Extended vs Direct Rappel: Which Setup Wins?

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The more I learn about different cultures around climbing, the more I am struck by how both tenure and geography play a difference. By tenure, I mean how long a person has been climbing. Geography is just that: area of the globe.

I’m not surprised by the fact that people who have been climbing longer tend to latch onto techniques that are a bit older, the techniques that they have been using over years or decades of climbing. I’m not surprised by the geographical impact, the techniques that make sense of the style or hazards associated with an areas climbing tend to be prominent.

A couple of examples: I know older climbers that carry only nylon slings and they never tie knots in them; the UK, for instance, has much more climbing on double or twin ropes because their trad climbs often have gear placements that are spread out across the route and the rock can be sharp and a persistent cutting hazard.

So, every once in a while, given that I post climbing tips on YouTube, I get a comment that makes this reality unavoidable. That’s not a problem, it’s just interesting as I discover little sub-groups of different climbing cultures based around different views of risks and the mitigating techniques used to address them.

Extending a rappel (or abseil) device away from us is one of those techniques that I’ve found differ across these age groups and locations. So, I wanted to do a little video that explains just what those who use it see in it.

Now, that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. If you follow the channel, you know I don’t believe in perfect solutions that only produce benefits and no tradeoffs. This system has tradeoffs, too. So, I wanted to be honest about them.

Of course, we don’t really see this with devices other than tube-style, for the most part. So, for those who care, you’ll also see a lot of shots of me and my kids using our preferred plaquette-style belay device, the DMM Pivot.

Take a look and ask if you see what “the other side” sees, regardless of which side of the “extend” vs “don’t extend” practice you fall on.