I agree totally with Tom. You are guaranteed to never rap off the end of your rope if you “pay attention!” and don’t rap off the end of your rope! The only thing tying a knot in the end of your rope does (besides creating kinks or a potentially dangerous snag) is give you a false sense of security. (Kind of like releasable Telemark bindings.)
Like the alpinist, canyoneers have to take responsibility for our own safety. This means using good judgement when evaluating potential dangers, anchor quality and the rappel systems we use. Even though we all agree multiple anchor points are better, there is no reason why a single anchor point can’t be bomber. You just have to know how to create/evaluate a bomber anchor. Is tying two slings around a big ol’ tree any safer than tying one? The tree is still your only anchor…
Koen mentions a few con’s about the figure 8 followed by many more pro’s. I quit using a figure 8 for climbing years ago and have now come back to using one for canyoning. They are super versatile. Check out Stefan Hofman’s book “Canyoning” for numerous and creative ways to use the venerable figure 8. (By the way, conventional figure 8’s are not nearly as versatile as the “square” shaped 8 design. Petzl makes ’em. See “Canyoning” for ideas.)
Charly Oliver
Ps: What’s a “lark’s foot”.