How to Rappel: From Clipping In at the Anchor to Pulling Your Ropes

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Rappelling looks simple: run the rope through the anchor, put it in your device, slide down. The danger is in the details. Miss one strand in the device, skip the end knots, or let the friction hitch ride up into the device, and any one of those can drop you to the ground.

The previous post, Lower or Rappel?, covered whether to rappel: what the AAC and Long Dong's TOCC each recommend, and the three most lethal rappelling mistakes. This one covers how. First it breaks a rappel into eight steps, from clipping in at the anchor to pulling your ropes down; then it explains seven rappel methods one by one, including where each goes wrong. You need them whether you're cleaning a single pitch or bailing off a multi-pitch route.

This is part 8 of the Sport and Trad Climbing series. Read Lower or Rappel? first. For judging the anchor itself, see Bolts Fail: How to Judge a Bolt and Building Anchors.

Up front: practise every step on the ground or in a gym, in front of an instructor, until you get it right. Taiwan's multi-pitch courses all cover multi-pitch rappelling; see the course list in Multi-Pitch Basics. This post explains what each step guards against and how professional bodies do it. It doesn't replace a course.

The main video source is Charlie Centa's "How to rappel/abseil - safely AND efficiently" (August 2026, 15 minutes). Centa describes himself as a climbing guide with the Spanish Mountain Guides Association (AEGM), teaching in Catalonia. He demonstrates a multi-pitch rappel on two joined ropes, starting with why the old method falls short and working all the way through to descending technique. Each step below gives the matching timestamp, then compares it with Petzl, the UIAA, the AAC, the BMC, the German Alpine Club (DAV) and other professional sources.

Why rappelling gets a whole post

Rappelling may not be where accidents happen most often, but when they do happen they're often fatal. Rock and Ice's 2020 report 30 Years of Climbing Accident Data tagged three decades of AAC accident reports and found 251 rappel errors. 76 of them were fatal, close to 30%. In the author's public dataset, about 20% of all climbing accidents were fatal.

The errors cluster into a few kinds:

• Rappelling off the rope ends: no end knots, uneven strands, an inaccurate middle mark.
• Anchor failure: old webbing, a single piton. Several people often share one station: two died at Tahquitz Rock in 2022, and when an old piton pulled on North Early Winter Spire in 2025, three died.
• No backup: no friction hitch, so letting go means losing control.
• The device on only one strand, or on the wrong one: the 2024 death on the Stanley Headwall in Canada is an example. The AAC's The Prescription—The Stacked Rappel traces it to what appears to be a device clipped to only one strand.

The same backdrop shows up again and again: it's getting dark, people are tired, they're in a hurry. AAC accident reports are voluntary, so they count incidents, not rates. They're still enough to show that rappelling isn't the rest break after the climb.

Something to do tonight: think back to your last rappel and note in your phone which of the eight steps you skipped.

Which kind of rappel?

First identify which kind you're doing. The eight steps below assume the most common two-strand rappel, Methods 1 and 2; how the other methods differ from them is covered in their own sections further down.

Simul-rappels, tandem rappels and counterbalance rappels, where two people go down together, are rescue or emergency techniques; see Recognise them, don't improvise them at the end.

Something to do tonight: circle the method you use most in the table and read that section first.

Gear

On tether material, the AAC's 2012 Know the Ropes: Rappelling and the DAV's 2020 rappelling article both say nylon, not Dyneema. The AAC's reason is that Dyneema has almost no stretch and breaks at low force when shock-loaded; the DAV adds that it ages faster.

Something to do tonight: lay the gear above out on the floor, check it off, and add anything missing to your shopping list.

The whole sequence: two climbers, multi-pitch

The eight steps below are one person's sequence, for a two-strand rappel. When two of you are descending together, this is who does what and where you hand over:

Step 1: Clip in first, then inspect the anchor

At the rappel station, the first thing you do is clip yourself to the anchor with your tether and a locking carabiner. Petzl's rappelling steps open with exactly this: every manoeuvre at the anchor is done while directly connected to it. Centa recommends an adjustable tether because it makes the load test easier later (3:26).

Once you're clipped in, inspect the anchor. On rappel your life hangs entirely on it, with no other redundancy. That's the point the DAV article makes.

• Bolts, chains, rings: corrosion, wear, and whether quick links are screwed shut. TOCC's "Top anchors at Long Dong" (in Chinese) warns that Long Dong is a sea cliff. Aluminium rings that climbers add themselves often lose much of their strength in under a year, and 304 stainless quick links are a serious concern. Report anything abnormal to TOCC's Rebolting Team.
• Old webbing: the AAC's 2025 Know the Ropes: Crafty Rappel Techniques says every rappel anchor is guilty until proven innocent. In the 2022 Tahquitz Rock accident, the station was a single sun-faded sling. It broke, and two people died.
• A single point: the BMC's Alpine skills: 6 tips for multipitch abseiling says that if you aren't completely happy, leave a piece of your own gear or replace the in-situ tat.

In this 2024 video, HowNOT2 pulls old webbing and cord from rappel stations until it breaks. From 3:50 it compares sun-faded slings with ones that still have their colour: the faded webbing broke at about 3 kN, close to the sling in the Tahquitz accident. The conclusion: don't rappel on a single old sling of unknown history. HowNOT2 also runs a gear store, plugged at the end of the video.

Something to do tonight: find the website or group for the local climbing organisation at your usual crag, and look up how it maintains rings and slings and how to report problems.

Step 2: Threading, and joining two ropes

A single rope doubled: the middle of the rope has to sit exactly at the anchor. Middle marks drift when a rope shrinks or has been cut. If you're unsure, line up both ends to find the true middle; the method is in Lower or Rappel?.

Joining two ropes: on multi-pitch routes, two ropes joined together give you a longer rappel. The standard joining knot is the flat overhand: lay the two ropes side by side and tie a single overhand with both. The UIAA's "Which knot to use to join two ropes", Petzl, Edelrid and the DAV agree on two things:

1. Tighten all four strands separately: pull each of the four strands around the knot hard, one at a time. Pulling the two sides together isn't enough.
2. Leave tails of at least 30 cm.

Edelrid adds: dress the knot cleanly, with the two ropes parallel and not crossed.

