View source for Abseiling

{{short description|Rope-controlled descent}}
{{redirect|Rappel|the town in Estonia formerly known as Rappel|Rapla}}
[[File:Elizabeth Furnace - Repeling.JPG  |thumb|Abseiling using a [[belay device|tubular belay device]]]]
{{Climbing sidebar}}
'''Abseiling''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|b|s|eɪ|l}} {{Respell|AB|sayl}} {{Small|or}} {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɑː|p|z|aɪ|l}} {{Respell|AHP|zyle}}; {{ety|de|abseilen|to rope down}}), also known as '''rappelling''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|r|æ|p|ɛ|l}} {{Respell|RAP|pell}} {{Small|or}} {{IPAc-en|r|ə|ˈ|p|ɛ|l}} {{Respell|rə|PELL}}; {{ety|fr|rappeler|to recall, to pull through}}), is the controlled descent of a steep slope, such as a rock face, by moving down a rope. When abseiling, the person descending controls their own movement down a static or [[fixed rope]], in contrast to [[Belaying|lowering off]], in which the rope attached to the person descending is paid out by their [[belayer]].

==Description==
[[File:Abseiling from building - Tokyo - Jan 17 2020.webm|thumb|Abseiling from a building in [[Japan]]]]
The technique is used by [[Climbing|climbers]], [[mountaineers]], [[Caving|cavers]], [[Canyoning|canyoners]], [[search and rescue]] and [[rope access]] technicians to descend cliffs or slopes when they are too steep or dangerous to descend without protection. Many climbers use this technique to protect established [[Anchor (climbing)|anchors]] from damage. Rope access technicians also use this as a method to access difficult-to-reach areas from above for various industrial applications like maintenance, construction, inspection and welding.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hill |first=Pete |date=2008 |title=The Complete Guide to Climbing and Mountaineering |publisher=David&Charles |page=67 |isbn=978-0-7153-2844-6}}</ref>

To descend safely, abseilers use a variety of techniques to increase the friction on the rope to the point where it can be controlled comfortably. These techniques range from wrapping the rope around their body (e.g. the [[Dülfersitz]] technique) to using custom-built devices like a [[Caving equipment#Standard equipment|rack]] or a [[Figure 8 (belay device)|figure of 8]]. Practitioners choose a technique based on speed, safety, weight and other circumstantial concerns.

In the United States, the term "rappelling" is used.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://11points.com/11-english-words-british-know-americans-dont/|title=11 English Words the British Know that Americans Don't|website=11points.com|access-date=2012-02-01}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=abseil%2Crappel%2Cabseiling%2Crappelling&year_start=1920&year_end=2008&corpus=17&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cabseil%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Crappel%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cabseiling%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Crappelling%3B%2Cc0|title=Google Ngram viewer: American English comparison of abseil, abseiling, rappel and rappelling|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref> In the United Kingdom, both terms are understood,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/rappel|title=Oxford British & World English definition of rappel|access-date=2018-02-01}}{{dead link|date=September 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> but "abseiling" is more common.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/rappel|title=rappel|publisher=Collins Dictionary|access-date=February 24, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=abseil%2Crappel%2Cabseiling%2C+rappelling&year_start=1920&year_end=2008&corpus=18&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cabseil%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Crappel%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cabseiling%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Crappelling%3B%2Cc0|title=Google Ngram viewer: comparison of British English usage of rappel, rappelling, abseil and abseiling|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref> In Australia, New Zealand and Canada, the two terms are used interchangeably. Globally, the term "rappelling" appears in books written in English more often than "abseiling".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=abseil%2Crappel%2Cabseiling%2Crappelling&year_start=1920&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cabseil%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Crappel%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cabseiling%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Crappelling%3B%2Cc0|title=Google Ngram viewer: English comparison of abseil, abseiling, rappel and rappelling|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref>

== History ==
Abseiling has existed, both using body abseil and [[Descender (caving equipment)|descenders]] for centuries, with body abseiling being mentioned in the late 1400s,<ref name="ukcavingmain">{{cite web|url=https://www.cavinguk.co.uk/info/verticalterminology.html#bodyabseil|title=Body abseil history|website=www.CavingUK.co.uk|access-date=2024-01-23}}</ref> and descenders being described in the early 1600s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cavinguk.co.uk/info/verticalterminology.html#descender|title=Descender history|website=www.CavingUK.co.uk|access-date=2024-01-23}}</ref>

