CLIMB SKILLS
›HOW TO:
MULTIPITCH ABSEILING
Seared into my memory are the two occasions when, if not for the vigilance of my climbing partners, I’d have become just another abseiling fatality statistic, statistics which include some very talented and experienced climbers. So, just what can you do to stay safe when heading down? By Mike Margeson
Stay switched on
Human error is a major contributory factor in many abseil accidents. On the arrival at the top of a climb many emotions will be at play: satisfaction, relief, enjoyment. But the game is not over – this is the time to stay focused and really use your skills, experience and judgment; you’re not safe until you’re back at the foot of the route. Work as a team: checking and working together to effi ciently manage your descent, not allowing yourself to be distracted from the vital safety checks that need to be made at each stage. You need to stay focussed, especially when other pressures – such as bad weather or darkness – come into play.
Check the anchors
Each anchor should be critically inspected – whether a gleaming abseil station or a mountain-crag thread – since all your eggs are about to be in one basket. However well-travelled a sport route looks, check every chain ring (and especially whether any maillon rapides are fully screwed up). On sling belays take time to inspect the set
up: how long has that cord or sling been there; what colour was it originally; how much UV has it seen in its life; is it actually threaded? If you are not completely happy about an abseil anchor then leave behind an additional piece of gear, or replace the in-situ tat. Carry a few metres of 5 or 6 millimetre cord and a small, sharp knife to equalise anchors or replace threads. Before choosing not to leave behind an extra wire think: how much is your life worth?
Manage your ropes
The length of your rope is obviously critical, but diameter is ever more signifi cant with the many ‘skinny’ ropes about these days. Think about your choice of abseil device and your rope diameter before you have to use the combination in anger; a smaller diameter rope will travel more quickly (sometimes very quickly!) through your friction device. When joining two ropes to abseil my preferred method is the neat and compact overhand knot – less prone to jamming on retrieval, but don’t forget to leave reasonable tails of about 50cm. And
42 | 70TH ANNIVERSARY | FOR BRITISH CLIMBING AND WALKING SINCE 1944
always tie a knot of some description in the ends of the ropes.
How you manage your ropes will be slightly different at each abseil station but being organised, effi cient and avoiding a complete ‘birds nest’ is crucial. And, when you’re pulling through your ropes, make sure that you attach one end to the anchor beforehand – avoiding the schoolboy error of your rope fl ying off down the cliff leaving you stranded.
Remember basic skills
Some form of cowstail to attach yourself to anchors will be required – perhaps the easiest is to larks foot a sling to your central belay loop; a number of knots can be tied to provide different lengths. Use some form of back up device – the most commonly used is a French prusik, but don’t assume it won’t slip. When intentionally stopping don’t just let go of the control rope, leaving it held on the prusik alone, but twist the rope around your back and opposite leg fi rst. Before you leave each set of abseil anchors, get your partner to double check you. When you
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