Rappelling a Twin Rope With an ATC Belay Device

This will hopefully teach you how to rappel. Rappelling is slowly and safely descending a rope. It is used in climbing and mountaineering, search and rescue, and much more. The instructions are for right handed people. do the opposite if you are left handed. It is good to use a twin rope because you can pull the rope down when you are done. Rappelling is inherently dangerous. This instructable is for reference purposes only, and is not meant to replace in person training from a rock climbing professional.

Step 1: Supplies

You will need:

1 anchor chain, daisy chain, or runner,

1 climbing rope, (static or dynamic),

2 locking carabiners,

1 ATC belay device, and

1 harness

Step 2: Building an Anchor

For my anchor, I just wrapped my runner around a tree branch, and attached a locking carabiner to both ends of it. you can also do the same thing with a daisy chain, or an anchor chain, except you can adjust the length of them by putting the carabiner on a higher up sling.

Step 3: Setup

Clip your other locking carabiner on to your belay loop, and clip your belay devices' loop in the locking carabiner. If your belay device has grooves, and you want the rappel to be very smooth, clip it so that the grooves are facing out. Now grab a pinch of rope from both sides of the anchor, and put it through both slots of your belay device. Make sure that there aren't any kinks or twists above your belay device. Now clip the rope loop into the carabiner, (As shown in the image.) Make sure that all of your carabiners are locked.

Step 4: The Rappel

Always have your right hand on the loose end of the rope. Never take it off. Before you jump off of your perch, test your rig by sitting in your harness. Once you are satisfied that the device is secure, slowly transfer your weight from your feet to the harness. Again, hold yourself there to test your rig. Now, you can slightly loosen your grip on the rope to go down. Remember, if you rappel too fast, your rope will kink below you, and you might get stuck. Once you have got to the bottom of the rappel, you can un clip, and grab your rope down.