The origin of the ''term'' rappel in reference to the technique is attributed by Mountaineering author {{ill|Roger Frison-Roche|fr|Roger Frison-Roche|ca|Roger Frison-Roche|de|Roger Frison-Roche|eo|Roger Frison-Roche|pt|Roger Frison-Roche}} circa 1944.<ref>Roger Frison-Roche and Sylvain Jouty. ''A History of Mountain Climbing''. Paris, France: Flammarion, 1996. {{ISBN|2-08-013622-4}}. 302.</ref> Frison-Roche in turn attributed the ''technique'' of rappelling to {{Interlanguage link|Jean Charlet-Straton|fr|Jean Charlet-Straton}}, a [[Chamonix]] guide who lived from 1840 to 1925. However, at the time, the term rappel meant to use a doubled rope that could be pulled down afterwards, and did not necessarily refer to abseiling,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cavinguk.co.uk/info/verticalterminology.html#abseiling|title=Abseiling history|website=www.CavingUK.co.uk|access-date=2024-01-23}}</ref> and while Frison-Roche may have used a doubled rope technique, he did not use an abseiling technique devised by Charlet-Straton.<ref name="ukcavingmain" /> Different approaches for using a doubled rope had already been described in the late 1700s and by Edward Whymper around 1860, though neither case were used with what would be considered abseiling.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cavinguk.co.uk/info/verticalterminology.html#pullthrough|title=Pull-through history|website=www.CavingUK.co.uk|access-date=2024-01-23}}</ref> Charlet-Straton then used another doubled rope technique which was called the rappel during a failed solo attempt of [[Petit Dru]] in 1876. The technique he used to descend the rope would not normally be considered abseiling, and had already been described numerous times long before he used it, with most authors saying it risked injuries.<ref name="ukcavingmain" /> After many attempts, some of them solo, he managed to reach the summit of the Petit Dru in 1879 in the company of two other hired Chamonix guides, Prosper Payot and Frédéric Folliguet.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.alpinist.com/doc/ALP50/77-mountain-profile-the-aguille-du-drus-1871-1925|title=Jean-Esteril Charlet and Mary Isabella Straton: A Fairy Tale|website=Alpinist.com|date=16 June 2015 |access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref> During that ascent, Charlet-Straton again used the technique, with his companions assisting.

== Equipment ==
* [[Rope]]s: [[Static rope]] is ideal, but often [[dynamic rope]] is used.
* [[Anchor (climbing)|Anchors]]: Usually constructed from trees, boulders, ice or rock features, using webbing/cordelette, or [[Traditional climbing#Trad gear|rock climbing equipment]]. Some areas have fixed anchors such as [[Bolt (climbing)|bolts]] or [[piton]]s.
* [[Rock-climbing equipment#Descenders|Descender]]: A friction device or friction hitch that allows the rope to be played out in a controlled fashion, under load, with minimal effort by the person controlling it.
* [[Climbing harness]]: Fixed around the waist or whole body used to secure the [[Climbing equipment#Descenders|descender]]. Fit is important to prevent [[suspension trauma]].
* Safety back-up: Typically a [[friction hitch]] such as a [[Prusik]], [[Klemheist knot]], or [[autoblock knot]] wrapped around the rope as to prevent uncontrolled descents.
* [[Helmet]]s: Used to protect the head from bumps and falling rocks.
* [[Glove]]s: Used to protect hands from the rope and from colliding with the wall. May increase the risk of an accident by becoming caught in the [[Climbing equipment#Rappel devices (descenders)|descender]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.3dropeaccess.co.uk/anatomy-of-a-rope-access-technicians-kit/ |title=A Complete List of Abseiling Equipment |publisher=3D Rope Access |access-date=2016-05-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611054052/http://www.3dropeaccess.co.uk/anatomy-of-a-rope-access-technicians-kit/ |archive-date=2016-06-11 |url-status = dead}}</ref>
* [[Boot]]s or [[climbing shoe]]s: Used to increase friction against the rock
* [[Knee pad]]s (and sometimes [[Elbow-joint|elbow]]-pads)

== Application ==
[[File:Rappel from helicopter.JPG|thumb|right|A [[United States Air Force Pararescue]]man rappels from a helicopter during a training exercise in Iraq, 2008]]

Abseiling is used in a number of applications, including:
* [[Climbing]] – for returning to the base of a climb or to a point where one can try a new route.
* [[Fun|Recreation]]
* [[Canyoning]] – to descend tall waterfalls or cliffs. 
* [[Mountaineering]] 
* [[Caving]] and [[speleology]] – where underground [[pitch (vertical space)|pitches]] need to be accessed.
* [[Adventure racing]]
* Industrial/commercial applications – to access parts of structures or buildings so as to perform maintenance, cleaning or construction, known as [[rope access]].
* Access to [[wildfire]]s.
* Confined spaces access – e.g. ballast tanks, manholes
* [[Rescue]] applications – used to access injured people on or nearby cliffs.
* [[Military]] applications – tactical [[Air assault|heliborne]] insertion of troops, including [[special forces]], into the battlefield close to the objective when proper landing zones are not available.