The advantage of the flat overhand is that the knot sits off to one side, so it's less likely to catch in cracks or on edges when you pull the ropes.

Where sources disagree

All of these positions rest on the same premise: the knot is tight and the tails are long enough. In 2026, HowNOT2 tested joining knots with IFMGA guide Ian Nicholson. In the failure scenarios from 7:49, a loose flat figure-8 with short tails rolled apart at under 1 kN, and body weight alone was enough to pull it off the end. The closing advice: cinch each strand and leave at least 12 inches (about 30 cm) of tail. HowNOT2 sells climbing ropes itself, and plugs them at the end.

In the other direction, the Stanley Headwall party used a flat overhand. The AAC report quotes the partner as saying the joining knot was not the cause; it appears the device was on one strand. Which knot you pick matters less than tightening it and leaving long enough tails every time.

Tails shouldn't be too long either. bergundsteigen's "Fehler beim Abseilen: 20 Tipps" (in German) records a close call where someone mistook a tail of about 1.5 m for the rope and clipped it into the device.

Decide which strand you'll pull while you thread: you pull the side the knot is on. Centa clips his tether carabiner to the strand he'll pull as a reminder (12:00); the DAV's rappelling tips and Petzl do the same.

Something to do tonight: practise the flat overhand with two lengths of rope. Tighten all four strands one at a time and measure the tails for 30 cm. Then tie it again pulling only two strands and feel the difference.

Step 3: Knot the ends, and shout before you throw

The AAC's 2012 article lists rappelling off the ends as one of the three main causes. The fix is a closed system: a stopper knot in each end, so the device can't slide off. The AAC suggests knotting each strand separately rather than together, so twists can work out; the triple barrel knot is a good choice.

Sources differ on whether to tie them every time:

• Always: the AAC, and an American Alpine Institute guide. The latter points out that people rarely think of end knots on single-pitch terrain, yet that's where most people accidentally rappel off an end.
• It depends: the DAV says to tie them whenever you aren't 100% sure both strands reach. The BMC's Steve Long says knots catch on spikes, and "there is no set rule".

A knot isn't foolproof either. The AAC's 2025 article cites HowNOT2's test: about 6 kN pulls a stopper knot through an ATC. Tie it big and leave a tail.

Before you throw:

• Shout first: Centa shouts "Rope" so people below can cover their heads (10:37); the BMC's How to abseil uses "Rope below!".
• Throw each strand separately: keep some rope weight in your hand so the throw drags the rest down.
• In wind or brush, saddlebag instead: knot the ends, clip them to your harness, coil the rope into bundles at your side and pay it out as you go. The AAC, YOSAR and bergundsteigen all recommend this.

Never rappel past a snag. Centa (11:02) and bergundsteigen both say it: the rest of the rope must never be above you, or you can't reach it and you'll end up climbing back up.

Something to do tonight: practise the triple barrel knot, once with each hand, then coil the rope into two bundles and practise saddlebagging.

Step 4: Friction hitch first, then extend the device

This is the core of Centa's video, and the step where methods differ most.

The old way: device straight on the belay loop, friction hitch on a leg loop. Centa names two problems (2:16). If the friction hitch touches the device it gets pushed along and stops working. And the carabiner ends up sitting on the leg loop's metal buckle.

The common method now: extend the device, put the friction hitch on the belay loop:

1. Friction hitch first: tie an autoblock on both strands with your cord and clip it to the belay loop. Centa explains the order (7:27). At a hanging stance there's no ledge, and the weight of the ropes hangs on you. An autoblock can be wrapped straight onto tensioned rope. Once it's on, pull up some slack; the rope weight below loads the autoblock, and you have slack to mount the device without a fight. The DAV recommends the same order, which also tests whether the hitch grips.
2. Extend the device: Centa runs a 60 cm sling through the belay loop, brings the two ends together and clips the device carabiner through both (8:21). A doubled 120 cm sling or an adjustable tether works too.
3. Put both strands in the device and lock the carabiner.
4. Take in the slack between the device and the anchor, and between the device and the autoblock.

The Mountaineers wrote up the method taught on the AMGA Single Pitch Instructor course, and list what extending buys you. The autoblock and clothing stay clear of the device, and several people can rig at once.

Where the friction hitch goes: the professionals disagree

Wherever it goes, everyone agrees on three things:

• Keep the hitch short, so it can't reach the device when loaded. bergundsteigen's 2008 "Kurzprusik a.D." (in German) documents a training accident: the hitch was too long and clipped to the wrong place. When the trainee leaned back, it slid into the descender, stopped working, and he slid about 20 m.
• Use soft cord: the DAV considers a stiff 6 mm accessory cord the likely cause of one accident, because it didn't grip.
• It's only a backup: the BMC warns that a friction hitch isn't fail-safe and can release if it rubs on something. Keep your hand on the brake strands.

Something to do tonight: tie a length of rope to a door handle and rig an autoblock and an extended device in order. Pull it tight and check there's still a fist's width between the two.

Step 5: Sit on it before you unclip

Your device is rigged, but don't unclip your tether yet. Lengthen the adjustable tether so your weight goes onto the rappel system. Only once the tether goes slack and everything checks out do you unclip it.

This is the load test. The DAV analysed two course accidents: in one, the device was clipped to only one strand; in the other, it was clipped to a gear loop on the harness. Its conclusion was that both would have been caught if the system had been loaded and checked before unclipping. When Centa does his load test on camera, he finds a carabiner that isn't fully locked (11:28).

HowNOT2's 2024 intro to canyoning covers the same thing in the section from 26:12 headed "WARNING: MUST WATCH". The order: clip in with your tether, rig the device, pull up until the tether is slack, sit back to test, and only then unclip. It's set in a canyon with different gear, but "load first, unclip second" is the same in climbing.

Then get a partner check. Shokoples' BRAKES acronym gives one item per letter:

Shokoples asks you to touch each item and say it out loud. The AAC's 2025 article uses a different version of BRAKES, where B is Belay device, E is Extension and there's only one S. German-speaking countries use the A.B.S. check (anchor, brake, stop). The versions differ but the point is the same: load-test while still clipped in, then add a partner check.

