damaging effects this would have but on a longer drop it
might have saved my life. A thigh belay is simply achieved by running
the rope under one thigh and pulling up on it, using your thigh as added
friction and a re-direct, the thought of the pain associated with this
might make the practicality of it almost impossible, but in theory, an option.
This accident was so preventable it isn't funny. Easy solutions
include:
1.) 2-biners under ATC in conjunction with leg-loop back-up. Many
variations of leg-loop systems exist.
2.) Belay from below, A.K.A. fireman’s belay.
3.) Lock-off/stop early enough and wrap the rope around my back/under
my butt/around feet. Once things have gone too far any change of this
type is next to impossible from my experience.
5.) The use of gloves caused me to be less cautious of how I rigged my
system. A correctly rigged descending device will not require gloves to
control your descent. In short, my gloves added to my carelessness.
6.) Other devices on the market allow much easier transition of
friction options mid-rappel and this is a valuable feature if you know
how to use it. There is nothing wrong with the device I was using but
after my experience I favor other devices for the above reason.
Remember, ‘A poor workman blames his tools.’ So, the responsibility is
yours. Know how to use what you carry and only carry what you know how
to use, the life you save will most likely be your own.
7.) (February, 2005) After some more experience with the ATC-XP it is my solid belief that the device had less friction then previous use due to two factors. First, wear on the grooved side had decreased the amount of friction it had while new. Secondly, the grooved side of the device had rotated on my carabiner and the ATC-XP had tilted dramatically towards my brake hand side reducing the bend in the rope that produces friction.(this is only my opinion)
The point being, lots of options exist and the time to avail them to
Yourself is before you start the rappel or canyon, not after. The
simple act of rigging a contingency system to add friction to your
device if needed would have been easy and much less painful for me in
the end.
As a good teacher once said, ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound
of cure.’ Please, email me if you have any questions.