Hair or clothing stuck in rappel device?  How to get unstuck

Advanced rap tip:  You (or someone else) is on a free hanging rappel, and your get your jacket or hair (ouch!) stuck in your rap device.  What do you do?

Here is one solution.

1) Using a single (2 foot) runner, put a friction knot (prusik or klemheist) on the rope above you
2) Clip it to your belay loop with a spare biner.
3) Bending one knee, pull up one leg so your heel is touching your butt.
4) Wrap the rope around this pulled-up foot 4 or 5 times, then hold the free end of the rope in your upper hand.  (See the diagram below.)
5) Stand up for a moment, using the rope wrapped around your foot to support your weight.
6) As you stand, simultaneously slide the friction knot up the rope, and then sit back to weight the knot.  This takes the load off of your rap device and transfers it to the friction knot.
7) Pull up about 10 feet of rope, tie a fig 8 loop in each strand, and clip it to your belay loop with a spare biner. This serves to back up the friction knot.
8) Now, with the weight off your rappel device and the ropes clipped to you as a backup,
free the jammed clothing or hair, and replace the rope in the rap device.
9) To unweight your friction knot and continue the rappel, repeat step 3 and 4, only this time pull the friction knot down to unweight it. 
10) Unclip the friction knot from your harness, and untie it from the rope.
11) Load rap device, untie fig 8 backup knots, and continue the rap.

Please practice this rope trick in a controlled setting close to the ground (with an old T shirt, not your hair!).  It sounds complicated written out like this, but it’s quite simple and you’ll learn it quickly.

This drawing is from Climbing magazine.