A stacked rappel makes the partner check easier. Both climbers rig their devices at the anchor and check each other before descending one at a time; the upper climber's device also locks both strands. The AAC's conclusion on the Stanley Headwall accident: the simplest fix is a partner or function check, and the stacked rappel deserves broader adoption.

Something to do tonight: write the seven BRAKES items on your phone wallpaper or near your harness buckle, and say them through before your next rappel.

Step 6: Descend with the brake hand working and the hitch on standby

Unclip your tether, keep your brake hand on both strands, and start down. As Centa puts it (13:42), the brake hand controls your speed. The autoblock is only an emergency backup, so on the way down you're trying to keep it from engaging, not letting it grab and releasing it over and over.

On the way down:

• Smooth, no bouncing: in Edelrid's test, an abrupt stop or sudden drop on rappel spiked the anchor load to about 2.6 kN, roughly three times the rappeller's body weight.
• Watch the ends: near the bottom, check both strands are still there and long enough.
• When you need both hands, tie a backup knot: Centa demonstrates it from 12:30 and later calls it a "catastrophe knot". Tie an overhand on a bight in both strands below the device and clip it to your belay loop with another carabiner. When you're freeing a tangled rope or cleaning gear, that knot stops the device even if the autoblock slips. Untie it before you carry on. YOSAR says the same: never rely on one friction hitch.
• If you're last and have to clean the anchor: Centa threads the rope behind the anchor carabiners, on the rock side (4:36). That way the loaded rope doesn't pinch them, and you can unclip them while sitting on your rappel.

Something to do tonight: practise the backup knot at home. Hold the "brake strand" in one hand, and with the other tie an overhand on a bight one-handed and clip a carabiner to it.

Step 7: At the next station, clip in before you let go of the rope

At the next station the order is: clip in, then take the rope out of your device. The BMC's Mike Margeson describes his own close call: he arrived at a station, forgot to clip his cowstail, and took his device off.

YOSAR members and guides writing in Climbing go further. The first climber clips in and pulls 5–10 feet of extra rope through the device, but leaves the device on the rope. Only when the second climber is down and clipped in do both take their devices off. Petzl's steps have the first climber clip both strands to the anchor on arrival, so the ropes can't be lost and the second climber's descent gets an extra backup.

Once the first climber is clipped in, there are three more jobs:

1. Test-pull: the BMC advises a short test pull to make sure the rope will run.
2. Thread the pull end through the next station and tie a stopper in it. bergundsteigen suggests doing this while the second climber descends, so the ropes can be pulled as soon as they arrive.
3. Call "Off rappel", so the person above knows they can start.

Calls vary between schools. Agreeing on a set with your partner before you climb matters more than which words you use.

Bottom belay (fireman's belay): can it replace the backup?

From below, the first climber can hold both strands in their hands and pull down if the person above loses control, stopping them. This is the fireman's belay. The AAC's 2012 article argues that only the first person down really needs an autoblock; the rest can rely on a fireman's belay.

The Swiss Alpine Club's (SAC) official reply (in German) disagrees. SAC teaching is that you always rappel with your own backup. If the person above has rigged the device wrong, say on a gear loop, no amount of pulling from below will save them. Petzl adds that if the person above is on a GRIGRI or NEOX, a hard pull from below can actually unlock it; Petzl allows a bottom belay by hand, but not hanging on the rope. So the fireman's belay is an extra layer, not a substitute for the rappeller's own backup.

Something to do tonight: agree on a set of station calls with your regular partner, write them down, and run through them before your next climb.

Step 8: Pulling the ropes

Pull only once both of you are clipped in. Before you pull:

• Untie every stopper knot: the AAC's 2025 article suggests that after the last rappel the first person down unties the stoppers straight away. Make it a habit and you'll never pull the ropes with the knots still in.
• Make sure you're pulling the right strand: pull the side the knot is on. Pull the wrong side and the knot jams at the ring.
• Thread the pull end into the next station, or clip it first: Margeson calls losing the whole rope down the cliff a schoolboy error.

While pulling:

• Pull slowly: the BMC advises a slow pull, and suspicion of spikes directly below the anchor.
• Speed up and flick out as the end comes through: Mark Synnott's advice in Climbing, to get the rope away from the wall so it's less likely to snag.
• Face the wall, head down: falling rope brings rocks with it.

If the rope gets stuck: while you still hold both ends, you can prusik up both strands together, or climb back up the rope. The BMC warns never to prusik up a single strand, which could pull free at any moment with fatal consequences. This is already self-rescue territory, so don't try it for the first time at the crag without a course.

Something to do tonight: next time before you pull, stop for two seconds and say "knots untied, pulling this strand, that end's clipped".

Method 1: Single rope, doubled

One rope runs through the anchor, doubled, and both strands go into a tube device. This is the most common rappel on single-pitch terrain, and together with Method 2 it is what the eight steps above assume. Petzl puts it simply: if the rappel is no longer than half the rope, a doubled single rope is enough; if it's longer, switch to Method 2 or Method 3.

When to use it: coming down after cleaning a sport route, or bailing off multi-pitch where every rappel is under half a rope. Whether to rappel at a sport anchor at all depends on local rules. In an AMGA video from 2025, Dale Remsberg of the AMGA instructor team says the AMGA and the AAC both recommend lowering off sport anchors. At Long Dong, TOCC asks climbers to rappel whenever possible. The reasoning on both sides is in Lower or Rappel?.

How it differs from the eight steps:

• When you switch from your tie-in to the rings, make sure you can't drop the rope: AMGA-certified Rock and Alpine Guide Travis Weil clips in with his tether, pulls up a bight, ties it off and clips it to his harness, and only then unties. That way the rope can't fall.
• Put the middle at the anchor: pull to the middle mark, or confirm both ends are on the ground. Weil recommends a bi-pattern rope, whose middle doesn't fade the way a mark does. Middle marks drift when a rope shrinks or gets cut. In the 2024 Devils Tower fatality recorded by the AAC, comments on Mountain Project say the climber had cut the rope shorter and apparently had no new middle mark, so the ends came out uneven.
• Knot both ends: in another of his videos, from 0:35, Weil ties barrel knots in both ends and notes they also stop the rope sliding back through the chains.
• Before you pull, untie the stopper on the end you won't pull: when you pull one end, the other goes up through the chains, and its knot is the one that jams. With a single rope there's no joining knot to remind you which side to pull, so remember it yourself.