== Styles/techniques ==
[[File:Australian Rappel.jpg|thumb|[[Australian rappel]] demonstrated at a dam in Norway]]
[[File:Figure eight descender with rope.jpg|thumb|Rescue-style (eared) figure eight descender and rope]]

* [[Australian rappel]] — Used in the military. The abseiler descends facing downwards allowing them to see where they are going.
* Tandem or spider abseiling — Used in [[Rock Climbing|climbing]].  Involves two climbers descending on the same belay device. This is useful in rescue situations when one of the climbers is incapacitated or the descent needs to be done quickly. The set-up is similar to a regular rappelling, with the incapacitated climber suspended from the descender (and backed up on the primary climbers harness).<ref>[https://studyrockclimbing.com/rappelling-from-a-spider Spider Abseiling] – StudyRockClimbing.com</ref>
* ''Simul-rappelling'' or ''simultaneously rappelling'' — Used in climbing and canyoning.  Two climbers descend simultaneously on the same length of rope, where one climber's weight counterbalances the other. Generally the technique is considered less safe than the regular rappelling; however, it is useful in case of emergencies, or for rapping off opposite sides of a fin or spire where there are no anchor points. This is common in places like the [[Needles (Black Hills)|Needles]] of [[South Dakota]]’s [[Black Hills]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Drummond|first1=Liz|title=How to Simul-Rappel|journal=[[Climbing (magazine)|Climbing]]|date=August 12, 2013|url=http://www.climbing.com/skills/how-to-simul-rappel/|access-date=7 March 2016}}</ref>
* Counterbalance abseiling — Used in climbing. This rescue technique is typically used by a leader to reach an injured [[Glossary of climbing terms#second|second]]. The leader abseils off on one strand of rope, using the incapacitated second's weight on the other strand of the rope as a counterbalance.
* Releasable abseil — Used by guides. This safety technique allows a leader to descend with inexperienced abseilers. A rope about twice the length of the descent is anchored with a [[Munter hitch|munter mule hitch]]. The client descends on a single isolated strand of the rope. If the client becomes stuck halfway down the guide will be able to unlock the other strand and lower the client to the ground using the hitch as a belay device. This could be useful if the client panics, or gets clothing or hair entangled in the descender.
* Classical (non-mechanical methods), e.g. the [[Dülfersitz]] — Used in emergencies. These technique are more dangerous than modern alternatives and only used when no other option is available. They involve descending without aid of mechanical devices, by wrapping the rope around the body, and were used before the advent of harnesses and hardware.
* [[South African Abseil|South African classical abseil]] (double-roped) — Used in emergencies. This is a type of classical abseil where the user has a spare hand.
* Fireman's Belay — Safety backup. A partner stands on the ground below holding the rope(s). If the abseiler begins to fall they will be able to pull down on the rope to arrest the descent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chockstone.org/TechTips/RapBackup.htm |title=Backing Up An Abseil |publisher=Chockstone Climbing in Australia}}</ref>

== Safety ==
Abseiling can be dangerous and presents risks, especially to unsupervised or inexperienced abseilers. According to German mountaineer [[Pit Schubert]], about 25% of climbing deaths occur during abseiling, most commonly due to failing anchors.<ref>Pit Schubert, ''Sicherheit und Risiko in Fels und Eis'' vol. I, München 2009, p.104</ref> An analysis of [[American Alpine Club]] accident reports shows that this is followed by inadequate safety backups and rappelling off the ends of ropes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Know the Ropes: Rappelling – Fundamentals to save your life|url=http://aac-publications.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/anam/2012/PDF/ANAM_2012_10_2_002.pdf |publisher=American Alpine Club |access-date=February 24, 2018}}</ref>

== Environmental concerns ==
Abseiling is prohibited or discouraged in some areas, as it may cause environmental damage, conflict with climbers heading upwards, and endanger people on the ground.<ref>{{cite web|title=Adventurous to be roped off from more of mountains |date=16 August 2002 |url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/08/15/1029113983303.html |publisher=Sydney Morning Herald |access-date=February 24, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Arch Swinging Banned in Moab |date=9 January 2015 |url=https://www.outsideonline.com/1806721/arch-swinging-banned-moab |publisher=Outside |access-date=February 24, 2018}}</ref>

==See also==
{{commons category}}
* [[Canyoning]]
* [[Caving]]
* [[Mountaineering]]
* [[Search and rescue]]

== References and footnotes ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wiktionary}}
* [http://www.thebmc.co.uk/Feature.aspx?id=1396 BMC: Abseiling: Not the quickest way to reach the ground]
* [https://www.dvidshub.net/image/6163623/swcs-students-climb-scale-rapel-traverse-barriers-during-sere-course]

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[[Category:Mountaineering techniques]]
[[Category:Caving techniques]]
[[Category:Climbing techniques]]