Incident:Rappel Mishap in Muir Ravine (West) 2018/11/22
From ropewiki.com
Incident:Rappel Mishap in Muir Ravine (West) 2018/11/22 | |
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Date | 2018/11/22 |
Location | Muir Ravine (West) |
Severity | No loss |
Canyoneering-related | Yes |
SAR involvement | No |
Navigation problem | No |
Environmental problem | No |
Communication problem | No |
Planning problem | No |
Skills problem | No |
Body movement problem | No |
Rigging problem | Yes |
Rappel problem | Yes |
Insufficient gear | No |
Gear failure | No |
Summary
Member rappelled off the end of double stranded rope.
Accounts
One member who rigged a 50 foot drop with a 135 foot rope doubled over, no block, rappelling double strand, rappelled off one rope end. Once one end went through his rappel device he fell about 10 feet landing on his backpack which had a loosely packed 200ft rope in it, saving him from any physical injury. Given that he has been canyoneering for over 25 years, and had already rigged several rappels in this canyon this very day double stranded, it just shows that one can never be too careful about rigging and always be wary of distraction and complacency.