When you climb a route from the bottom, your rope is attached to many points of protection, including bolts, cams, and pitons, which creates redundancy in case of a fall and keeps you relatively safe. But when you rappel, you trust your life to an anchor system which has to be secure for you to be safe. Year after year rappelling accidents account for many climbing fatalities and injuries, making it statistically one of the most dangerous climbing activities you will learn and practice. If there is an upside to the danger of rappelling it is that most accidents occur as a result of the climber’s misjudgment and errors and can be avoided.