Abseiling (/ˈæbseɪl/ AB-sayl or /ˈɑːpzaɪl/ AHP-zyle; from German abseilen 'to rope down'), also known as rappelling (/ræˈpɛl/ RAP-pel or /rəˈpɛl/ rə-PELL; from French rappeler 'to recall, to pull through'), is the controlled descent of a steep slope, such as a rock face, by moving down a rope. When abseiling the person descending controls their own movement down the rope, in contrast to lowering off in which the rope attached to the person descending is paid out by their belayer. This technique is used by climbers, mountaineers, cavers, canyoners, search and rescue and rope access technicians to descend cliffs or slopes when they are too steep and/or dangerous to descend without protection. Many climbers use this technique to protect established anchors from damage. Rope access technicians also use this as a method to access difficult-to-reach areas from above for various industrial applications like maintenance, construction, inspection and welding. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)