UKC

I did a life changingly amazing abseil yesterday at sheeps tor, I even went down bouncing! Was wondering where everyone elses faveourite places are to abseil as i would like to try them out as I think Ive found a better alternative to the actual climbing

Is there a abseil grading system so I can gain some aspirations??

cheers

In reply to bigrob: Ab1 - Abseil correctly, with suitable anchors
Ab1+ - Death

In reply to bigrob: abseil into lost world?

In reply to bigrob: I would`nt say it was a favourite but I`ve abseiled from the top of High Rock at Cheddar Gorge,at over 100 metres it certainly wakes you up.

In reply to bigrob:
Abseiling off bridges is usually best, if you can avoid upsetting the creatures that live under bridges.

In reply to DerwentDiluted:

Why doesn't UKC have an Abseiling Forum, for all things rapping-related? I think we should be told.

In reply to bigrob: I always liked the ab in to Space at Pembroke. Most of it is in free space, and the easiest way out is HVS.

T.

In reply to bigrob:

The most memorable one I've done is the 80m freehang into Alum Pot in Yorkshire.

In reply to Tim Chappell:

Just the one?

What about Alpine Abseils like the infamous one on the Intégrale down the North side of the Aiguille Noire Peuterey intégrale, surely you can't think it would be fair to confine discussion of abseils of that renown to the same forum as ones down UK outcrops...

In reply to The Ex-Engineer:
"Favourite abseil" is a bit of a weird concept, but I think my most memorable abseil was probably also in the Costa Blanca:
Pitch 8 of Diedro UBSA: http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=22387

A mere 8m abseil and a little swing, with some pretty big exposure. :O)

In reply to DerwentDiluted:

Not usually a problem. Its trip-trapping across the bridges that gets their attention. Especially if you happen to be a goat. ;O)

In reply to bigrob:

Is it harder to do an abseil longer than 10 metres??? Is it like climbing were your arms get pumped??

Any hints on technique??

cheers

In reply to bigrob:


Oh yes, much harder. We hardcore abseilers grade abseils from R1 to R16. Don't take on a full-on R16 until you've done a few R12s at least!

As for getting pumped, this comes with practice, a bit like being trolled.

A hint on technique would be: don't drop the shiny metal thing with the holes in it.

In reply to bigrob: the only abseil tahat stands out in my mind is the one i did at cheesewring off the main face, very exposed. nice to see someone enjoys the abseil, only thing i enjoy about it is the views sometimes, other wise its just a way down or a way to get stuck gear

In reply to Tim Chappell:
whats getting trolled is that an abseil technique?? If so I want a go it sounds well cool, is it as good as doing it left handed???

In reply to bigrob:


It's even better. "Well cool" is right!

In reply to bigrob:

Top tip: know how to use an EDK.

In reply to GrahamD:

whats an EDK???

Ive got a figure of 8??

In reply to bigrob:


It's like a TDK. Only with more E and less T.

In reply to bigrob: Go ask the cavers...those boys know how to ab.

In reply to bigrob:

Try abseiing from a helicopter.

In reply to jimjimjim:

Yes. I once did Gaping Ghyll main shaft on a figure of 8 just like I would climbing. What with the water and the polypropylene and the single rope and the effect of less weight on the rope as you descend... I learned quite a lot about abseiling I hadn't really thought about before.

In reply to bigrob: All of from the top of the Old Man of Hoy, most specifically from top of pitch two to the ground. Massive space, all out there hanging, abbing off tat and I was completely out of cahones [sic] after the climb so spooky.

In reply to bigrob: I like abbing down Hargreaves' Original Route at Stanage Popular in my boots. I normally wait until the first sunny Saturday in spring after the clocks have changed.

In reply to Dave Perry:

On a conveyor belt?

In reply to bigrob: This is my favourite

http://www.flickr.com/photos/90975029@N07/8264407851/in/photostream

In reply to Submit to Gravity:

COOOLLL!!!!

Me and my mate have done multipul descents of flying buttress when we were with the uni club!!!!

WE WERE WELL POPULAR!! The crowds of people waiting loved it!!

