Have you ever done any abseiling? I have plenty of times, though not always in the literal sense that the Anglicized version of the German term “abseilen” (pronounce ’up-zi-len, meaning to rope oneself down) implies. Let me explore the literal meaning first, before I come to the second meaning Germans use in colloquial speech.
Abseiling (the English verb syllable -ing equals the German one of -en) comes from mountaineering, rock climbing, and caving. It is a technique that uses ropes and fixation tools for a controlled descent from a steep, rocky surface. Of course, people in search and rescue also use it to reach otherwise unreachable areas. The more common term in the U.S. for abseiling is rappelling, by the way, a term that derives from the French language, meaning to pull through or to recall. The technique itself was invented by a French mountain guide in 1876. There is a different term for letting somebody else down on a rope, by the way.
If you have ever been to REI in Seattle, you’ll have noticed a wall with numerous colorful protrusions in the entrance area. Climbing walls like these can be found all over the nation in indoor sports centers but also sometimes at outdoor sports and playgrounds. Some of them might be even used by free climbers, i. e. people climbing and descending rock surfaces without other auxiliary means than powdered chalk. They are a safer kind of training ground for those who intend to go for the real deal in the mountains.
I had never thought that I would ever find myself hanging on to a rope while ascending and descending a climbing wall of 30 feet in height. I had been invited by a business partner to join in and report about an incentive invent for retail business partners. There, I was standing at the bottom of the wall that didn’t seem daunting, at all. What are 30 feet in height?! Also, I had the advantage of observing some of the other participants in their trails and their errors as to grabbing the right protruding points to hold on to in order to continue their ascent. When it was my turn, it proved to be helpful to a point. But I never made it up to the top, either. Also, not being particularly fond of heights (give me a stepping stool, and that’s enough for getting vertigo), I found that, suddenly, 30 feet were quite high. Let’s say, descending as in abseiling was the way easier part, and it was actual fun. I’d still prefer a normal hiking path to rock climbing any day.
Now, the German verb “abseilen” has a second meaning – and that’s one that is quite common in use. It’s the casual term for leaving a group to do something else without any announcement. As in leaving a party and going somewhere else e.g., to keep on partying, or to simply go for a nice, quiet walk. Whatever the spur of the moment decision by oneself or the small group one belongs to was.
Of course, with social and business obligations, it became harder and harder for me to abseil from parties or other bigger events over the years. As a matter of fact, when I need quiet for one reason or another, I prefer politely declining an invite or asking for a raincheck in advance to abseiling during the event. It’s more honest and straightforward than leaving a host guessing whether anything went wrong. Which it usually doesn’t. So don’t ponder about people who abseil too much – they just got their fill and move on.