The most common fatal mistake: an inaccurate middle and no end knots, so you rappel off the shorter strand.

In this 2025 video, Weil threads the chains, knots the end and pulls to the middle from 1:29, then puts both strands in his device and adds an autoblock from 2:16. Watch the bit at 4:01: he checks the system by eye from top to bottom and unclips his tether without sitting back to load-test it. Add the load test from Step 5. The description carries a camera affiliate link; there's no climbing-gear sponsor.

For pulling the rope, Mike Vert's multi-pitch rappelling class shows it clearly. From 19:46, once the second climber is down and off the rope, he unties the stopper on the end that will go up through the chains so it won't jam, then starts pulling the other end; once the end is through the next station he re-ties it. Vert describes himself as having climbed for 11 years with a diploma in outdoor adventure and mentions no guide certification; the description promotes his paid course. Between 18:24 and 19:02 he unties a stopper knot while his partner is still on the rope; don't copy that part.

At 3:32 Weil says his partner rappelling above doesn't need a backup because he can provide one from the ground. That's the opposite of the SAC position; see the bottom-belay section in Step 7.

Something to do tonight: lay out your rope, find the true middle by working in from both ends, and see how far it is from the middle mark.

Method 2: Two ropes joined

Two ropes are joined with a knot that sits at one side of the anchor, and both strands go into the device. Use it for multi-pitch retreats where a rappel is longer than half a rope. Charlie Centa's video at the top of this post shows exactly this: he arrives tied into two ropes of different colours and joins them to rappel.

Centa's sequence (with timestamps):

1. Clip to the anchor with an adjustable tether (3:26).
2. Untie and thread the leader's rope ends first (3:45). The seconder's ends are on top of the pile, so the ropes throw cleanly instead of tangling.
3. Run the rope behind the anchor carabiners, so the last person can unclip them while sitting on the rappel (4:36).
4. Join the ropes with a double overhand, check the colours alternate, and pull the knot up to the anchor (5:10).
5. Autoblock first, then extend the device (Step 4).
6. Stopper knots in both ends, shout "Rope", throw each strand separately (9:58).
7. Load-test, then clip the tether carabiner to the strand you'll pull as a reminder (Step 5).

How it differs from Method 1:

• The joining knot: tighten all four strands, leave tails of at least 30 cm; the disagreements are in Step 2.
• Pull the side the knot is on: pull the wrong side and the knot gets dragged into the ring and jams.
• Ropes of different diameters: Petzl adds a stopper knot to the flat overhand, and the UIAA switches to a double fisherman. When the difference is large, see knot migration under Method 3.

The most common fatal mistakes: the device on only one strand, as on the Stanley Headwall; clipping a long tail of the joining knot into the device instead of the rope.

In this 2024 video, IFMGA guide Dave Searle shows the flat overhand from 7:52. The two ropes lie parallel and neatly dressed, each of the four strands is tightened, and he measures roughly 30 cm of tail from wrist to elbow. At 10:42 he says a second knot lets you leave shorter tails; that departs from Petzl and the UIAA, so don't follow it. The opening promotes an app he developed, and he is a Rab-sponsored athlete.

This short 2026 AAC video follows the Stanley Headwall accident with a fix. From 0:35, IFMGA/AMGA guide Jason Antin demonstrates a stacked rappel. Both climbers rig at the anchor first, then run the HAD check before leaving: Harness, Anchor, Device. The point is both strands through the device and the carabiner locked.

Two more: JB Mountain Skills' 2025 video deliberately shows the wrong way from 0:18, leaving huge tails and clipping the device to them, before giving proper tail lengths from 1:54. DMM's 2022 video with UK Association of Mountaineering Instructors (AMI) instructor Alice Kerr shows a stacked abseil from 4:35; her tails are about 60 cm, longer than the 30 cm used here.

Something to do tonight: tie a flat overhand with two ropes of different colours, check the strands run parallel and don't cross, then pick the side you'll pull and mark it with a carabiner.

Method 3: Single rope plus a thin pull cord

When you carry one rope but need to rappel more than half its length, you add a 5–6 mm cord to it and use the cord to pull the rope down. It saves weight, but there are several schools of thought, and in 2026 the method was involved in a fatal accident.

Block school: rappel on the rope only. From Petzl's Multi-pitch rappelling with a single rope:

1. Run the rope through the ring and tie a knot bigger than the ring on one side, blocking it.
2. Clip a locking carabiner from the knot back to the loaded strand. Petzl says always: even if the block seems secure, the knot can pass through the ring.
3. Attach the cord on the blocked side. It is only for pulling; never rappel on the cord.
4. Put your device only on the strand opposite the knot. With a REVERSO, run the cord through the second slot so you keep it with you.

Petzl lists the drawbacks too. The knot and carabiner snag more easily. If the rope sticks out of reach, all you hold is the cord, which can't belay you back up. And the whole rope has to be rethreaded every rappel, so it's slow for a long series. Alpine Team NZ taught the same in 2013, on the grounds that 6 mm cord is too thin to rappel on directly.

Two-strand school: both strands in the tube. Mountain guide Chris Semmel's method in bergundsteigen:

1. Join the rope and cord with one flat overhand, 30 cm tails; never tie two in a row.
2. Put the knot on the cord side, against the ring.
3. Put both strands in the tube device and add a second carabiner below it for friction.
4. Pull the cord; the thick rope falls on its own and snags less.

Beal's 2026 Back Up Line instructions also allow rappelling on a single rope and the 5.5 mm Back Up Line together, with Beal's AIRFORCE 3 device and a 5 mm Machard friction hitch.

Why the knot goes on the cord side: knot migration. The cord has less friction in the device than the rope, so it runs faster on the way down. The joining knot gets dragged away from the ring and the cord's end gets shorter and shorter. Climbing reported in September 2026 on a fatal accident in Norway that July: both climbers rappelled on both strands with ATCs, the knot migrated, the cord's end went through a device, and the climber fell to their death. The report notes that with the middle on the thick rope, the anchor would likely have blocked the knot.

