According to RJ Panis, Rappelling is a very arduous sport that requires not only physical strength but quick thinking as well.

“What goes up must come down.”
 
An adage very much true about gravity, it’s especially apt as well when it involves mountain climbing (unless one decides to live at the top forever). The experience of going down from a mountain can be as exhilarating and fun as trekking one upwards, thanks to the extreme sport of rappelling.

A very physical, rigorous manner of climbing down, rappelling is equally as demanding of critical skills as scaling up a mountain. It’s arduous sport, and it also requires one to make great and constant use of the biggest muscle in human anatomy: the brain.

A great knowledge of rappelling proves beneficial, especially when one finds him- or herself in survival situations while descending a mountain. Knowing how to tie the proper knot or to correctly place the anchor in between rocks found at the precipice can also translate to one’s safety when suspended a few meters above ground.

And similar to any kind of sport out there, possessing a deep passion and great discipline can drive one to become a great rappeller. Rappelling is also perfect for giving one an immense adrenaline rush, particularly the Australian Rappel, where one rappels downward while facing the ground—a feat sure to push one’s heart to overdrive.

Rappelling is achieved by passing a belayed rope under one thigh and over the opposite shoulder. By doing this, climbers can achieve a smooth and gradual descent, which they are able to control with a short backward leap. The climbers descend by facing the surface of the cliff, while hanging from open space. The prospect of rappelling is indeed frightening but once one gets the hang of it—pun intended—one will realize how much of a breathtaking endeavor it can be.

Since rappelling offers all kinds of initiatives that will have insurance companies weak in the knees, it wouldn’t hurt for daredevil rappellers to follow certain regulations and safety measures from time to time. After all, mountaineers live by rules and codes as well.

An example of these primary requirements is constantly ensuring one’s health to be always at peak, and stamina at its best. With high endurance, rappellers can meet the demands that come with climbing downwards. It is therefore pivotal that one is not under medication or taking chemicals, drugs, or alcoholic beverages when rappelling, to ensure better concentration.

Safety measures also extend to gear. Rappelling is a sport that relies on the right tools and proper knowledge. Going down a mountain may sound simple, but rappelling is actually fraught with all kinds of dangers, such as climbers rappelling off the end of their rope.

One should conduct rappelling while wearing gloves and helmet, for hand and head protection. Equipping oneself with rappelling harnesses, rope, anchors, ascenders, descenders, pulleys, carabineers or connectors, locking biners, and even ladders can guarantee a fun and fruitful rappelling experience.

This list of tools might prove to be pricey for one dreaming to rappel, so it is a no-brainer, then, that one should take good care of their equipment once they have purchased it. Keeping it in a warm place and avoid getting it wet—as much as possible, at any rate—is a good way to take care of the gear, which also assures a safe rappel adventure the next time.

Rappelling also requires one to have total focus all the time when climbing down mountains. Since rappellers necessarily put themselves in life-and death-situations, both experts and non-professionals should consider every move, and be wary when performing them. They are hanging from a cliff or a mountainside, after all. Being calm and collected—especially when catapulted into an unexpected scenario—is the first step to getting out of a jumble.

Of course, rappelling should always be a team activity—one should not go rappelling by him- or herself. And since it is a team initiative, one better polish his or her rappelling communication. Establishing a good way to communicate—despite being almost up in the air—can ensure a terrific and safe rappelling adventure. 

It is largely advised, too, that rappellers should always have a rappel backup; the best recommendation is the fireman's belay. A fireman's belay requires a partner to hold onto the rope from the lower end while one rappels, so the rope halts descending. An auto-locking device, such as the Kong Indy, works when the user lets go of the device, or applies too much pressure on it.

Another backup is the Petzl Shunt, which is a dual- or single rope-rappel that will lock up automatically when, again, the user lets go of the device.

Backing up a rappel with a sling or cord is categorized as ‘friction knots’, where little or no additional gear is needed. A second rope backup is also a fantastic idea—and so is wearing a leg wrap to stop or slow descent, or grant one the chance to hang in a static position for an extended period of time. (For example, while trying to pull a rope out of a crack.)

The dangers and the demands behind rappelling can easily make anyone queasy—but it is also these factors that make it completely enticing.

(RJ Panis has been a writer and a dreamer, among other things. Currently, he is exploring new adventures in creativity—be it by writing, or bending temporal-spatial laws from his home.)