Rapping off a tree

Hey everyone,

So I'm thinking of hitting the Red during the time of Rocktoberfest (I'm a teacher, so taking days off this time of the year is out of the question and Columbus Day is my first day off), and I was thinking of sticking to the trad crags in order to beat the ridiculous crowds. Some of the more popular areas have bolted rap anchors, but I've noticed that a lot of the more bushwhacked routes list "rap off of a tree" as the descent method. How do you guys normally do this? I've rapped off slings on trees before, but it would get pretty expensive if I had to leave a sling at the top of every climb (these are mostly 1-2 pitch climbs). Is there a recommended safe/ethical way of rappelling from a tree or other natural anchor using only the climbing rope? I was thinking you could double wrap the tree and then pull it through, but it seems like that would put a lot of wear on the rope & tree.

for your health

karstendelap.com/2014/03/24…

I always make sure its a sturdy tree, knot the ends of the ropes, and then just rap. Pulling the ropes doesnt do much damage because the rope is almost unweighted (save for the weight of half the rope and rope drag). Oh and rap from the base of the tree... Not trying to insult your intelligence.

Edit: use yours or others slings on heavily used routes. Just be sure to inspect old tat. I primarily rap down like above in places no one else has ever or will ever rap. No anchorless climbs in korea unless you make your own.

Really consider the old tat you're going to be rapping off. I had a friend deck over 80 in the red when an old anchor broke.

Do what ya gotta do. Consider just running some 6mm cord through the rap ring or biner.

is 1 inch webbing that expensive? if so... bring some 5-8mm cord. just do us a favor and cut off the bleached crap if your adding new tat.

trentbrown wrote:ulling the ropes doesnt do much damage because the rope is almost unweighted (save for the weight of half the rope and rope drag).

This seems like the case, but it's not and I've seen cliff tops completely denuded of trees over time from rapping directly off them. Please don't do this and instead figure out something to protect them.

Healyje wrote: This seems like the case, but it's not and I've seen cliff tops completely denuded of trees over time from rapping directly off them. Please don't do this and instead figure out something to protect them.

While the damage from pulling rap lines is significant, the primary cause of the tree deaths is the compaction of the soil around the tree from countless climbers feet.

trentbrown wrote:Pulling the ropes doesnt do much damage because the rope is almost unweighted (save for the weight of half the rope and rope drag).

This is false. It is pretty easy to groove trees with rope pulls, and this is bad for the trees.

Rappel grooves Rappel Grooves Rappel Grooves

The equivocation hitch is far easier on trees but is mostly used by canyoneers, who seem to be far more interested than climbers in not wrecking the environment. There are also various ways to use a sling but pull it off the tree afterwards, as a perusal of canyoneering sites will make abundantly clear. But really, you should just buy a few less beers and put proper slings and rap rings on the trees that need them.

That said, rapping off trees is turning out not to be a good solution in areas that are heavily used. The soil compaction of many climbers stomping around the tree, the erosion precipitated by said stomping, and the abrasion of the bark by periodically loaded slings will all contribute to the tree's premature demise.

Compaction of soil? Mostly relevant to flat, stable surfaces. I've cliff tops completely eroded of soil because of human visitors. Probably a case by case scenario. The point is, the sawing action of pulling ropes is very damaging to trees.

You can leave a piece of chord without rings which is very inexpensive. I prefer 7 mill or webbing for this. More routinely done in alpine settings and ice climbing with v-threads, we tend to also leave biners or rings in a crag environment but they really aren't necessary for rapping.

You can also rap 1/3 of your rope length by using a basketed sling or chord. Simply basket a tree, bolts, bolt, whatever, tie one end of your rope to one end of the basket. Drop a loop (1/3 rope length) and thread back through. Be careful not to rap down on the line that isn't counter balanced: the line you tied to the end of the basketed chord or sling. Pull your rope and the sling will come with it.

