Vertical caving terminology and methods > SRT basic terms
A rope that has been passed through an anchor or around a natural, with both ends hanging down the same hang. The two ends are used at the same time, either with body abseil, certain designs of descenders, doubled ascenders, or doubled rope technique. The safest approach is to have a knot at the anchor, at which point each end could be used independently, but this offers very little benefit over a single rope, apart from being able to provide more friction for descenders that can use both ends of the rope at the same time. However, doubled ropes might be used with a bight that has been threaded through the anchor, without a knot. This is extremely risky, as it depends on both ends being pulled with almost exactly the same force (the only difference allowed between them being less than the amount of friction from the anchor). While there are some types of descenders that may be used this way, such as a rack or manual belay device, this is not possible with most designs. Even with a rack or belay device, there is still the risk that one side might grip a little more than the other, resulting in the first side remaining static in the descender, while the other side is pulled through completely, enough to run off the end of the rope. A doubled rope without a knot may be used intentionally in very rare cases for a pull-through, but this is actively discouraged due to the risks. There are many far safer approaches which can be used for a pull-though, all of which are based on a doubled rope, but modified to allow it to be safely used. A doubled rope is often used with doubled rope technique, where there is no risk of one side being pulled through by accident.
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