If you walked up to set up the TR and the circumstances are as you describe, then there are zero reasons to rappel - skip all the shenanigans and just keep walking back down.

Sure, sooner or later this climber, or some other, will have to climb down below the anchor point of a rappel rope set up. There won't always be a walk off.

What if its the top of a sea cliff that was approached from inland and there is no easy walk down to the base to use after the TR is set up.

We're talking rapping a TR setup where the biners are draped four feet over the edge. He's saying his friends hand-over-handing down the TR rope over the edge in order to start rappeling. How many walkup TR's have you seen where you couldn't just as easily walk back down from? And "quicker" or "fun" or "someday" are all lousy reasons to rap in this scenario.

Sooner or later a climber will have to rappel down from an anchor point that is below the climber. I recommend the OP learn how to handle this situation - walk off can be one option, one he has already exercised.

But being able to get safely down to a rap anchor, rigged and on rappel, is something every climber should know how to do.

If you walked up to set up the TR and the circumstances are as you describe, then there are zero reasons to rappel - skip all the shenanigans and just keep walking back down.

So to answer your last question - and purely for the sake of conjecture - I'm with jolery, setup the ATC and do three wraps of the rope down the length of your leg with the final wrap around your ankle and then back over the top of your foot (that last foot detail is important), then climb down the webbing to get on the rappel - don't, under any circumstances, ever go over the edge with just the ATC rigged and no leg wrap or other tie-in. The best advice, however, is still to just walk back down any time you can.

So to answer your last question - and purely for the sake of conjecture - I'm with jolery, setup the ATC and do three wraps of the rope down the length of your leg with the final wrap around your ankle and then back over the top of your foot (that last foot detail is important)...

What is the purpose of extending the wraps down the leg and around the foot, and would there be anything wrong with putting a knot in the rope below the rappel device, instead of using leg wraps?

Jay

Hehe if you'd bothered to say all this the first time I would not have posted at all.

option c) if down climbing is not an option, even with the anchor legs as support; fix a piece of static line long enough to get you past the master point. rap using a second device or a clove hitch. (make sure your primary rap device is already to go and back up/tied off).

I believe Patmay means a Münter hitch. A clove hitch won't get you very far.

So to answer your last question - and purely for the sake of conjecture - I'm with jolery, setup the ATC and do three wraps of the rope down the length of your leg with the final wrap around your ankle and then back over the top of your foot (that last foot detail is important), then climb down the webbing to get on the rappel...

...don't, under any circumstances, ever go over the edge with just the ATC rigged and no leg wrap or other tie-in. The best advice, however, is still to just walk back down any time you can.

This is along the lines of using a separate static and another device, but this is what I do quite often.

I use static line exclusively, so if you are using webbing, this won't work.

1. Tie a knot in the end of the static and drop it down past where you want your power point.
2. Attach this line via figure 8 knot to first protection.
3. Drop loop with enough to tie power point.
4. Attach to second protection.
5. When finished setting up toprope, lower yourself on the first dropped line with grigri to below power point.
6. Attach second device (atc) to toprope in rappel mode.
7. Either put a backup below the device or Healyje's method of the leg wraps.
8. Detach gri gri and rappel.

I take primarily children out toproping, so this has the added benefit of them being in my sight the whole time

Josh

That sounds like a really good idea. I think its the best idea for my friends also. Maybe if they fall it will scare them enough and the tension around the leg gives them enough pain they will start walking down with me. I trust my own judgement and I dont think Ill be rappelling down with them anytime soon if at all. I just needed an answer. I knew they were wrong! Its nice to be able to think that I can do it safely(for the most part) but when im on top of the cliff looking down at the anchor im pretty sure I will always be walking down until I have more experience or a second rope and anchor to rappel. Thanks, I needed that haha