Australian rappel

Australian rappel demonstrated at a dam in Norway

Australian abseiling (also known as Australian rappelling, Rap Jumping or deepelling) is the process of descending a fixed rope in a standing position while facing the ground.

The technique is used as a military 'assault' technique whereby a soldier is belayed, allowing them to face down the descent and fire a weapon.

Climber performing Australian rappel on Orlando Power Station cooling towers in Soweto, South Africa

In Australia, the technique is not commonly known as "Australian", or even "rappelling"; instead the term "abseiling" is more commonly used and the technique is referred to as "Geneva" style.^{[citation needed]}

History

Rap Jumping comes from Macka's style and a form of rope work started by the Australian Army in the late 60' which was known as the "Carabina Rundown" and internationally known as the Aussie Rappel because of its origin. Macka MacKail created the name "Rap Jumping" to describe his style of forward free-fall jumping and based it in Cairns, Australia as early as 1988.

Commercial operation of Rap Jumping started in 1989 with the issue of permits from the Mulgrave Shire Council in the Barron Gorge Cairns on the site known as the Hinge, (Split Rock) and Macka's Bluff which has 6 different jump faces.

This led to jumping from high rise buildings. The first of the buildings jumped was the Pacific Hotel, Cairns in 1989, and subsequently the first fully commercial operation at the Gold Coast International Hotel, Surfers Paradise. Source from www.rapjumping.com

UK Rap Jumping has been picked up by Colin Greenwood who trained with Macka MacKail since 1990. Colin holds an un-official world record, and has helped to push the boundaries in the sport by creating a jump site in London. - source www.rapjumpinguk.com

Notes

• Outdoor Council of Australia, National Outdoor Leader Registration Scheme, Abseiling - Natural Surfaces [1]
• "abseiling." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2010. Merriam-Webster Online. 30 May 2010 [2]

External links

• Home of UK Rap Jumping
• The Original Pioneer of Rap Jumping Australia
• Extreme Rap Jumping