Can a “microline” eliminate stuck rappel ropes?
Premium Members can read the entire article here:
Andy Kirkpatrick mentions the microline in his outstanding book “Down”, so credit to him.
I have a longer video showing this technique in the Alpinesavvy Premium Member expert videos collection. It was made by expert alpine climbers Priti and Jeff Wright. Connect with them on Instagram (Priti / Jeff) and their website, alpinevagabonds.com
Disclaimer: this is an advanced technique, suitable in certain niche applications. It’s NOT meant for everyday use. Practice it thoroughly in a controlled environment before you ever try it in the real world.
What’s the best thing you can see when rappelling? Your rope falling happily from the anchor above, without getting hung up!
What's the worst? Your rope getting stuck, blown off to the side, or some other potential catastrophe!
What if you could (pretty much) guarantee that your falling rappel rope would never get stuck? Imagine your rope magically guided into your hands, without getting hung up or blown off to the side?
The microline does that.
Here's the key piece of gear for a microline - kite string winder.
You need a spool of kite string that’s twice as long as your longest anticipated rappel. For example, a full length double rope rappel with 60 meter ropes requires 120 meters of microline.
(I've also heard of people using a fishing reel attached to a little stub of a fishing rod. I've never tried that; seems bulkier than the kite string, but potentially faster to wind up when you're done. Maybe good for single pitch cragging, but not for alpine climbing.)
Before you pull your rappel rope, attach the microline with a clove hitch near the end of the strand that’s going up. Secure the hitch with a wrap (or two) of tape, and leave a bit of tape folded to itself so you can remove it easily.
As you pull DOWN on the pull strand of your rappel rope, the microline feeds UP from the spool.
Having a small bit of tension on the microline prevents it from blowing around if it’s windy.
This is best done with two people; one slowly pulling the rappel rope, and the other one feeding out the microline. Don't pull the rappel rope too fast or you might break the microline. You can feed out the cord quite quickly by sort of waggling your hand back and forth.
As the end of your rope passes through the anchor, instead of free falling and potentially getting hung up or blown around . . . you keep feeding out the microline from below, which smoothly lowers your rope, slow and controlled, right back into your hands. YAY!
Remove the tape and clove hitch, and start winding the microline around your winder, pulling it back up to the anchor and down to you.
What are some rappelling situations where you might want to use a microline?
How long does it take to wind up 120 m of line?
How much does it weigh?
How about a short video of the microline in action?
