Ropes skills workshop morning

Yesterday we were in for a treat! Ryno Griesel (Team Cyanosis; and from Gravity Training) organised a basic rope skills course for us. He recruited a number of Gravity Training instructors to assist; we were not short of personal attention - very special indeed!

Ryno started off by going over some basic kit - harnesses, carabiners, slings... thing commonly used in adventure racing. A really fun component of the course was the 10m and 20m emergency rope and what to do with it. This sounds kinda arbitrary but it is definitely something worth paying attention to in your race preparations. Also, it is one thing to lower someone down on a rope, but how then does the last person get down AND retrieve the rope afterwards.

Ryno demonstrates things to do with your emergency rope

Ryno also taught us useful and essential knots like figure 8-on the bite, Italian (Munter) hitch, bowline and an alpine butterfly. The latter can be used as a makeshift harness too!

My apline butterfly. Lizelle in the background making her knot.

On a low wall we simulated 'going over the edge of an abseil' using three different devices - Figure 8, bug (belay plate) and a Petzl Stop. We also learned the techniques to lock off these devices. Cristelle, Jaco and Susan supervised and guided us through each step.

Then it was on to the high structure (old drive-in screen), which had been rigged by Gravity's instructors, Jaco and Louis. We climbed up three times to abseil with two devices and a Munter hitch (on a pear-shaped carabiner), locking off mid-air before completing the descent.

As I haven't jumared for ages, I did a quick session with Ryno to refresh on adjusting the length of the foot loops and also the length from the upper jumar to my harness. It's something I don't always remember because I practise this so seldom. And then I climbed up a bit, attached my abseil devices, locked off, detached the jumars and then abseiled down. It was fabulous fun!

Ryno, thank you for organising this for our squad and for taking us through ropes elements most important and relevant to adventure racing. And to your Gravity Training instructors, Christelle, Jaco, Louis and Susan, we really appreciate your expertise and your morning spent with us.

Adri and Steven practise knots

"The rabbit goes into the hole, around the tree and then where?" - Steven ties a bowline

Charl (Lizelle's boyfriend), Lizelle, Adri and Steven

Ja, ja. Rules are made to be broken ;) Susan guides Adri.

(Note: Gravity Training are the only ones with permission to use this structure, which they also maintain to certification standards)

Ryno shows Steven how to rig a Petzl Stop

Ropes, ropes everywhere! Lizelle gets the giggles while locking off.

Adri in action!