ABSEIL SUPERVISOR COURSE

WHERE?

DURATION?

PHYSICALITY?

AGES

SEASONALITY

LIMITATIONS

Many adventure operators and school camp venues offer abseiling as one of their activities. Learn how to select a site, set up an abseil, manage a group throughout an abseil and prevent the occasional problem along the way (or solve the ones that you couldn't prevent).

You need to be fit enough to:

• Carry all your equipment

• Ascent back up whatever height you have abseiled

An additional piece of advice is that you really should be able to do at least 1 pull-up!

Please note that assessment is NOT included in this course, nor is it included in the course costs. If you require assessment than you will need to arrange it as a separate event once you have consolidated the skills.

Before you are permitted to undertake assessment you must be over the age of 18 years old and must be in possession of a valid first-aid certificate.

The format for the assessment is:

• A written theory exam of 100 marks. The pass mark is 60%

• You must set up and run a group abseil. This includes the briefing and management of your group. You must prevent the most obvious problems such as hair becoming entangled in the device, and you must be able to solve any of the problems that the assessor creates for you as part of the scenario, within a reasonable time-frame.

Selection, capabilities, limitations, use, inspection, care and storage of:

• Rope and accessory cord

• Harnesses

• Helmets

• Belay and abseil devices

• Anchoring equipment

• Accessories

• The legal environment

• Access control models

• Risk management

• Leave No Trace and environmental impact

• Physics for anchoring

• Anchoring considerations

• Anchoring techniques

• Anchor system inspection

• Abseiling

• Locking off the abseil device

• Ascending

• Changing between abseil and ascent and vice-versa

• Passing knots on abseil and on ascent

• Fall factors

• Impact force

• Types of belays

• Belay techniques

• Communication

• Site selection

• Group briefing

• Setting up fixed and retrievable abseils

• Group management

• Managing safety and preventing problems

• Using the releaseable abseil to solve problems

• Use of the Z-Haul to solve problems

• Pick-off rescues