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Rescued in Blue Mountains May 31, the analysis 25-Jun-2015 At 8:44:05 PM Snappy

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On 25/06/2015 patto wrote:
>On 25/06/2015 dhunchak wrote:
>>I started routinely using an autoblock back up for abseiling after reading
>>a coroners report which found a major contributing factor in the death
>>being the "failure to employ any of a wide variety of abseiling backup
>>systems in common usage" or something similar.
>
>In my extensive reading of climbing accidents I can't every recall hearing
>of a death as a result from the lack of a backup. I'm sure it's has occurred
>but it must be far more rare than the many other common ways people screw
>up abseiling.
>
>Most commonly abseiling accidents occur from incorrect rigging of the
>rope or the device or from coming off the end of the rope. Or simply falling
>off while at the anchors.

I haven't heard of a death, but there was a case in the Blue Mountains a few years ago where a person abseiled with only 1 strand of the rope through the ATC. If this person had a prusik (assuming it was around both strands) it would have prevented the accident.

Most cases of "single strand only" abseils could probably be prevented with a prusik backup.

In regards to the argument someone had earlier about - we don't back up a belay so why should be back up an abseil - we if anyone can show me a simple and convenient way of backing up a belay, I will! I have never seen any belay backup method that would be practical in a lead belay setup.