Lanyards connect the belay loop of the harness to an anchor, in order to arrest a potential fall. They must be replaced at the start of each season, after an impact, or as soon as wear becomes visible.
The two lanyards
- A short lanyard, which allows you to stay as close as possible to the anchor when setting up your descender on the descent rope. The carabiner at the end of the short lanyard must remain easy to operate, with your hand at eye level, while hanging in the harness.
- A long lanyard, which you should be able to unclip from the anchor once the descender is correctly set up on the rope, with the slack taken in. Its carabiner must remain easy to operate, with a slightly bent arm.
Ready-made lanyards are available commercially, but it is also possible to make your own to adjust their length to your own build.
Making your own
- About 2 metres of certified single dynamic rope, minimum 9 mm diameter
- 2 carabiners (screwgate or not), preferably with a wide gate opening and no hook on the gate (keylock system)
- End-of-lanyard knot: double fisherman’s knot on itself, with a slack tail of 6 to 7 cm to prevent it from creeping back into the knot
- Knot connecting to the belay loop: girth hitch for webbing belay loops, clove hitch for a metal belay loop
Hang on your lanyards before the first water entry, and check the knots carefully during the first uses: they can tend to work loose.
Never use a zicral maillon (such as a Petzl “speedy”) for lanyards: designed for lightweight caving equipment, it would open more easily in the event of a shock. Prefer a quick link or a delta maillon.
Pair it with a suitable descender and a comfortable harness. Find all the equipment in our complete canyoning equipment guide.