One final note. If you're concerned about the cost of potentially leaving a full anchor, don't climb the route. Leaving gear is something you should be prepared to do on every pitch you climb. Retreating safely in any given situation is an inherent part of climbing.

ropewiki.com/Fiddlestick

I have used this alot...it works well spares the tree.

Marc801 wrote: While the damage from pulling rap lines is significant, the primary cause of the tree deaths is the compaction of the soil around the tree from countless climbers feet.

I'm would imagine both contribute and I should have added that all the soil on the top of the cliff I know of disappeared along with the trees.

Very few areas at Red River Gorge still require rapping off a tree. I can only think of a few that I've done. If you do have to, there will likely be slings and mallions on the rap tree from previous parties, it is definitely advised to check the quality of the slings though, if they are sunbleached white or damaged in any way you should replace them with your own. At least two deaths in RRG can been attributed to sunbleached slings breaking under body weight. You can buy climb spec or military spec webbing by the foot for cheap and tie with a water knot, bring a small knife so you can cut to length and cut off any crap webbing when you replace it. Also pick up a couple plated steel quick links from the hardware store (3/8" is the preferred size here) they run about $3 each, or if you have money to blow you can get SS rap rings. Most trad routes at the red do have bolted anchors though, even some that indicate rap from tree online. FYI the gate to 9b is still closed and an additional lengthy approach will be added to crags such as Purple Valley. If you are really trying to get away from people, that would be your best bet, otherwise areas like fortress wall, long wall, and tower rock are among the more popular trad areas.

FYI no one raps directly off trees here, 99.9% of the time there will already be slings around the rap tree if there are no bolted anchors.

Ok, good to know. Yeah, I wasn't thrilled with the idea, but it was so common in the Elington book that I thought there was just something I was missing. Obviously, if I'm doing an all-day, multi pitch route, leaving a sling and rings at the top would be worth it...but if you're doing a bunch of 50 fters it seems like a waste.

Ted Pinson wrote:Obviously, if I'm doing an all-day, multi pitch route, leaving a sling and rings at the top would be worth it...but if you're doing a bunch of 50 fters it seems like a waste.

And remember, not manufactured sewn slings but those constructed on the spot with cheap 1" tubular and a water knot.

Hi Ted,

Some arborists use a retrievable sling called a friction saver. I usually cringe when I hear the words "retrievable" and "anchor" used in the same sentence but these things are dead simple and reliable. I don't know how to post links but if you google "friction saver" or "cambium saver" it should get you started. treebuzz.com or arbtalk.com probably have threads dedicated to making your own.

Rob Warden, Space Lizard wrote:http://ropewiki.com/Fiddlestick I have used this alot...it works well spares the tree.

More info on the Fiddlestick:
canyoneeringusa.com/techtip…

I like the look of the equivocation hitch, but still I'd only use it if I was out of or worried about the gear I had left to leave behind, or if speed of descent was critical

All these 'get the rope down for free' techniques really have no place in cragging or climbing in general. Some are more hassle then they're worth, others just add complexity and risk. Don't be cheap, leave a sling if necessary. At my most dirtbag I don't recall any remorse or hardship from leaving or adding slings to rap anchors.

Agreed, at around 30 cents a foot for climb spec webbing at rei, you can leave a sling for less than $2. Although some of the methods posted are interesting, they really have no relevance to the OP's question. And at $50-60 for the friction saver (though the concept is cool) you could easily fashion your own for less than $10, but it's going to be more of a hassle than its worth for this particular purpose (who wants to carry a tagline at RRG?),the fiddlestick seems like at the very least a pain in the ass and at most, downright dangerous.

I agree it's unescessary, I just wanted to throw out an option that was safe in case the op really wanted to use something like a retrievable sling. I used to make them out of webbing, a rap ring and a locker. No tag line was needed. But then I used to climb trees for a living.

If you want to see something really wild look up "retrievable webbing chock". Those canyoniers are nuts!