Good form. Knees bent, legs spread, bum down. Squeezing the handle makes you go, pulling back on it makes you stop.
Attire
You’re going to be walking down the side of a building, so wear good shoes. Sneakers, light hikers, climbing shoes; something with a soft sole. No sandals, slip-on shoes, slippers, flip flops, high heels, or steel toed boots. Wear long pants and a long sleeved shirt. Athletic pants, tights, and jeans are suitable. The harness goes around your legs, waist, and shoulders, so it is best to avoid anything too bulky. Shirts should be comfortable and without draw cords. Long hair should be tied back.
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. You can practice as often as you’d like before heading to the roof. 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.
Releasing the red handle is usually enough to stop. You may have to pull upwards on the handle to achieve full braking power depending on how far you’ve gone.
The Descent
You will be wearing a full-body, industrial harness and 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.
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! It will take between 5 and 15 minutes to get to the bottom. The squeezing motion to activate the descender requires quite a bit of force and using the same hand the entire way down can be tiring. You can stop to rest or switch hands when you need a break. In general, inexperienced rappellers tend to find themselves with tired hands at the bottom. If you keep your feet on the concrete/glass it is easy to maintain the correct position – you won’t spin around or drift. If you push off with your feet you can bounce outwards. The further out you bounce, the more difficult it is to keep from getting twisted. Once you’re within 20’ of the ground, your landing will be assisted by an expert Over the Edge staff member.
