www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/abseiler-left-dangling-after-failing-to-pack-enough-rope-20111202-1o9r6.html
Abseiler left dangling after failing to pack enough rope
Written by Jane Lee
December 2, 2011 - 7:09AM
A thrill seeker had be rescued from a cliff in southern Victoria after abseiling with ropes that were too short.
The man, believed to be about 30 years old, ran out of rope on his way down the sheer cliff at Cape Paterson, near Wonthaggi, and was left dangling for close to an hour until help arrived.
The man called triple-0 from his mobile phone about 6.30pm.
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''He told us that he is experienced at abseiling, but for some reason he got his calculations wrong and found that the rope he was using didn't go all the way to the bottom,'' paramedic Ben Meadley said of the man's ordeal.
''So, he was left with only one option - to climb back up. The only problem was that he couldn't get any footing on the cliff to enable him to climb back up."
The man was sore from clinging to the ropes and cold from the wind but otherwise unharmed when rescue workers arrived to winch him back to safety.
''He was suffering hand cramps, having been hanging there for about 40 minutes, so he may not have been able to hold on if he had remained there any longer,'' Mr Meadley said.
Paramedics flew to the man's rescue on an air ambulance helicopter.
A very lucky boy! Was he doing this solo!?
Thinking about it... the tail of the rope must have been free hanging. Once you realise you won't make it down, wouldn't you just lock off, pull the rope back up, and tie yourself off, and hang and wait... rather than get hand cramps?
Nothing a couple of prussik loops couldn't have fixed.
He should have noticed well before he hit the end of the rope that he was stuffed.
You lock off, tie off, bring the tail of the rope up and make it into a prussik. It's not pretty but it can we done.
Hanging for hours by his hands...what a retard. You only have to wrap the tail around your waiste then leg to hang there arms free.
must have been free hanging. Once you realise you won't make it down, wouldn't you just lock off, pull the rope back up, and tie yourself off, and hang and wait... rather than get hand cramps?
this bloke must be either brain dead, or we are not being told the full story,
prussiking isnt that hard! (as long as you are carrying the ropes to do it!)
correction- yes its hard work after a while- and slow going, but you will get there eventually.
years ago, I prussiked about 50m up us a training exercise with our scouts.
It just took a bit of perseverance.
Agree, free climbing is nuts. But they would know their stuff. They would be the top 3%.
K true story to entertain you fellas. around yr 2000 I did the Table Mountain Cape Town abseil, at the time they said it was the longest/highest commercial one in the world. 113m. What they didn't say is that the last 60m was one big overhang. Nice surprise.
Anyway, me and my mate timbo were on the way up in the morning, and we had to lug this huge rope up there for them. Story was that they grabbed the wrong one, old mate the instructor was doing his test abseil, and they do it every day so they rig their gear to go as fast as possible and they basically free fall the last 60-70m and pull up at the last moment. So old mate's heading for the ground full speed, realises rope stops some 10m short. Locks up with 1m of rope left.
He was off the rope by the time we got there, so I guess he must have prussik'd up 100m or so.
Anyways happy ending they let us go twice as a reward for carrying the rope up. 
edit: it's pretty scary cos you can see down 1km, you only stop on a little ledge
Thanks guys for keeping this post positive and fun.
Dave, that pics is certifiably nuts! I'll google that more later. I'll grow a nut and add it to the bucket list!
Awesome video too^. He's the leader of the Certified Nuts Team! 
kd, I hope you stopped to take in the panoramic scenery - that view looks awesome...& clear!
