Members: Rig For Lower with a Munter Hitch

Rigging with the ability to lower a load on the main access lines gives rope technicians the ability to deal with some incidents quickly and efficiently.  This is known as ‘Rig for Lower’ (RFL) and has been in practice for at least 20 years.  It may have originated in guided abseiling activities when guides realised that, when dealing with jams such as hair or clothing, it was easier for them to introduce slack by lowering the main rope than by raising the load with the belay rope.  Regardless of origin, there are many different ways to establish a RFL system and we will address some of these in this report.