Lowering (climbing)

Schematic representation: The person below is responsible for securing and lowering the climber when climbing

Lowering in the climbing hall

The draining when climbing is the controlled lowering of a person by a climbing partner. This differs from abseiling , where the climber has to brake himself and thereby control the speed. When Toprope -Klettern in the hall and in the climbing deflation is the usual method.

The rope work when lowering is also used in training and education as a first training measure in order to get the rope work trainees used to handling height and rope.

Occasionally lowering is also referred to as passive abseiling .

Backup method

The same belay devices can be used for lowering as for belaying. The most important difference to abseiling is that when lowering the safety rope runs under load through the anchor point . This creates frictional heat. If the rope does not run over metal, but over unsuitable material ( slings , ropes), it can lead to the climber falling after a few meters due to melt burn at the deflection point. Suitable deflection points are therefore z. B. Abseilhaken or carbine , but also so-called pigtails , if doing a second securing redundancy is generated.

When lowering, the load on the fixed point is higher than when abseiling, and the rope wear is higher.

When descending from a multi-pitch route, Peter Albert recommends always lowering the first climber so that he can untangle the rope, remove obstacles and possibly climb again.

See also

• Chest band
• Seat sling
• Belay device
• Lead climbing - descending
• Abseiling - lowering

literature

• Pit Schubert : lowering and abseiling - a huge difference. In: Panorama 3/1999, pp. 70f. ( PDF ).
• Pit Schubert: Safety and risk on rock and ice. Volume 1, Bergverlag Rother, Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-7633-6016-1 .
• Peter Albert: Alpine climbing. Bruckmann, Munich 2012, ISBN 978-3-7654-5728-9 .

Web links

• Drain ( Memento from January 6, 2015 in the Internet Archive )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Pit Schubert: Lowering is not abseiling - to burn off the melt when abseiling. In: Berg & Steigen, No. 2/2000, pp. 26–28 ( PDF ).
2. ↑ Beware of abseiling on the "pig tail"! Retrieved April 9, 2015 .