What to Expect On Rappel Day!

You'll need to arrive approximately one-hour before your rappel time!  You'll complete your paperwork.  You'll get all the gear you need to rappel.  You'll need to put on your helmet, gloves, and full-body industrial harness (see picture above).  Your gear will be checked before you go up on the roof.  Once on the roof, your gear will be checked, and you'll receive instructions on how the everything works.  You'll even have a tiny walk through before you go Over The Edge.  

Getting your weight off the roof and into the harness is the difficult part for most people. Once you’re Over The Edge, you are on your own. Don’t forget to stop and take in the view!

You will be using an industrial descender to go down. Squeezing a handle makes you go down, letting go (or pulling back) makes you stop. You can control your speed to a certain extent.  Should you go too fast, or should the equipment fail, the back-up device will engage and you will stop descending. The squeezing motion to activate the descender requires quite a bit of force and using the same hand (usually the left-hand) the entire way down can be tiring. You can stop to rest, or switch hands when you need a break. Once you’re within 20’ of the ground, your landing will be assisted by an Over the Edge staff members.

Training?

When you arrive on site you will have the opportunity to practice rappelling from a lesser height. This will give you a chance to hang in the harness, find a comfortable position, and practice using the descender and safety equipment. You can practice as often as you’d like before heading to rappel. The same safety procedures are used in the training as in the long rappel so you will be familiar with them when you get there.