Pulling the thick rope is a minority approach. In his video from 0:37, IFMGA guide Kim Ladiges of the New Zealand Alpine Team says that when the pull will be hard he pulls the dynamic rope, so that if something goes wrong he's holding the rope that can fix it. That only works if the second climber pre-rigs a device on both strands, and the first climber keeps their device on the rope at the bottom or ties the ends to the anchor. In the same Climbing report, British IFMGA guide Calum Muskett called putting the middle on the cord and pulling the dynamic rope inherently unsafe, and advises always fixing the dynamic rope and retrieving with the cord.

A stuck rope costs more: in a 2026 Pingora incident reported by Climbing, a climber pulled his rope with a 4 mm cord and the rope stuck. All he had in hand was static cord he couldn't lead back up on, and he spent the night on the wall waiting for rescue.

In this 2026 video, professional alpinist Colin Haley explains how knot migration happens from 2:52 and says from 3:53 that he almost always pulls the cord. From 4:58 he shows his hybrid: a clove hitch and locking carabiner on the thick rope to block it at the ring; his video description adds that he still puts both strands in the device. He ties two joining knots, which bergundsteigen explicitly rejects. Haley is not a certified guide; his website lists Petzl as a main sponsor, the cord in the video is Petzl's, and the video doesn't disclose this.

This 2026 New Zealand Alpine Team video is the full pull-the-thick-rope demonstration; watch from 0:22. Make sure you get to 2:26–2:50: the first climber at the bottom must keep their device on the rope or tie the ends to the anchor, or the second climber's strand will slip. Stop halfway and you miss that condition.

Which school: by default, follow the block school or the two-strand school, with the knot on the cord side and the cord as the pull line. Pull the thick rope only when both of you are practised at pre-rigging and locking off the ends. Whichever you pick, practise it on the ground or a training wall first, and don't mix methods on the day.

Something to do tonight: compare your rope and cord diameters, and check both sets of instructions for whether you may rappel on them together.

Method 4: GRIGRI single-strand rappel (blocked)

Assisted-braking devices like the GRIGRI can only rappel a single strand. Petzl's Rappelling with GRIGRI and NEOX is clear: you can rappel on a retrievable system with one strand blocked, or on a fixed rope. Its single-rope multi-pitch tip adds that a GRIGRI can't go down two strands like a tube device. The upside of a single strand is that one rappel can be longer than half a rope; the downside is that the wrong strand means an immediate fall.

Steps (from Petzl's tech tips and the November 2024 GRIGRI instructions):

1. Run the rope through the ring and tie the blocking knot in the strand you won't rappel on, bigger than the ring.
2. Clip a locking carabiner from the knot back to the rappel strand, so that if the knot pulls through the ring, the carabiner still holds the rope.
3. Past half a rope length, add a pull cord (Method 3), and knot both ends.
4. Put the GRIGRI only on the strand opposite the blocking knot, the one that is blocked and fixed. Check the direction against the markings; installed backwards, it won't brake. Clip the pull line to your belay loop with a quickdraw.
5. Still on your tether, sit your full weight onto the GRIGRI and confirm it locks and is on the right strand before unclipping.
6. On the way down, keep your brake hand on the brake strand and pull the handle gradually with the other. In Petzl's words, the handle helps adjust the friction, but the descent is controlled by the hand gripping the brake side. To free your hands, tie a knot in the brake strand close to the device.
7. At the bottom, pull the other strand to retrieve the rope.

The GRIGRI takes ropes from 8.5 to 11 mm; Petzl warns that ropes under 8.9 mm are harder to control on rappel.

The most common fatal mistake: the wrong strand, or a strand that was never blocked. The 2026 edition of the AAC's accident reports includes three cases, of which Red Rock was fatal:

• Red Rock fatality (2025): her GRIGRI was on the pull strand. When she weighted it, the rope ran straight through the anchor and she fell past her partner. It was after sunset, cold, and the party was in a hurry. The AAC's lesson: when conditions deteriorate and pressure mounts, slow down.
• Psycho Tower near miss (2025): in his own account, the climber loaded the pull strand into his GRIGRI+, gave it a tug, felt resistance and unclipped. He toppled backward as soon as he leaned back, and stopped himself only by grabbing the hanging tail. His lesson: a tug is not a test; sit your full weight on it. Waist-high anchors over a good ledge are where people skip it.
• Palisades accident (2024): a child of about 11 rappelled on one strand with an ATC, and that strand wasn't fixed at all. The fireman's belay below couldn't stop the whole rope pulling through the anchor. The AAC says a single knot clipped directly to the anchor would have prevented it.

Petzl adds two warnings: a strong pull on the brake strand from below can unlock a GRIGRI, and a GRIGRI pre-rigged on the rope while waiting can be flipped and unlocked by the weight of someone rappelling below.

Petzl's 2025 short has no narration, so watch the picture. The blocking knot goes in from 0:22, the locking carabiner is clipped back to the rope from 0:30, the GRIGRI goes on from 0:38, the climber unclips around 1:02 and starts down from 1:08. Around 1:28 you can see the knot and carabiner blocked at the ring. The video is also embedded in Petzl's Multi-pitch rappelling with a single rope tech tip.

Edelrid's 2025 single-rope multi-pitch tutorial uses its own assisted-braking device, the PINCH, not a GRIGRI, but the block is the same. From 7:19 a figure-8 is blocked at the ring with a carabiner clipped back to the loaded strand, and they sit back to check before unclipping. From 9:45 comes a useful warning: when the ring is too big, the figure-8 jumps straight through it, so they switch to a clove hitch and a locking carabiner. It's a manufacturer channel, and the description lists only their own products.

No video we found clearly shows one hand on the handle and the other on the brake strand; for that, go by the wording in Petzl's instructions.

Something to do tonight: with a GRIGRI and a length of rope at home, practise pointing out which strand is blocked, loading the GRIGRI on it, and saying it out loud.

Method 5: Fixed single rope (tube device)

One end of the rope is tied off at the anchor and you rappel that single strand; the rope stays. You'll meet it when fixing a line, getting down to the start of a sea cliff, or coming down after top-rope soloing.

What manufacturers say: none of the three forbids single-strand rappelling on a tube device, but each asks for more friction or a backup.

