One thing we have to pay close attention to in canyoning is the side we attach to when descending with the descender, because if I descend from this side, I lower myself and the buffer does its job.

But if I lower myself from the other side without checking, I risk falling all the way to the bottom (and it’s best not to mention the consequences). Therefore, the first person to descend must have a backup: a quickdraw constructed with two sleeves is used and tied to the belay station so that if by chance one of the participants makes a mistake and ties in on the other side, there’s a backup system that prevents the rope from slipping.

The last person to descend must then carefully remove this system from the side they’re descending from.