Prusik Safety

Many climber the last couple of years have been climbing with a Prusick Safety when rappelling off a route. I noticed this the first time when I was climbing with a lady that had just spent the last few years in Switzerland. We'd met on an anchor-building course. She had a purpose built "Y" sling made by Petzl, but it can also be improvised from a chicken strap or even a straight sling. I've used them a couple of times when I could be bothered to set it up, but it always seemed more trouble that it's worth.

It seems the trouble with such "negative action" (you have to LET GO while falling) belay backup is our tendancy NOT to let go of things when startled, which is what such a safety requires.

Among the several epics described in this article, is the following which convinced me to abandon the use of a belay backup as a rule, and only use it when I have the need (taking pictures, cleaning on route on descent, getting a rope unstuck, carrying a heavy pack, etc.) Among cavers, such belay backups have reportedly been universally abandoned.

"All of a sudden I started falling real fast. I couldn't grab the rope below the bars to brake in time, so I grabbed the rope above me where the Prusiks were. When I instinctively grabbed the rope, the Prusiks slid along with me and I dropped 110 to 120 feet until I hit a ledge with my feet-damaging my legs. The Prusiks grabbed and I swung about 60 feet across the pit where my head impacted the wall, cracking my helmet, and finally stabilized hanging upside down from the Prusiks 30 to 40 feet off the floor.... Injuries included: Left femur broken just above the knee, head of left femur badly cracked, left ankle severely sprained, right heel fractured, deep gouge in right knee, bruised ribs, rope burned palms of both hands."