• Black Diamond's ATC-Guide instructions: recommends high-friction mode when rappelling a single line.
• Petzl: the REVERSO can rappel a single strand with a backup (a backup device or friction hitch).
• Edelrid's GIGA JUL instructions: nothing specific on single strands; for any rappel, knot the rope ends and back the device up with a friction hitch.

Friction keeps dropping: a single strand already gives less friction than two. The 1986 Sedona accident in the AAC's records points out that the shorter the rope hanging below you, the less friction you get: too tight at the start, too fast near the bottom. Ways to add friction, from weakest to strongest: a second carabiner alongside the first, a carabiner in the device's guide hole pinning it back, or a Z of rope below the device clipped back up. Try them all on the ground first; too much and the device locks up.

The most common fatal mistake: thinking the rope is fixed when it isn't:

• Auburn fatality (2022): switching from top-rope soloing to rappelling, she went down on one strand after the rope had been untied from the anchor; witnesses believe she may have thought it was still tied.
• Vermont accident (2023): the device was clipped to the long tail of the fixed line's figure-8, and the climber slid about 30 m.
• Red River Gorge accident (2019): the device was set up on its low-friction side, and the autoblock engaged but was partially disengaged, possibly gripped by the brake hand. The AAC's conclusion: a single strand needs more friction and more care with backups than two.

This 2026 Short Guys Beta Works video shows three ways to add friction, strongest first. From 0:57 it's a Z of rope below the device, from 2:40 a carabiner in the guide hole pinning the device back, and from 3:26 a second carabiner alongside. From 1:37 he warns not to clip the Z to your leg loop, because it fails if you flip over. Presenter Jason says he has taught for years at the Colorado Mountain Club; we found no guide certification, and the description says it may contain affiliate links.

HowNOT2's 2025 video is about 5 mm cord, but from 5:50 there's a single-strand ATC rappel with a Z added on the leg loop for friction, plus a measurement of the anchor load. Clipping the Z to the leg loop is exactly what the previous video warns against; watching both shows the method is disputed. HowNOT2 runs its own gear store and sells the cord tested in the video.

Something to do tonight: dig out your device's instructions, find the single-rope section, and note the mode and backup it requires.

Method 6: No device: Munter and carabiner brake

If you drop or forget your device, there are two options: a Munter hitch, or a brake built from carabiners. Both are backups, not everyday rappel methods.

Munter rappel

• Carabiner: a large pear-shaped (HMS) locker clipped straight to the belay loop, not extended. The Mountaineers' write-up of the AMGA Single Pitch Instructor method says the extended rappel isn't meant for a Munter.
• Brake strand on the spine side: on the gate side, the rope rubs the sleeve and can unscrew it.
• Brake hand up for maximum friction: a Munter brakes hardest with the strands parallel, the opposite of an ATC. With the brake strand down at your hip it loses about 25% of its friction, which is usually still enough (Alpine Savvy). HowNOT2 points out the difference at 4:02 in a 2021 video.
• Always add a friction-hitch backup.
• It twists the rope: twisted ropes can jam at the anchor when you pull them. bergundsteigen (2022) describes a no-twist version from the Swiss Alpine Club's manual and recommends it for courses.

Accident: in a 2024 Ouray accident recorded by the AAC, the climber chose not to use a prusik and relied on a fireman's belay from his partner below. As he turned to look down, the Munter crept toward the gate, the rope rolled over it, unscrewed the sleeve and came out of the carabiner. He fell about 24 m and stopped only because he never let go of the brake strand. His conclusion: next time he rappels on a Munter, he'll use a twin-gate or auto-locking carabiner. Petzl also notes that rope or rock rubbing on a sleeve can unlock it and push the gate open.

From 13:45 in this 2024 JB Mountain Skills video, Jez rappels on a Munter on both strands with a prusik on the brake strand. He thinks the twisting isn't as bad as the internet makes out, but for several rappels in a row he'd rather use a carabiner brake. Jez is a qualified climbing and mountaineering instructor in North Wales, and his website credits the gear shop Outside as a supporter.

For comparison, see Short Guys Beta Works' 2026 Munter deep dive from 11:14, on why not to extend it and why a brake strand on the gate side can unscrew it.

Carabiner brake

A brake from three locking carabiners (following Alpine Savvy and bergundsteigen, 2021):

1. Clip a locking carabiner to your extension.
2. Clip a second locking carabiner to the first.
3. Pass a bight of both strands through the second carabiner.
4. Clip a third locking carabiner into that bight and across the strands running up to the anchor, as a brake bar.
5. Lock everything and add a friction-hitch backup.

It twists the rope far less than a Munter, but has three risks. bergundsteigen warns that when the system is unweighted, for example when you step onto a ledge, the carabiners can shift and turn, and braking drops sharply. Alpine Savvy says it gives less friction than a device, so it suits less-than-vertical terrain. And it's easy to drop a carabiner when you take it apart.

From 9:27 in this 2024 German-language video, Austria's AlpenAcademy builds the three-carabiner brake, pushing the prusik down as it descends, and says plainly that it's much jerkier than a tube. The description has a patron link and shopping affiliate links. In English, see the 2018 Outdoor Research video with an AMGA instructor from 3:24; the same video covers the Munter brake-strand side from 2:27.

Don't: the body rappel

No gear at all: the rope runs around your hips and over your shoulder, and body friction slows you. It was used well into the 1970s. A 1994 SAC article (in German) calls it tricky and error-prone, because seating and braking depend entirely on the rope's friction around your hips and shoulders. It also wears through clothing and burns skin, and if the brake hand lets go you fall.

In this 2020 video, the presenter opens by saying these methods are severely outdated, painful and not very safe; from 6:11 he says that without gear he'd rather sit tight and wait for rescue. It's here so you recognise the method, not so you learn it.

Something to do tonight: check whether there's a large pear-shaped locker on your harness. If not, add one next time; it's your plan B if you drop your device.

Method 7: Figure-8 descender

Before tube devices took over, the figure-8 was the standard descender. Most climbing courses now teach tube devices instead, though canyoning and rescue still use eights. bergundsteigen wrote in 2012 (in German) that its few advantages and many drawbacks have removed it from training and textbooks.

