Supplies to Bring
Personal equipment must be in safe, usable condition and marked to identify the owner. Equipment deemed unsafe or unacceptable during check-in must be replaced prior to the student’s continued participation in the course.
- Helmet - UIAA or CE approved mountaineering style helmet with three (or more) point suspension, and non-elastic chinstrap.
- Three locking carabiners - independent of your ascending or descending system.
- Descent device - any of the types of device are acceptable:
- Standard rack
- Four-bar Micro rack with a hyper-bar (4 bars total)
- Bobbin with safety carabiner (Bobbin is a generic term for devices like the Petzl Stop. You can use any of the commercially available brands/models.)
- "Rescue Eight" with ears
- Sewn Seat Harness
- Leather Gloves
- Ascending System - complete working system with at least two points of gripping attachment to the seat harness.
- An additional ascender or prusik must be available for crossing knots, etc.
- One of the system's ascenders must be functional as a Quick Attachment Safety (QAS).
- Frog system must have a link (e.g. long cowstail) from their upper ascender to their harness.
Note: we strongly encourage use of a caving ascending system that employs mechanical ascenders. Frog, Mitchell, Texas, and Rope Walker systems are common examples. While you might be able to get by with an improvised system, a well-tuned caving system will be better suited to class activities.