*** Prussick Back-up for Rapelling *** Newsgroups: rec.climbing Subject: Re: Back-up for rappeling Date: Wed, 04 Feb 1998 09:32:22 -0800 Organization: NorthWest Nexus Inc. To: Jawright@halcyon.com I personally don't like the Prusik for back-up, because you will need your guide hand to keep it sliding down the rope, not being able to use it for balance or other uses. The best (if not rappeling alone) is to set up a belay on another rope from the top... As Christ described it you do have your guide hand free. I use the same method. All you need is a short piece of cordage (mine is a little more than a meter and I think 6mm -- I always space on specs.). Don't tie it into a loop - put it on the rope below the belay device (for most setups the device doesn't have to extended just put in on like normal) like you would a normal prussik. Then take the free ends and tie them to the leg loop on the brake hand side (I just slip one end under the leg loop than do and over hand with plenty of tail). I feel super confident with this. I've rapped everything from double 11mm to single 8mm and never had a problem. Because the prussik is below the device you can let go at any time. To get going again just release the prussik by giving the "nose" of the knot asqueeze. The only thing to remember is to make sure that the prussik is short enough that it cannot suck into the belay device. Subject: Re: Back-up for rappeling Date: 5 Feb 1998 From: sax@rmovt.rply.ce.chalmers.se (Stefan Axelsson) Organization: Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden Newsgroups: rec.climbing Thurston wrote: >NEVER a friction knot above the device(on the loaded strand/s).... >That can leave it loaded and its very difficult to unload..... On the contrary, do use a French prussik above the abseil device, and use your free hand to control it. In that way the prussik doesn't interfere with your "critical" hand, the one controling your descent. Furthermore, passing knots in the abseil rope becomes a cinch, instead of the royal pain in the a** that results when you have the knot below your descender. Also, you can change controling hand, easily wrap the rope around your leg for extra security etc. Now, the *French* prussik is very easy to slide down the rope when loaded, this isn't true of most other prussiks. (And when you pass the knot it's prudent to clip into the rope with a locking biner or some such, and not hang suspended by just the prussik.) Regards, Stefan Axelsson Chalmers University of Technology sax@rmovt.rply.ce.chalmers.se Dept. of Computer Engineering (Remove "rmovt.rply" to send mail.) From: Steve Gray said... >So, as I understand it now, the following is a Klemheist: > > | | ___ > | | / _ \ > _|__||_| \ \ > /________| | | > |_____| | | | > |_____| | / / > |_____| | / /| > \_______/ | || > | | \__/ > | | > cw| | > >And this would be a French Prussik?: > > | | > | | > _| |____ > /_|__|__ \\ > |______|\ \\ > |______| \ \\ > |______|_ \ \\ > \_______ \ \_/ <-- > | | \\ \ Biner through both loops here > | | \\ \ <---- > cw| | \\ \ > \_/ Yep. Steve Gray ----------------------------