In reply to bigrob:

I had lots of fun doing a rambo swing when I placed my ab in the wrong bolts last time I went down to clean some gear I'd put in. That was fun. Do I get a logbook tick?

In reply to bigrob:


It's always a good idea to take a chisel and hammer with you on these occasions, in case you want to chip off any sticky-out bits on the way down so your rope can't snag on them.

In reply to Tim Chappell:

Even better my mate had a hammer and some some old pegs which he put inn as going down to help the next climbers up!

In reply to bigrob:

Were they shouting encouragement?

In reply to Submit to Gravity:

I bet they were shouting "keep LOOKING at your ANCHOR" but could have been a windy day...and may have been misheard

In reply to Submit to Gravity:

I think so I was too busy at the top for much of the 6 hours helping all the club members abseil down the route

One guy looked a bity angry but he had a beard and was wearing ron hills so i couldnt understand him!

In reply to DerwentDiluted:



Hmm. Hooking planker? Rooking tanker? Booking ranker? Nope, no idea where you're going with that one, I'm afraid

In reply to bigrob:

I think I saw you there a couple of years ago. A uni club erm... instructor, demonstrating abseiling technique to a small group of students. Abbed over the lip of FBD, showed how his prusik would lock up if he let go of the rope which indeed it did, then hung there for a good twenty minutes struggling desperately to release it again.

It was pretyt busy that day. I can't speak for the whole crowd, but I was there with a couple of mates and you're right, we really did love it! :O)

In reply to bigrob:


By the way, Big Knob, I think it's incumbent on me to point out that for us hardcore abseilers, attention to small details is everything. And there are three typographical errors and one inelegancy in your post title alone!

Just saying.

In reply to bigrob: best abseil l ever did was into the Boulder Ruckle for thevfirst time from the top of the Marmolada Buttress thinking Christ l hope I can climb out of this place or if going to be stuffed.

In reply to deepsoup: good call Diedro ubsa. Remember doing that abb and thinking as l pulled the ropes throuh behind my partner a I if this rope gets stuck or snags we,er in the crapper here. Rope pulled through fine and we finished the route without a problem. I wonder if anyone has had a problem with a snagged rope on this route and how the hell they managed to get off the climb if it did get snagged.

In reply to Tim Chappell:

By the way, Big Knob, I think it's incumbent on me to point out that for us hardcore abseilers, attention to small details is everything. And there are three typographical errors and one inelegancy in your post title alone!

Stop being so perdantic.

Favourite abseil has to be down the outside of crypt route in the dark off top of arch this month, very intense and atmospheric and wondering how much rope i had left

In reply to bigrob:

This troll suffers somewhat from the fact that you've found a subject that isn't so daft; people actually want to talk about it. I think to score real points you need to find something truly idiotic and still get some serious answers.

Reminds me of this thread...

http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=1886785&tn=0&...

One post by JLP sums it up quite nicely:

This is THE THREAD we've all been anticipating for decades - someone asks about rapping the Nose - actually goes out and does it - and royaly fuks it up. I can't believe what I'm reading finally actually happened.

In reply to Submit to Gravity:

Don't joke, I've seen a bunch of squaddies doing that. It was Friday however so thats OK.

In reply to bigrob: bigrob, if you did Sheeps Tor, I'm assuming you are Devon based? If so, then the best ab in the county is at Bickleigh Viaduct.


http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZFanExRIQcM/0.jpg

A "death swing" between the arches is a good laff too.

(lower a weighed climbing rope between the legs of the arch, start it swinging until it can be caught on the opposite side of the viaduct, clip in, jump off.)

In reply to bigrob: Abed off High Tor. Absolutely terrifying!

In reply to EeeByGum: Best Ab is the one into the Grey wall recess on pabbay. 90m

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dave_aberdeen_rock/4654271450/in/set-721575944...
and
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dave_aberdeen_rock/4655811710/in/set-721575944...

In reply to bigrob:

The EDK is the right knot to join abseil ropes, unless you use the wrong sort of EDK in which case it isn't

In reply to bigrob: Don't know about favourite, I don't as a rule enjoy abseiling but one of the most memorable ones was to get to a route called Luna Bong in the Verdon. You abseiled with the ropes hanging free into a 2000 foot drop and when you got part way down you had to start swinging to grab a tree under an overhang. You used to see climbers nervously walking backwards and forwards at the top physching themselves up for it.

