Lowering a lead climber from an anchor

This method is used for removing gear from a sport anchor, with a subsequent lowering of the lead climber. An alternative is to abseil from an anchor. For routes with no fixed protection at the anchor point (trad), you have either to leave some gear behind, or where it is appropriate and reasonably safe, use for example abseil with an equivocation hitch.

Lowering from a pre-built sport anchor

A brief description of a method which works for all discussed cases. If you need more insight for any of the steps, check the detailed description.

• File:Prebuilt lowering brief step1.png

  Pull approximately two meters of slack (1), tie a Figure 8 on a bight on it and clip it to your harness belay loop

• File:Prebuilt lowering brief step2.png

  Untie the Figure 8 which is directly at your harness (2)

• File:Prebuilt lowering brief step3.png

  Pull the loose rope strand through the rappel ring of the anchor (3) and attach it back to your harness by tying in by a Figure 8

• File:Prebuilt lowering brief step4.png

  Untie the Figure 8 on a bight, remove the carabiner at your harness (4), and the toprope carabiners (5)

• File:Prebuilt lowering brief step5.png

  Before committing to the system, visually inspect both the tie in and threading through the rappel ring (6) and test the setup by asking your belayer to block (7)

• File:Prebuilt lowering brief step6.png

  After you inspected and tested that the setup is safe, you can remove the rest of the gear from the anchor (8)

• File:Prebuilt lowering brief step7.png

  And you are safe to get lowered (9)

Lowering from a pre-built sport anchor - quick method

TODO

Lowering from bolts with maillons

TODO

Lowering directly from bolts or fixed ring

This method is forbidden by climbing associations in some countries and places. The ban is due to an increased bolts and fixed rings abrasion which leads to unnecessary and undesired shortening of the material replacement cycles. For example at traditional sandstone routes which are (due to a tradition) almost exclusively equipped with fixed rings, it would mean additional drilling into a rock which is often protected by a law due to nature preservation for further generations. In addition, this method cannot be used for lowering directly from hanger plates as the friction over the plates edges would severely damage the rope.

Step by step detailed descriptions

Lowering from a pre-built sport anchor - detailed description

• File:Prebuilt lowering detailed step1.png

  Pull approximately two meters of slack (1)

• File:Prebuilt lowering detailed step2.png

  Tie a Figure 8 on a bight (2)

• File:Prebuilt lowering detailed step3.png

  Clip it to your harness belay loop by a carabiner (3) and screw its gate (4)

• File:Prebuilt lowering detailed step4.png

  Undo the Figure 8 by which you were originally tied-in (5)

• File:Prebuilt lowering detailed step5.png

  And completely untie it (6)

• File:Prebuilt lowering detailed step6.png

  Pull the loose end of the rope through the rappel ring (7)

• File:Prebuilt lowering detailed step7.png

  Once the rope is through, you attach it back to yourself

• File:Prebuilt lowering detailed step8.png

  By tying in by a Figure 8 (8)

• File:Prebuilt lowering detailed step9.png

  You will get lowered on this knot, so inspect that its properly tied and that the loop goes through both of the harness tie-in loops (9)

• File:Prebuilt lowering detailed step10.png

  Unscrew the carabiner (10), detach it from your haness (11) and untie the Figure 8 on a bight (12)

• File:Prebuilt lowering detailed step13.png

  Now remove the two carabiners intended for the toproping (13)

• File:Prebuilt lowering detailed step14.png

  To test the setup, ask belayer for a block (14) before removing your personal anchor

• File:Prebuilt lowering detailed step15.png

  Inspect that both tie-in (15) and threading of the rope through the anchor rappel ring (16) are correct

• File:Prebuilt lowering detailed step17.png

  Unscrew (17) and clean-up (18) the rest of your gear from the anchor

• File:Prebuilt lowering detailed step19.png

  And get lowered (19) by a belayer