The biggest risk: levering a carabiner open. A figure-8 can lie across the carabiner gate and, once loaded, lever a locked carabiner open. The BMC says this has caused at least one death and a number of serious injuries. A 2000 UIAA analysis records a 1996 death in the UK, when a trainee abseiling off a 40 m bridge had the eight lever open his carabiner, and notes that locking sleeves aren't designed to resist that leverage. The fix is to check before every loading that the eight isn't lying across the gate. DMM's braking-device instructions recommend a carabiner like its Belay Master that holds the device in position; Pit Schubert of the German Alpine Club's safety research recommended in 1997 two carabiners side by side with opposed gates.

Other drawbacks: friction has to be chosen before you start and is hard to add halfway down (Petzl's HUIT tech tip); on two strands it twists the rope, twists that reach the eight can jam it, and pulling gets harder.

This 2022 canyoning tutorial shows several ways to rig an eight. From 1:08 comes the traditional climbing setup, followed by adding a carabiner for more friction. The presenter describes himself as a professional canyoning guide in the French Alps; we found no certifying body. HowNOT2's canyoning intro covers the history too: from 15:05, it explains that canyon descenders grew out of the figure-8 and that an eight can't add friction mid-rappel.

Something to do tonight: if you own a figure-8, clip it to a carabiner and deliberately lay it across the gate, so you know what the wrong position looks like at a glance.

Recognise them, don't improvise them: simul-rappels and rescue rappels

These are all ways for two people to go down together, and the names get mixed up, so first sort them out:

Some articles and videos also call the simul-rappel a counterbalance rappel. AMGA guide Ryan Tilley reserves "counterbalance rappel" for one person controlling with a casualty on the other strand, and this post follows his usage.

Simul-rappel

If one climber unweights the rope or rappels off the end, the other drops. In the AAC's words, the counterweight makes the climbers interdependent: if either loses control, makes a rigging mistake, or either side of the rope is cut, both suffer the consequences. Brad Gobright died in 2019 at El Potrero Chico in Mexico while simul-rappelling: his end of the rope was too short, had no stopper knot, and slid out. The AAC thinks the accident very likely wouldn't have happened with stopper knots. Gripped (2020) says to use it only in emergencies, and that two climbers arriving at an anchor together is actually slower. An American Alpine Institute video, from 3:04, mentions that the AMGA's technical director has more or less said not to teach it; the presenter's own advice is don't do it and don't teach it.

This 2018 Outdoor Research video with IFMGA guides Dale Remsberg and Olivia Race is the one embedded in the Gripped article. From 2:13, Race explains that if her partner goes off the end of his rope, she loses her counterweight and they both fall. The whole video also shows how much hassle it takes to simul-rappel safely.

Tandem rappel, counterbalance rappel and counterbalance ascent

All three are rescue techniques, for when a partner is hurt and has to be brought down. Climbing's 2023 "Buddy Rappel" warns not to rappel past the next station on a tandem rappel, because you can't climb back up the rope with two people on it. It also says the safest decision in the moment may be to call for help and wait. bergundsteigen's 2025 guide rescue series (in German) recommends practising repeatedly close to the ground on solid anchors (bolts) first. A counterbalance ascent puts the rescuer's and the casualty's weight together on the last piece that held the fall. Climbing (2019) advises that if that piece is marginal, consider waiting for help.

In this 2025 video, IFMGA guide and AMGA board member Eddie Schoen deals with a partner unconscious and hanging at a mid-station. From 3:36 he shows how to transfer the casualty's weight gradually onto a shared device.

This 2025 video from Smile Mountain Guides, which runs AMGA SPI courses and whose guides hold AMGA certifications, shows the switch from a belay to a counterbalance rappel from 0:18, opening with "add security before taking security away". The presenter also admits the process gets complicated. For the risks of a counterbalance ascent, see AMGA Rock Guide Glen Young's 2024 video from 5:58, where he says he avoids counterbalance ascending at all costs.

For how to judge whether these techniques are needed, see Self-Rescue Basics; learn the actual rigging on a course.

Something to do tonight: agree with your regular partner that if either of you suggests simul-rappelling, the other can simply say no.

Practice: six scenarios

The answers are under each question; think first, then look. For more, try nobodyclimb's rope-system practice: rappelling.

1. You're at a hanging stance with no ledge, and the weight of both ropes is on you. Device first, or friction hitch first?

2. Device and autoblock are rigged, your partner says "looks fine", and you're about to unclip your tether. What's missing?

3. You're first to the next station. As soon as you're clipped in you take the rope out of your device and start threading the next station. What's the problem?

4. The rope jams halfway through the pull. You have one end in your hand; the other is stuck above. You want to put a prusik on your end and climb up.

5. You're rappelling on a GRIGRI. The rope runs through the ring with a blocking knot and carabiner on one side. Which strand does the GRIGRI go on?

6. You have a 9.5 mm rope and a 6 mm cord and plan to rappel on both strands with an ATC. Which side does the joining knot go on, and which strand do you pull?

What's next

That wraps up how to get down from sport and trad routes. Next is Grades and Protection Ratings: what 5.10a, 6a, E1 5b and R/X each mean, before the series moves into trad climbing.

For the full multi-pitch workflow, see Multi-Pitch Basics; for your options when something goes wrong, see Self-Rescue Basics.

Update Log

• 2026-10-24: Added a "Which kind of rappel?" overview table and a section for each of seven methods, plus the line between simul-rappels and rescue rappels. Each method comes with demonstration videos, professional sources and accidents; the practice section now has six scenarios

References

Grouped by organisation. Where sources disagree on a topic, the post sets them side by side.

