A rappelling apparatus and method are provided, for controlling the rate of movement of a person along a safety line away from an anchored end of the safety line, through use of a control bar having an attachment at one end thereof for a harness safety belt, or the like connected to the person, an operating handle at an opposite end thereof, and provisions between the opposite ends of the control bar for passage of the safety line through the control bar in serpentine pattern. The operating handle is pivoted away from the safety line to reduce the severity of the serpentine pattern and allow controlled movement of the safety line through the control bar. Some forms of the control bar include a one-way clutching arrangement. Some forms of the control bar also include a hand-actuated braking arrangement.