Vertical caving terminology and methods > SRT basic terms
An effect that happens during abseiling on a sufficiently long rope. This is most common with ropes that are a bit dirty, furry or wet, and becomes more likely if the rope is more dynamic. It happens most when abseiling at higher speeds, and can also be made a little worse by the material that gloves are made from, or the way that the rope is gripped. While abseiling, the descender alternates between gripping the rope, and allowing the rope to pass through it rapidly, often hitting a resonant frequency, creating a "zip-zip-zip" effect. The descent speed may remain relatively constant while this happens, with the rope stretching while the descender grips, and then releasing its tension as the rope passes through the descender. This results in an uncomfortable experience. The issue can be resolved to some extent by temporarily stopping the descent, waiting for the bounce to stop, then starting the descent again with a little more control over the speed. It can be reduced by keeping the hangs short. Some types of descender are far more likely to produce this snatching effect, particularly the Stop and Simple, while racks produce a much smoother descent, and are almost immune to the problem. It is generally worse with descenders that are made from steel, while aluminium can help reduce the problem.
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