Leg Wrap Lockoff Every rapeller should learn the leg wrap lock off It’s independent of whatever repelling device you use and you can use it even when something is jammed in your rapelling device Clipping the rope into a carabiner on a gear loop only serves to keep gravity from unraveling the rope from your…
Self-Belay; Below Rappel Device One common form of self-belay when rappelling is to extend your rappelling device and rig a prusik on the brake strand below the device When you use your VT Prusik for this application there’s no reason to use a Valdetain Tresse Instead use the more common French Prusik When tying a…
Totem in Throttle Mode The 2 slots of the Totem were designed to be used with double ropes in stitch plate mode but people started noticing that you could use the totem as a lever to adjust friction thus the name throttle mode A student in one of our Totem workshops came up with a…
Self belays, or as some people know as autoblock, third-hand, or painly ‘prusik’, for canyoneering newbs, are for the most part, a bad idea.
Rappel Device Extension Contributed by Adolfo Isassi When not to use a rappel extension It seems that this is one of the aspects of canyoneering that is surrounded by mystery, misconceptions and sometimes, misuse. WHAT ARE SOME GOOD REASONS TO EXTEND YOUR RAPPEL DEVICE? Get more friction out of the rappel device. By extending it,…
Frog Ascending System There are multiple ascending systems, including the Texas Prusik (and variations thereof), the RAD (and variations thereof, and the Frog. The Frog is popular with cavers and is becoming more popular with canyoneers, especially in swift water canyons. The first video provides an excellent overview of the system, along with details about…
Ascending Rope with Prusiks The techniques depicted in this video for self-rescue out of a crevasse can also be used in canyoneering. You use the Prusik technique to climb up and then make your way over the lip of the crevasse using the pulley (Garda hitch). For this self-rescue method you will need two Prusik…
Crab Claw Via Ferrata Lanyard I found this video on YouTube providing instructions for tying a crab claw lanyard. Nothing wrong with it in the context in which it is presented. He mentions moving ACROSS a via ferrata and there is footage in the video showing people moving horizontally on cables. But an important caution…
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