What tips do you have for "exploratory rappelling"?

Heyo MP amigos,

I'm working on an article for my website Alpinesavvy called "Exploratory Rappelling".

I'm loosely defining this as:

1. Going down an established rap route when you don't know where the anchors are
2. You are rapping somewhere that hardly anybody ever goes (aka "epic in progress") and you need to build anchors as you go along.

What do you think are some things that you think could be important in this situation?

I've got a few tips in a draft article but I'm sure I'm missing some things. What might you add to this list? 

• Practice making retreat anchors
• First person down takes the rack
• Use “block rappelling” (one person "leads" going down)
• Consider lowering the first person
• Be prepared to ascend the rope (if you rap too far and need to go up)
• Be ready to “extend” your rappel rope if needed

Constructive suggestions are welcome. Thanks for helping me improve this future article.

John

Established route, but unsure

1. Look for common places rappel stations tend to be. Ledges, around aretes, that sort of thing.
2. Look at wear on the rock before you leave the station. If all the rope grooves/marks point to the left, that's probably where the next station is located.
3. Rapping from a MMO can be helpful, that way you partner can belay you back up or lower you more if needed. This leads into carabiner block rappels as well.
4. Look at the area photos/description on MP. Sometimes the rappel is described there.
5. If the tat is nasty, you're probably not on the typical rappel line.

Epic in progress

1. Be confident in your choice to rappel if you're unable to climb back up what you rap down. Think about rock quality, protection on the climb, where the rappel will take you (ledged out, wrong side of a feature), etc. After you pull the rope, you might be committed!
2. Keep an eye out for natural features you can rappel from. Adding a station that uses little to no material is great, even if it's a short rappel. It might mean you can stretch the rappel to something you couldn't reach before.
3. Test your new station before going off rappel from the previous station. Learn to backup stations for the first person down, then eliminate extra pieces if possible (i.e. build two piece anchors with a third as a removable backup).
4. You can rappel directly through slings, but be wary about getting your rope stuck. This is almost the only time when a SWAMP anchor might be the best choice. 
5. Stationary ropes don't magically pop out of non-locking carabiners, but features can open gates.
6. In emergencies, You can cut your rope if you need to leave more tat. You can also single strand for your final rappel if you won't need the rope later.
7. Nuts are cheaper than cams. Cams are cheaper than a helicopter ride.

Adam Flemingwrote:

Adam, outstanding suggestions as usual, thank you!

To add a couple thoughts to the list:

Epic in progress:

• Try to avoid using multiple pieces of the same size in a single anchor, leave yourself options for subsequent anchors
• The best spot for your backup headlamp batteries is in your backup headlamp
• Shorter rappels are less likely to get stuck, kinda an add-on to Adam's second point about natural features. Linking two good stances with natural anchors and easy pulls can be more materially efficient than a long rappel from gear
• Be practiced at recognizing down-climbable terrain and utilize that skill (adequately protecting the "down leader") where appropriate

Established route:

• Beyond rope marks/grooves, generally any pre-equalized-ish anchor will be built in the direction of the next rappel. 

I get what you’re going for with a term like “exploratory rappelling.” But context collapse is real and I’d be worried some people will think you’re writing a how-to guide for exploring cliffs via rappel (as opposed to descending from a climb). 

For example some guys who did not feel up to climbing The Nose hiked to the top to rappel it instead. They needed a rescue.

I think Adam’s comment points to a better way to frame the subject. Maybe there are really two articles here: rappelling an established descent route for the first time, and rappelling out of an epic. There’s some overlap but they are different situations. And both are clearly climbing situations.

In terms of the content: as they descend, climbers really need to keep doing the math of:

• How far have we descended
• How far off the ground are we
• How much gear do we have left
• How much rope do we have left

Seems basic but I think it is worth emphasizing in the article, as it is easy to lose track in the immediacy of route finding, anchors, weather, etc.

Down by Andy Kirkpatrick a definitive work on the subject.  

Jabroni McChufferson wrote:

Not throwing the rope, and keep the ropes end clipped to you m and consider saddle bagging the ropes 

Thanks for your suggestion. I'm curious about why you would not want to throw the rope? Can you elaborate on that?

