Climb 3 Training Trip

Yet another climbing trip through work, well, only number two of training, but more great times climbing and bonding with fellow staff...

Down we go...

There were 6 staff and the rest of the crew were students. The students were working on their lead climbing skills and we got to do our intake to become Single Pitch Guides (SPG's). It was an intense week. The weather was absolute crap, very overcast and rainy, and there was heaps of standing around, but it was still great. There was a lot of watching demonstraions and then practicing what we had learned, and not much just fun lead or top rope climibing. We got to learn how to escape the belay, hoist a climber both assisted and un-assisted, spend more time setting anchors, abseil over a knot, prussik up over a knot.

The arrival to climbing training

We did two huge abseil/prussiks that were awesome!!! Both were done on overhanging slabs of rock so for the first few metres at the top you had solid rock under you, but the rest of the way down you were hanging in mid-air. The first was an abseil that we did first just to do, and practice our anchor set-ups. The second time we went down our ropes we had to get around an obstruction in the line (a knot) that was lots of sitting and tinkering with prussiks and swithing over of carabiners and belay devices. We also got to prussik up a rope, well, not got to as if it was as easy as abseiling, but it was definatly a great time. It was my workout for the week and then some!! Getting myself up a 35 metre rope with nothing to help me but two prussiks, one for my waist and one for my foot, phew, quite a full body workout!!!

ze crew

We now have tons of climbing to do as well as some teaching and obseving days... so hopefully there will be more climbing reports to come.