Page 78 - RADC Bulletin 2021

because we could make the most of the well equipped common room with table tennis and a smart TV.
Following our opening address from the OC we broke into course groups for a brief lesson on the weather which is well worked into the syllabus for all AT courses and is built on in subsequent qualifications.
Our instructor John was an Ex Para who transferred to the RAPTC. His Para bred personality made for a lighthearted learning environment with lots of good camaraderie and banter. He operated a strictly ‘Suns
out Guns out’ policy, which for a scrawny triathlete like me was a little humiliating.
John took us to the climbing wall at the Gym in Dhekalia for the first day, where
we could build our confidence with the equipment we had been issued before heading out on to the rock, or the crag as it is known.
We discussed the different styles of climbing including bouldering, sport, traditional and free climbing (for anyone who has seen Alex Honnold’s epic ‘Free Solo’). We would mainly be sport climbing at this foundation level, meaning there are fixed bolts in the wall which you methodically attach clips or carabiners to as you climb, to provide safety by ensuring you never fall too far if you slip. This method requires a partner to belay you from either the top or the bottom. This adds a massive element of trust and teamwork as you are literally trusting each other with your lives. This was put to the test with a series of practice falls. We were instructed to climb above our last piece of protection or carabiner, in order for the rope to become slack and then deliberately push yourself off the wall to initiate a fall. This placed faith in your partners ability to
arrest your fall and proved the reliability of the equipment, but unfortunately not the comfort of the harnesses, especially for the gents.
We had a visit from Major General
Rob Thomson the Commander British Forces Cyprus, with whom I have a good relationship due to our shared passion for cycling. He was impressed to see the variety of individuals on the course and joking that even the Dentist managed to get some time for AT.
The following days we were taken to
a series of ‘venues’ to climb on real rock. First up was Cape Greco, located at the far South Eastern point of Cyprus, just past Ayia Napa. The rock here is sharp and coarse, cut and shaped by the sea when this aspect of the island was submerged in
76 RADC BULLETIN 2021
SPORT & AT