Abstract: Provided is a descending device and method for controlling a rate of descent. The descending device includes a housing comprising a channel for receiving a tether along which the descending device is to travel during a descent. A cover conceals at least a portion of the serpentine pathway to minimize introduction of foreign bodies into the serpentine pathway. A first arcuate surface defines at least a portion of the serpentine pathway and a second arcuate surface defines at least another portion of the serpentine pathway. Each of the first and second arcuate surfaces includes a different radius of curvature. The descending device also includes at least one of a third arcuate surface adjacent to an entrance to the serpentine pathway and having a third radius of curvature that is shorter than both the first radius of curvature and the second radius of curvature, and a descent control lever to be manually actuated between a plurality of positions by the user to selectively control the rate of descent.

Abstract: A full-body harness, with or without an integral support line, with the harness being adaptable for class I, class II, and/or class III service, and for use by safety personnel (such as firefighters, military personnel, rescue workers etc.) or others for situations that call for emergency activity in areas where falls from an unsafe height are possible, or for use for entertainment purposes such as climbing, rappelling, or skydiving, for example, or for use with a parachute, such as for military or recreational applications, for example.