Page 79 - RADC Bulletin 2021

Rock Climbing Supervisor (RCS) Course
Maj T Konarzewski
After 5 years of battling with injury, I finally accepted that my skydiving career was over and had to find something to appease the adrenaline junkie within. Like Capt. Fear, my climbing experience before arriving in Cyprus was minimal but it wasn’t long before I was ‘roped’ into Dhekelia Climbing Club. This was really just a grand name for a WhatsApp group with 4 climbing enthusiasts in Dhekelia, but it worked for me.
I quickly realised the benefits of
this amazing sport. Whether belaying, climbing or setting up ropes, the stakes are high and you are left with no choice but to focus on the task in hand. This absorbs the mind, distracting you from all the stresses life throws up and is ironically therapeutic. Try it! And yes, it definitely ticks the adrenaline box.
The Single Pitch Rock Climbing Foundation Course tested my physical and mental strength, and confirmed that climbing gave me everything I wanted. The next step on the path to becoming
a climbing instructor is the RCS Course. Unlike the foundation course which was
a full week of climbing, this week was
all about setting up rope systems. The aim of the week is to develop the skills required to supervise non-lead climbing and abseiling on outdoor and indoor walls. In summary, we were taught how
to safely set up a top rope (where the person belaying is at the top of the climb), a bottom rope and an abseil. With only 4 students and 2 instructors on the course there was nowhere to hide.
By the end of day 1, my head was spinning. I had learnt about 10 different ways to tie a knot whilst standing on the edge of a 60ft drop, trying not to look down too much. In all honesty, I was standing above the charming limestone cliffs of Cape Greco, gazing out over the Mediterranean waves, sun shining, not
a cloud in sight – I’m not complaining!
As the week progressed, I became very familiar with Italian hitches, clove hitches, figures of eight, ‘bunny ears’ and the like.
I was also introduced to the art of placing nuts, hexes and cams. These are intricate pieces of climbing gear designed to fit into nooks and crannies in the rock face and act as the connection point from which everything else hangs. Needless to say, we spent hours practicing their placement as falling from a rope which suddenly gives way is not how anyone wishes to go!
The week culminated with test day. The 4 students work on their own to
set up each of the 3 rope systems from scratch, the most complex of which is the belay. Due to the level of responsibility that goes with supervising climbers, the instructors have to be absolutely satisfied that the students are competent and safe. I had spent hours in the evenings practicing the set ups, using my balcony railing as a makeshift cliff. This course
is not for the fainthearted. There is a lot to learn in a week, there is no margin for error, but the hard work is worth it and the sense of achievement is great.
the past. Its formation has made great hand holds for climbing and a spectacular setting overlooking the Mediterranean. The routes are marked at the base with a number and letter denoting their difficulty in a recognised grading system. It was satisfying to progress through the lower levels of these grades as the days went on. The use of a chalk bag
for your hands was critical, as in the warm Cypriot sun sweaty palms could be the difference between hanging onto a tricky hold or slipping off.
It was not only the sun that was inducing sweaty palms. To pass the course we had to successfully conduct a self-controlled abseil down a 25 meter cliff edge. Walking out backwards over the lip is always a Hail Mary moment.
The other venue we visited, called Dhiarizos, was South of the Troodos mountain range closer to the interior of
the island. Here the rock was completely different, consisting of smoother slabs
with ‘flakes’ of rock providing routes up
the face, if you could position your body weight appropriately to utilise these features. This location was a real gem and I quickly dropped a google pin so I could return
and perhaps camp and climb there on a weekend.
The opportunities afforded by the unique weather and geography of Cyprus make
its Adventure Training Wing a special asset
to Defence. I am a firm believer in the connection between AT and operational effectiveness. It feeds directly into the moral component of war by helping alleviate
the stress and anxiety that may build up innocuously when beavering away in a Dental Centre. The physical component
of war is addressed through the arduous nature of the activity, especially important during a time when unit or organised PT has been less available. As an SDO I see great benefit in releasing our Military staff for AT and have personally felt an increased output from those whom I have.
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