MountainSphere Adventures | Rope Skills Day 24 October 2024

Have you ever wanted to know how to use a hand line when bushwalking? That is, if you are hiking in remote and rough terrain, and all you are carrying is one light rope and one carabiner, how do you safely get up or down a steep rocky obstacle where a rope is needed? How to anchor yourself at the top, belay someone down, pass packs, and get down yourself? These are not the skills of a rock climber or an abseiler, who would have access to all the required equipment. These are the skills of the bushwalker, who just has one rope and one carabiner, and needs to get their group safely past an exposed or steep rock that is below the threshold of rock climbing but still a challenge for a bushwalker who encounters an unexpected obstacle in remote terrain. This was the first rope skills day of this type to be operated by MountainSphere Adventures and the 3 girls who joined this day had an amazingly fun time. After learning a range of useful knots and hitches, the girls rigged a hand line with belay and anchor. It was a nice day and there was time left after lunch so for some additional fun the girls learned prussiking and abseiling. The skills will equip the girls with skills to improvise and make safer a potentially hazardous obstacle in remote terrain when very limited equipment is available. Vital skills for the bushwalker and leader.