Vertical caving terminology and methods > Rigging methods and equipment
A way to descend a series of pitches as a pull-through, making it possible to re-ascend them again. The end of the down rope is whipped or tied to a thin cord, using a knot small enough to pass through the anchors or carabiners at the pitch head. The end of the rope may be prepared for this purpose by stitching a short length of thin cord to the end, so that it can be tied with a smaller knot. As the rope is pulled down, it pulls the thin cord up, and back down the other side. The thin cord is then tied into a loop and left in place as a pull-up cord, pulled tight with some rocks to avoid tangling. This can then be repeated on subsequent pitches using the same rope. Although it means taking a longer rope to allow pulling through, in addition to the pull-up cords, it can mean taking less heavy rope in total when multiple pitches are involved. It takes extra time to prepare the cord after each descent. This works out as the lowest weight method of descending multiple pitches, roughly half the total equipment weight of Alpine rigging (in caves where cord technique is possible), and the time taken for setting up the cords is counteracted by the speedy movement due to carrying less equipment. However, it is highly prone to failures and tangles.
Cord technique was first developed by French caver Daniel Martinez in 1972, as an adaptation of a pull-through and pull-up cords.
This history section only covers cord technique. This article also has a detailed history of many of the other devices and techniques that are used for vertical caving.
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