Rappelling Anchor Point

[DavidR]

I'm trying to find a a way to tie off to an anchor point that will allow me to untie the knot from the ground by pulling on one side of the rope. I think I've sen this done but can't find any info on it. Does anyone here know of such a rappelling system? 

[DavidR]

Still looking:

Dealing with the Rope

It is common for canyons to contain multiple short rappels (say 30-40 feet) as well as longer rappels that require a full rope length (100-200 feet). This means the canyoneer will need to recoil a full-length rope after every drop, even though most of the drops are short. One can either carry a separate short rope for the short drops or use a 'biner block in conjunction with a rope bag. This combination has revolutionized canyon rope management. It allows quick deployment of only the rope needed for the drop without tangling the whole mess.

    * Take one end of rope and run it through the rapide.
    * Pull out enough rope to reach the bottom. (If you can't see or hear the rope touch the bottom, set a contingency anchor).
    * Block that end with either a 'biner block or a knot block
    * Throw down the rope bag with the rest of the rope (should deploy smoothly).
    * Rappel either single or double stranded (if single stranded, be sure to rappel on the blocked strand!).
    * Once down, pull the un-blocked end and stuff the rope back in the rope bag.
    * Voila , no tangle, no hassle.

[JC785]

When I get back in town I will get a hold of a friend of mine that rappels a lot and see if he knows.

[DavidR]

What sparked this interest is a thing I came across called Canyoneering. I'm not interested in the obvious risk of being in full current waterfalls or high jumps or dives, but I think there are some techniques and methods that Canyoneers use that could be useful (to me at least) on the trails. I've encountered some areas now and than that are pretty difficult to access.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/hpqcfWFCwSo&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/hpqcfWFCwSo&rel=0</a>

[JC785]

man those guys are crazy!

[Woody]

You can double the rope over. Hang the rope from the anchor point at the rope's middle. Tie the two ends together and toss over to the bottom of the repel. Once you are at the bottom, untie the ends, and pull one side  to bring the rest of the rope down. You will just need a rope that is twice as long as the repel height.

[Rob]

David, you may want to try to contact the folks at Mountain High at their Cahaba Village location. They sell climbing gear and some are very experienced climbers/rappellers. They may be able to help you out.

[DavidR]

Thanks guys. Excellent idea. Now I gotta get some good rope. I ran into a few situations that a rappel would have made life easier on my last few hikes.

[WSG]

David, seems I remember you being from Cullman.. If that's right there is a place between Cullman and Falkville on Hwy31 that has climbing gear and instructors. They could probably supply ya with some rope and advice!

Hurricane Creek

[DavidR]

Thanks. I know John, the owner. I walk through the park every now and then.

[Skippy]

If you are ever up around Oneonta on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon I could meet you up at Palisades Park and show you how........ Its easy if you are not afraid of heights, just let me know.

[SmokeDiver]

Hey David, I was just curious, what are you carrying in your rappel kit when you're on a weekend hike? Are you using a harness, descender and other hardware, or are you going minimalist with just some webbing and a carabiner? I've tried that with a small diameter rope, just used some webbing to make a harness and a munter hitch on the carabiner instead of carrying extra gear.

[DavidR]

If you are ever up around Oneonta on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon I could meet you up at Palisades Park and show you how........ Its easy if you are not afraid of heights, just let me know.

Cool. I've bouldered at Palisades many times. Yeah, there are some wicked high rappels there. I'll likely take you up on that when I can. Thanks.

Smoke...I only carry rope. No harness, webbing, or anything else. I only intend on using such a system if I have to and only on less than vertical descents. I'm thinking a bowline knot with a backup overhand knot around the waist to give some hold to more difficult areas. 

[SmokeDiver]

Ah, gotcha. There's a way of looping your line through your pack straps to add friction. I've never tried it. I took to wearing my escape belt from work in the woods. It works as a harness and is super light weight. You might like it Escape Belt  Then all I need is a carabiner, or in your case a double line descender would work. I wish I could find a youtube vid at the moment to illustrate. Only time I've seen it on tape is on an episode of Man vs Wild. You could also consider a small break bar, it will take a double line feed and you can adjust the friction as needed. The benefit of the system Woody talked about is the anchor is tensionless, no knot means less damage to the rope.

[grayw0lf]

With all due respect, you may want to pursue some formal or at least good & proper training.  Rappelling is a life & death matter.

I'm sure there are many people on here who would be happy to have you join them on a trip or 2.  It doesn't take that long to learn, but there are good & bad ways to do everything.  Sure, 20 overhand knots may hold for your anchor, but there's no way I'd hang on it!  Spend some time with some skilled people & you'll pickup some good habits quickly.

Just my $0.02

John O>.