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Converting to Raise

Description

The situation: You rigged a double-strand or single-strand rappel from an anchor at the top using a non-contingency rigging method. Someone rappelling down got their shirt wedged in their rappel device, and they can't continue rappelling.

The solution: 

If you're strong enough and they're close enough to the top, you may be able to pull them back up with one or two people and brute strength without having to rerig. However, most of the time you'll need something a little more sophisticated.

Option 1 - Extra Long Rope Method

If you have an extra rope that is long enough to go from the anchor down to the rappeller and back up to the anchor, this is the easiest method.

  1. Attach your second rope to the anchor.
  2. Attach a Micro Traxion and carabiner to the middle of the rope.
  3. Lower the Micro Traxion and the middle of the rope to the stuck rappeller.
  4. The rappeller attaches the carabiner to their harness, ensuring that the Micro Traxion is oriented so that it can slide up on the strand connected to the anchor.
  5. Someone at the top pulls on the free end of the rope to raise up the rappeller.
  6. When they release the free end, the rappeller does not slide back down because of the progress capture device.

Depending on the situation, you may want to lift them up only a little bit so they can unstick their rappel device then continue rappelling, or you may want to raise them all the way to the top so they can reset at the top.

Option 2 - Short Rope Method

If you don't have enough rope to go from the anchor to the rappeller and back up to the anchor, this method will work, but it is much slower. This method also works for an unconscious rappeller.

  1. Attach a progress capture device (Micro Traxion, Ascender, or Slide-and-Grip knot) to the rappel rope close to the anchor and secure the progress capture device to the anchor. It should be able to slide down but not up.
  2. Attach a progress capture device to the rappel rope several feet below the anchor. It should be able to slide down but not up.
  3. Attach a pulley or carabiner to the lower progress capture device.
  4. Attach one end of the rope to the anchor, through the lower progress capture device, then back up.
  5. Pull the rope to raise the rappeller.
  6. When the lower progress capture device runs into the upper progress capture device, reset by sliding the lower progress capture device down the rope.

 

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Ascending Pickoff