Alpine Savvywrote:

Thanks for your suggestion. I'm curious about why you would not want to throw the rope? Can you elaborate on that?

Choss.  You can easily know loose rocks down on the remaining tails. 

For an "epic in progress" hardly any traffic is not no traffic. It is useful to keep an eye out for past bail anchors, though only use with thorough inspection. Many walls are littered with past bail anchors. In the same vein, it is important to keep in mind that the ground is not the only possible destination. Angling your rappels to meet up with an established rap line can save you a bunch of gear and bring your epic to an end sooner.

Alpine Savvywrote:

Thanks for your suggestion. I'm curious about why you would not want to throw the rope? Can you elaborate on that?

The reason I don’t like throwing the rope down in certain terrain is that there can be a lot of crap below you that the rope can slide into, wrap around, get caught on… then when you stop and the end is below you and you try to pull it up, it doesn’t always want to come. 

The last person down, makes sure the entire rope is in parallel lines. Separate left and right line separated if you can .

A lot of great comments here, and I want to echo what James said about clarifying your term. I'm thinking of it from a context in canyoneering (which is a lot of my background) and places like Death Valley you're essentially committed when you rap down canyon but there's not a lot of natural anchor options, let alone established anchors. I'm also thinking of when I do big canyons in Zion and use a rope bag to throw over (addressing the "don't throw your rope" comment) until I hear a "thud" in the bottom. The route Behunin has a 165ft rappel followed by a 100ft with a short ledge in between, so I'm relying on that "thud" to know my rope will reach the ground (especially when you're descending in the dark and both your headlamps were left in the car and your phone died because it was submerged in a small pool of water. Of course nobody would be so foolish...). But from a climbing perspective, all this might not really apply if you're bailing or going down a route you've climbed.

I also want to echo about Andy Kirkpatrick's book Down. Incredibly thorough and excellent resource. 

Epic in progress. A shiver bivy and waiting until daylight over rapping into unknown terrain is sometimes the best decision. 

When climbing with doubles (50s or 60s), I always keep in mind that I can rap 100 or 120 meters by passing the knot. If that gets me to the ground (on many local routes it definitely will) in an epic, great! I’ll come back later to get the ropes if I can. If not, it was an expensive lesson in cutting things too close by epic-ing in the first place. Not part of the question, but if my buddy is injured, I can lower him that same long distance (hopefully to the ground) by tying the ropes together and using a Munter on an HMS biner and passing the knot through the biner (nice technique to have in the bag o’ tricks).

Do we get to read this article for free since we helped ;)

Good - get someone else to go first

Better - get someone else to go last

Best - lets go sport climbing!

Not so savvy for the alpine, eh?  Is this what the Internet has come to??

Yer gonna die!

Climb Onwrote:

Do we get to read this article for free since we helped ;)

Good question. Pretty much all my articles are available in the complete form for free. This one, because it's pretty recent will be about 80% free on the main part of my website. My premium members will be able to read the entire article. Membership is at the very dirtbag friendly price of $.30 per day so affordable for just about everybody.

Stileswrote:

Not so savvy for the alpine, eh?  Is this what the Internet has come to??

Maybe sit this one out dude. John's site has done more for climbing than you ever will, or most of us for that matter. Me included. 

Knowledge I've gained from Alpine Savvy has quite literally saved me during an emergency rap/epic situation and given me countless other skills I didn't have before finding his site. 

Cosmic Hotdogwrote:

Maybe sit this one out dude. John's site has done more for climbing than you ever will, or most of us for that matter. Me included. 

Knowledge I've gained from Alpine Savvy has quite literally saved me during an emergency rap/epic situation and given me countless other skills I didn't have before finding his site. 

Duly noted, Hotdog.  My tongue in cheek bump struck a nerve?  My apologies.  Andy Kirkpatrick's copious writings are worth repeated study when not out in the alpine learning from doing.  

Knowledge is power, and cash is king!  Thirty cents trumps 2 cents any day.  And getting yourself to the ground rather than hitting the button on you PLB--priceless!!