Rope Toss

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Rope Toss

Postby FreightTrain » Jun 13, 2018 10:14 am

Guys,

Lets say I'm going to do a long drop (i.e, 100+ feet). Do you all just throw the rope over the ledge after anchoring, or do you leave the majority of the rope coiled up and spool it out during your rappel?

I always assumed most folks tossed the rope over the edge, until I saw a rappel video of somebody in Ellison's that appeared to show him spooling it out during his descent.

Thanks,
Thomas
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Re: Rope Toss

Postby Squirrel Girl » Jun 13, 2018 2:31 pm

What you don't want to do is toss a coil over the edge. That will cause a terrible tangle. You can toss an uncoiled rope over the edge, though. Spooling out would be safest, probably. Jamming a rope in a bag, then tossing it is usually good enough.
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Re: Rope Toss

Postby FreightTrain » Jun 15, 2018 10:20 am

10-4. Appreciate the response
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Re: Rope Toss

Postby GroundquestMSA » Jun 15, 2018 9:22 pm

I usually flake out a pile, toss the first twenty feet and lower the rest through my hands to prevent tangles. I dont like rappelling above a bag since I like a bit of rope weight, especially at the top of a long drop.
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Re: Rope Toss

Postby trogman » Jun 16, 2018 5:26 pm

Same here, I usually anchor it and then feed it out with my hands from the top. As Squirrel Girl said, throwing a coil over the edge is a good way to get a massive tangle. :hairpull: I still manage to end up with a tangle sometimes, but at least it is at the top where I can deal with it relatively easily.

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Re: Rope Toss

Postby Tony C » Jun 22, 2018 7:51 am

Agreed with feeding the rope down under control, It helps prevent rope damage, tangles, and snags.

It also eliminates the "whip" effect that can happen when a just-barely-long-enough thrown rope tightens with a snap when it extends completely. This is more of an issue with rock climbing, as rappel stations are often set to be as high above the ground as possible with the rope just barely reaching....and people are often standing in the area on the ground.
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