The snake is made out of stainless steel. The device is rugged if, and only if, appropriate metals and diameters are chosen. Many people are scared of snakes because it looks like the rope will just slide off the ends of the bars. This isn't true - the rope actually wraps around the snake, and cannot come off. Wraps can be added or removed to provide incremental changes in friction, but doing so requires lifting the rope over one's head.
Rappelling on a live snake is not recommended.
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©2007, Gary D. Storrick