Abseiling 101

Date: 2/2/2010
Participants: Matt, Jason, Jay

Aim: To run an introductory abseiling course

Background: Some mates of mine were keen for another trip in the mountains. I had originally planned a mountain biking/abseiling trip but Jason's bike was currently out of action, so the new plan was to drive up and spend the day hanging off cliff faces!

COURSE OUTLINE:
- Explanation of descenders, carabiners, communication, belaying
- Cliff safety
- Slopes and flat walls
- Overhanging descents
- Forward abseiling (optional)
- Cave crawling

Itinerary:
Mt York (Beginners Area)
- Jay mastering, and Jason re-mastering essential abseiling skills.
- Next time I plan to set up a Tyrolean traverse across the beginners area!!!

Mt York (North Face)
- An exciting 25m drop with outstanding views. We each did about 3 laps of this descent. I went down forwards to demonstrate the 'Aussie Rappel', a technique supposedly pioneered by the Australian Army to descend a cliff face and shoot enemies at the same time. (lol, Aussies call it an 'abseil' not a 'rappel').

Sunset Rock
- A fun crawl through a narrow shaft etched into the side of the cliff to get into a larger cave. This was followed by a short exploration of Mitchell Ridge.

Conclusion: A successful and enjoyable day was had by all. I will run more trips of this ilk, as they are popular amongst friends and people always look forward the next one!

Group shot after a successful morning of mastering the essentials

 

 Joseph on a 25m drop

 

Jason on rope!