Descent technique

Body position, brake hand, and a smooth, controlled ride.

The brake hand never leaves

Rappelling is simple: the brake hand grips the rope behind the device, and it never, ever lets go. Everything else — foot position, lean, speed — is built on that one hand.

The checklist

brake hand   on the rope, behind the device
feet         wide, flat, walking the wall
speed        slow and steady, no bouncing
bottom       look down, land soft, clear the rope

How we beta it

We film the rappel start on every technical route so you can see the anchor, the rope line, and the landing before you're on it.