|
|
 |
|
|
| Swimming Off Rappel - Canyoneering |
 |
How to swim away from your rope in a canyon.
First a couple of things to remember.
Questions: Should I use an autoblock in a
canyon with a heavy flow? Answer: When the
risk of drowning (on the side of the cliff or
in the pool) is greater than the risk of
falling to your death, don't use an auto
block of any kind! When the risk of falling
to your death is greater than the risk of
drowning... use an auto block that suits the
type of rope you are on. Quick example: If
you are on a 200' rappel that will interface
heavily with water towards the base, then
into a swim; use an auto block for the first
180' then remove it from the line and proceed
into the water way. It can be anywhere from
annoying to dangerous to enter a swim with an
auto block still on your brake line. (Never
put an auto block on the load line above your
DCD)
Question: At what point during the
negotiation of rappelling vertical water
hazards am I most at risk?
Answer: At the transition from rappelling to
swimming. Keep a calm head, regardless of how
cold the water is, plan your egress line, and
stay in touch with folks above you and behind
you with whistles, hand signals, or verbal
communications.
The majority of success can be had before you
commit to the rappel. Make sure your pack is
water proofed, and the drainage holes are
clear to drain. Check that you are safe to
wear your pack down the cliff and through the
swim or distribute it down canyon in some
other method. (Wearing a pack on your body is
safe as long as you have adequate floatation,
are on a well constructed tag line, and are
not going into a heavy current or aerated
boil line) For almost all other conditions
wearing your pack is the preferred method.
When you enter a pool, off a rope, it is
important to make sure that you have cleared
your auto block or can easily do so when in
the water, you will not want a current to
grab hold of you and pull you hard enough to
lock off the auto block and then work to pull
you underwater. Also, before committing to
the swim see that the rope is not too long --
a long tail in the water can cause an
entanglement scenario that is at the very
least annoying, and can be potentially
dangerous. If you find the rope is too long
from stretch or any resets from above, let
the anchorman know by signaling from below.
(A good anchorman will be watching for these
signs as you transition into your swim). As
you then swim away from the waterfall, you
must contend with staying afloat, a good tag
line belay from a C-IV induced rope system
will ensure this, if no tag line is set, then
stay close to the shore of the pool and/or
wear a life vest. (It is not a good idea to
"bank" on the air trapped in a dry bag as it
can and will leak out on longer swims, in
combination with your pack filling with
water).
Staying on your back looking "up canyon" is
the preferred method for swimming, use your
arms more than your legs, swimming with shoes
on is not very efficient, unless you are
having problems staying afloat, the use of
your legs is a waste of energy. As you near
the far shore, you may want to turn to face
your legs in front of you and look "down
canyon". This will prepare you for the next
obstacle - getting out of the water. If you
are rappelling into a strong current, you
will want to turn and face "down stream"
ASAP. This will allow you to negotiate any
small rapids or underwater hazards easier as
you will have a chance to see them coming.
Also it give the folks who have already
successfully swam the obstacle a chance to
get you the beta you need to follow in their
success.
More instructional podcasts can be found at
http://www.ATSphotoLab.com
Tags : Canyoneering Canyoning Canyons ATS Outdoor Adventures Waterfalls Instructional Courses Rappelling |
|
Affichage : 2876
Durée : 166 s |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| |
|
