nartreb wrote:The old chain-of-'biners trick (see bottom photo here: http://climbinglife.com/tech-tips/tech- ... -know.html ) requires smaller bends of the rope than a device like an ATC, so should work better with tension on the rope, especially if you rig it for mimimal friction. (It works just like the brake bar shown in an earlier post.) Back it up with a prussik in case the rope gets unweighted for any reason and you lose that fireman's belay...
I won't claim to be an expert or beyond making an incorrect statement. But I have to respectfully disagree with the idea that one could use the photographed method (below) to descend if there is a bodyweight of tension on the rope from another person below.