In reply to bigrob:
Search for Abseil on Urban Dictionary.

In reply to bigrob:

The ab off the top of Lost Arrow Spire is pretty thought provoking!

In reply to bigrob: Almost certainly the Luna Bong abseil in the Verdon Gorge, but I guess the excitment has been tempered these days by bolts?

In reply to pasbury:

Pales into insignificance compared to the Luna Bong.

In reply to Gaston Rubberpants:

I remember doing the Luna Bong abseil back in the early 1970s. The memory still fills me with terror. My mate insisted we abseil on a single 9mm that had been left in place (and set off down with one of our climbing ropes). I felt I hadn't much choice but to abseil after him. In those days I used a figure of 8 and no prussik backup (it was my first experience of big walls). Not knowing anything of this abseil, I was horrified to find the rope hanging in space above a 600 foot drop and no knot in the end. To make matters worse I couldn't lock off the figure of 8 due to the lack of friction and my legs weren't long enough to reach in and hook the tree. It was the closest I have come to abseiling off the end of a rope. Nowadays, I backup most abseils up with a French prussik.

Last time I went to the Verdon, there were alternative abseils setup to alleviate the need to abseil down Luna Bong.

The Lost Arrow Spire abseil felt tame in comparison.

In reply to bigrob: Not done the Luna Bong ab, but getting over the edge for Saut D'Homme a little further along the gorge was interesting!

Also the overhanging ab on the approach to 'Africa' in the el chorro gorge is pretty good - you crawl along a tunnel and make a 50m freehanging ab out of it to a ledge halfway down the gorge, with the waterfall thundering below you. All the more fun because I failed on the route and had to jug back up it! :s

In reply to bigrob:

Jebel Shams abseil in The Sultanate of Oman. Classic. You can either walk for an hour to get to the start of the Via-ferratta, or, drop a 200 Meter rope and hey presto, your at the start of the via ferratta. Sure beats walking.

In reply to willworkforfoodjnr: It is definitely one of my favorites. When we did it we didn't realise there where new staples on the face to the right at the end of tunnel and went of the (very) old bolts and wire in front!

In reply to bigrob: I abbed off flying buttress to retrieve gear, had to let out a "Weeeee!!!!" during the free hanging bit

In reply to bigrob:

The term 'favourite abseil' is a bit of an oxymoron. If I had to choose I'd go for the short one off the top of the Rivelin Needle. Not for the abseiling but for the climbing to get there and the view from the top.

In reply to Tim Chappell:
>

Done this....oops!

In reply to bigrob:

Down Chalkstorm at the Roaches or Downhill Racer at Froggatt are both good.

In reply to iainoman:

Do you mean the abseil on the north side of Jebel Shams near the large bivvy ledge? But that is only about 50 feet and can be down-climbed. I used to do that route from Al Hub over thirty years ago; and also the one on the north side from Wajmah. Where on earth is the Via Ferrata that is accessed by a 200 meter rope? Intrigued.

In reply to GridNorth:

I'd be surprised if it was anywhere near 2000ft.

In reply to jonny2vests: Pedant. Can't you recognise dramatic affect when you read it? Anyway I think it's something like that from the river in the bottom to the rim at the top is it not. Could be wrong but I'm sure I read or heard that somewhere.

In reply to EeeByGum:

That and the ab of plum buttress; two most enjoyable abs in the Peak.

In reply to bigrob:

It used to be Zapple and Louie Groove. Unfortunately.

In reply to bigrob:

Abseiling is potentially dangerous and abseiling accidents have accounted for the deaths of some famous climbers.

It's something I try to avoid like the plague, unless there is no alternative, so I have no favorites.

It's like saying what's your favorite dentists' drill.....?

In reply to Tom Valentine:

Why those and why unfortunately? Just wondering.

