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
Preparation for lowering generally consists of five steps:
Making a temporary tie-in in a middle of a rope to free the rope end without loosing the rope
Removing the original tie-in
Threading the rope end through the anchor
Retying to the rope end
Safety check and cleaning up
Find below 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 quick step4.pngRemove the carabiner at your harness (4,5), untie the Figure 8 on a bight (6), remove the toprope carabiners (7) and ask your belayer for a block while lifting yourself slightly towards the anchor (8)
File:Prebuilt lowering quick step9.pngBefore committing to the system, check that you really can hang in the rope (your personal anchor should be loose and the rope tight) and visually inspect both the tie in and the threading through the rappel ring (9)
Lowering from a pre-built sport anchor - quick method
This method can be used if the anchor is equipped by a rappel ring, or if the bolts or maillons are big enough. This method have two variations - either you get lowered on a Figure 8 clipped through the carabiner as depicted below, or you re-tie to the end of the rope in similar fashion as described in the chapter above. If you decide to leave a long slack, be mindful of its placement and put it over one shoulder or clip it to your harness. Having a slack around your neck leads to a risk of potentially fatal injury.[1]
Grab a bight of the rope and pull approximately two meters of slack through the rappel ring (1)
Completely untie the Figure 8 which is directly at your harness (5)
Remove the toprope carabiners (6) and pull the loose rope strand out of the rappel ring (7)
To test the system, ask your belayer for a block (8)
Before committing to the system, check once more that you are truly hanging in the rope which is threaded through the rappel ring (9,10)
After you inspected and tested that the setup is safe, you can remove the rest of the gear from the anchor (11,12)
And you are safe to get lowered (13)
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 step8.pngYou 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 step9.pngUnscrew the carabiner (10), detach it from your haness (11) and untie the Figure 8 on a bight (12), excessive extra slack will slide out (13)