Videos

• How to rappel/abseil - safely AND efficiently (Charlie Centa, Aug 2026)
• Which is the real DEATH knot? (HowNOT2, with IFMGA guide Ian Nicholson, Apr 2026)
• Would you rappel on this? (HowNOT2, Mar 2024)
• Rappelling Wizards - Intro to Canyoning (HowNOT2, Jan 2024)
• Rappelling: Learn the Basics (Travis Weil, AMGA-certified guide, Oct 2025)
• 5 Rappelling Best Practices to Keep You Safe (Travis Weil, Sep 2025)
• Full Masterclass: Multi Pitch Rappelling (Mike Vert, Aug 2026)
• Cleaning Top Rope Anchors (AMGA, Dale Remsberg, Jun 2025)
• Connecting Ropes for Climbing and Mountaineering (Dave Searle, IFMGA, Aug 2024)
• The Prescription | Stacked Rappel (American Alpine Club, Jan 2026)
• How to join two ropes the right way (JB Mountain Skills, Jul 2025)
• Learning to Trad Climb: Part 5 - How to abseil/rappel (DMM, Aug 2022)
• Rappelling with Ropes of Very Different Diameters (Colin Haley, Aug 2026)
• How to rappel with a tagline (New Zealand Alpine Team, IFMGA guide Kim Ladiges, Oct 2026)
• #Petzltips - Rappelling with a single rope and a pull cord (Petzl, Aug 2025)
• Single Rope Multi-Pitch Climbing (EDELRID, Sep 2025)
• Heavy Load or Icy- or Thin-Line Rappels Need This Friction Hack (Short Guys Beta Works, Aug 2026)
• Rappelling on 5mm? (HowNOT2, Jan 2025)
• Munter Hitch / Italian Hitch (JB Mountain Skills, Apr 2024)
• Munter Hitch Deep Dive (Short Guys Beta Works, Jan 2026)
• Rappelling Hacks (HowNOT2, Dec 2021)
• Vom Standplatz zum Abseilen (AlpenAcademy, Oct 2024) (in German)
• How to Set Up an Improvised Rappel (Outdoor Research, AMGA instructor, Apr 2018)
• Two Methods to Rappel with ONLY a Rope (Ascentionism, Jul 2020)
• 6 ways to rappel like a pro using the figure 8 (Sven Van Cleemput, Nov 2022)
• How to Set Up a Simul-Rappel (Outdoor Research, IFMGA guides Dale Remsberg and Olivia Race, May 2018)
• Simul-Rappel Technique (American Alpine Institute, Oct 2022)
• Transition To Tandem Rappel (Eddie Schoen, IFMGA, Oct 2025)
• Counter-Balanced Rappel Transition (Smile Mountain Guides, Sep 2025)
• Leader Rescue for Rock Climbing (Glen Young, AMGA Rock Guide, Apr 2024)

Gear manufacturers

• Petzl: Rappelling
• Petzl: Knot for joining rappel ropes
• Petzl: Multi-pitch rappelling with a single rope
• Petzl: Rappelling with GRIGRI and NEOX
• Edelrid: Knots for connecting ropes when rappelling – a comparison
• Edelrid: GIGA JUL instructions
• Black Diamond: ATC-Guide instructions
• Beal: Back Up Line instructions (2026)
• Petzl: Friction modes and tie-offs for the HUIT

International and national alpine organisations

• UIAA: Alpine Skills: Which knot to use to join two ropes (2019)
• BMC: How to abseil
• BMC: Alpine skills: 6 tips for multipitch abseiling (Mike Margeson and others)
• BMC: Abseiling: do you know the risks?
• DAV: Sicherheitsrelevantes zum Abseilen (Christoph Hummel, 2020) (in German)
• DAV: Abseilen beim Klettern: Tipps & Tricks (2020) (in German)
• bergundsteigen: Fehler beim Abseilen: 20 Tipps (Andi Dick, 2024) (in German)
• bergundsteigen: Kurzprusik a.D. (Kieselmann, Reinhard, 2008) (in German)
• bergundsteigen: Rappelling with aid lines (Rad Line & Co) (Chris Semmel, 2025)
• SAC: Abseilen mit oder ohne Selbstsicherung? (2019) (in German)
• SAC: Abseilen – kein Problem? (Ueli Mosimann, 1994) (in German)
• bergundsteigen: Abseilgerät runtergefallen 3.0 (2022) (in German)
• bergundsteigen: Abseilen ohne Abseilgerät (2021) (in German)
• bergundsteigen: abgeseilt (Pit Schubert, 2012) (in German)
• bergundsteigen: Bergführerserie: behelfsmäßige Kameradenrettung (Martin Schmidt, 2025) (in German)
• UIAA: Karabiner Breakings when Using a Figure-of-Eight (Neville McMillan, 2000)
• Alpine Team NZ: Abseiling with a single rope plus tag line (2013)
• TOCC: Top anchors at Long Dong (in Chinese)

AAC and accident analysis

• AAC: Know the Ropes: Rappelling – Fundamentals to Save Your Life (Rob Hess, IFMGA, 2012)
• AAC: Know the Ropes: Crafty Rappel Techniques (John Godino, 2025)
• AAC: The Prescription—The Stacked Rappel (2026)
• Rock and Ice: 30 Years of Climbing Accident Data (Eliot Caroom, 2020)
• AAC: Simul-Rappelling (2018)
• AAC Accidents in North American Climbing reports: Devils Tower (2024), Red Rock (2025), Psycho Tower (2025), Palisades (2024), Ouray Munter (2024), Auburn (2022), Vermont (2023), Red River Gorge (2019), Sedona (1986), El Potrero Chico (2019)
• Climbing: This Rappel Mistake Can Be Fatal. Why Don't More Climbers Know About It? (2026)
• Climbing: A climber and his rescuer share takeaways after getting benighted on Pingora Peak (2026)
• Gripped: Simul-Rappelling is Dangerous, Go One at a Time (2020)

Technical articles by guides

• Climbing: Rappelling Is Climbing's Most Dangerous Activity (a YOSAR member and a Yosemite guide, 2022)
• Climbing: 5 Steps for Safer Rappelling (an American Alpine Institute guide)
• Climbing: Six Tips For Safer, More Efficient, Rappelling (Mark Synnott, 2022)
• Climbing: ENSA tests the Euro Death Knot and offset figure-8 (2021)
• Climbing: The Buddy Rappel: Rap Safely With an Injured Partner (2023)
• Climbing: Multi-Pitch 911: How to Escape the Belay (2019)
• Alpine Savvy: A slick carabiner rappel brake
• The Mountaineers: Extended Rappel and Updated Belay Techniques (AMGA Single Pitch Instructor course)
• Rescue Dynamics: BRAKES rappel safety check (Cyril Shokoples, ACMG/IFMGA)

On this site

• Lower or Rappel?
• Multi-Pitch Basics
• nobodyclimb rope-system practice: rappelling