In reply to Trangia:


Well, quite, but we were trying to be nice

In reply to EeeByGum:

I would agree, the High Tor abseil is amazing - most of the descent is free hanging in space so you can gently spin and take in the scenary. Given that you are passing over some of the best limestone trad routes in the country it's a buzz to take in some of the awesome, hard, historic ground! Or, given that it's so high above the valley, you can watch kayaks, cars & bikes pass below you instead. Wicked

In reply to bigrob:

The last one.

In reply to bigrob:

My favourite abseil is always the one which reaches the ground

In reply to Dave Garnett:

Got me thinking here. In 1999 I was lucky enough to get to the bottom of the Gouffre Berger in France. The last pitch 1000m underground is the aptly named Hurricane pitch.
You traverse out on a ledge about 10m to a place called the Eagles Nest with a massive waterfall on your right. Then there's a 180ft free hanging drop which puts you about 10-12m away from the bottom of this giant waterfall.
I did it back in the days of carbide light so as soon as it blew out in the gusting wind from the waterfall you were in pitch blackness with deafening sound.
On the way back out you fight your way through the spray to grab the rope, attach your ascenders and in my case, don't stop jumarring until you get to the belay. You know you're there when your helmet bangs into the rock at the top.
Spooky as hell but an amazing place to be.

E

In reply to bigrob:

Didn't read the whole thread but Hodge Close is the only one I've intentionally done & would repeat

See people have been mentioning Luna Bong as outrageous, but they probably had 50m ropes. With 55m+ it's still impressive but not as scary

In reply to bigrob:

Not withstanding my earlier comments, the ab into Boulder Ruckle next to Marmolata Buttress is quite character forming, as is the ab from the top of Fountain Ledge on Table Mountain (not the commercial one, but your own from the top of the climb). Also the ab down the south face of Naranjo de Bulnes is airy!

In reply to jonny2vests:

They seemed to be popular choices for people teaching groups to abseil and suffered as a consequence.

In reply to pasbury: I found the ab from the cliff to into Lost Arrow Spire gap worse due to the passing the knot bit. The ab down the tyrolean rope to the bottom was relatively simple in comparison. Mind blowing day overall mind.

In reply to BenTiffin:

Now the ab to the notch is a cracker!

And talking about passing knots. Quite often we'd be on the Catwalk at Malham and two caving ropes tied together would appear from the top of the Cove. Then 5 minutes later we'd all hold our breath as the descending caver passed the knot.

Thankfully I wasn't there on the day someone messed up but my friend was.

E

In reply to Dave Garnett:

So how come there's less weight as you go down?

In reply to Tom Valentine:

Oh. Unfortunate for the route. Lol, I don't think Zapple minds much, it spends half the year minging wet and covered in crud.

In reply to jonny2vests:

On a massive pitch like GG 150m of wet caving rope pulling at your device from below slows you right down - as you descend this effect becomes less.

E

In reply to jonny2vests:

Wonder where the crud came from?

In reply to Tom Valentine:

Its just in a dank quarry surrounded by trees that are winning.

In reply to Enty:

Oh that's what he means. So not anti-gravity then.

In reply to bigrob:

Downhill Racer, Froggatt, The Peaks. Much better now all the holds have gone. Smooooooth.

In reply to jonny2vests:

From the lip of the Gorge at Escales to the river is a 1900 foot drop, give or take.

About 1100 of cliff & 800 of slope to the river.

In reply to Chris Harris:

Also, below many routes such as Luna Bong is the huge sloping ledge known as Terasse Mediane (a mate described it as being as big as a football field) which is midway up the cliff and full of large trees. This reduces the exposure slightly (but only slightly).

In reply to GeoffRadcliffe:

My personal recollection is that the size of the ledge was rather irrelevant as you spun and dangled 600' or so above it, near the ends of your ropes, with the river somewhat further below again.

On one descent the girl in a British couple above us lost control, burned her hands and zipped to the end of her ropes, which thankfully had been tied into the first belay by her partner. He then lowered her to the Terrace Mediane, thence the ground.

Ouch!

Steve

In reply to bigrob:

Possibly the best place to abseil on Earth is southern Utah, especially Zion National Park. Multiple hundreds of feet, free hanging, abseiling down waterfalls to applause of tourists, abseil into freezing water in blistering heat and swim off the end of the rope, etc..

It's lovely!