When it comes to knots, practice makes perfect. We’ve put a little video together to help you get them right.

First section covers the basic knots used in rigging rope access – Figure of 8, Figure of 9, Alpine Butterfly, and Double Figure 8 or ‘Bunny ears’.

The second section (from 2:50) shows you how to tie a basic set of cowstails using a single length of dynamic rope about 4 metres long, using ‘rethreaded’ Overhand knots and Barrel knots.

Due to demand, we’re running an extra course from the 21st – 25th May. Places are also still available for the week before: 14th – 18th, and the week after: 28th – 1st.

Just give us a ring or send us an email to secure your place.

Now Easter is out of the way, here’s a quick update on upcoming course dates:

April: 23rd – 27th, 30th – 4th May

May: 14th – 18th, 28th – 1st June

June: 11th – 15th, 25th – 29th

July: 9th – 13th, 23rd – 27th, 30th July – 3rd August

August: 6th – 10th, 20th – 24th

As bookings are taken, we are likely to add extra course dates between those listed – please get in touch if the week you want isn’t listed.

We’ve had award-winning filmmaker Ben Pritchard in recently to give folks a flavour of what we’re all about. Here’s a brief introduction:

Access Techniques from Access Techniques on Vimeo.

Next week’s course (Feb 6th – 10th) is now fully booked, and other courses are filling up fast, so we have put on an extra course the following week (Feb 13th – 17th). There is plenty of room still available for this week, and a few places still available on the courses in the rest of Feb.

We don’t normally run courses on bank holiday weeks, so be warned availability is a bit patchier over Easter and into May. However, we are running courses pretty much every week between now and then, so its worth getting it done earlier if possible. Just email or give us a ring to book.

There is often some confusion about when and how folk can revalidate or upgrade their tickets, so I thought I’d try to clear things up here.

Firstly, note IRATA will NOT allow you to upgrade if your certificate has expired (more than three years since last assessment). However they will allow you to revalidate up to 6 months before expiry, and your next three years will run from the original expiry date. Three-day revalidation courses are only available to those still in date. So its well worth booking in early if possible.

If you have expired, The rules are as follows:

Level 1: revalidate at any time with a full week’s training course.

Level 2 & 3: You have a further six months after expiry to revalidate at the same level, as long as you do not work as a rope access technician whilst expired.
If you have expired for more than 6 months but less than 2 years, a day of appraisal is required at a training centre before completing a full week’s course.
If you have expired for more than 2 years, you must first revalidate at Level 1, and then ‘fast-track’ back up the system to your original level. 300 logged hours over at least 3 months are required between levels in the ‘fast-track’ system.

If you have any questions, please get in touch and we can clear up any confusion.

Over the last few months we’ve made a good few additions to the training centre. On the cosmetic front, painting the floor has made the centre much brighter and smarter, and helped to keep ropes and harnesses clean and handling nicely.

To expand the possibilites of our steelwork, we’ve added a pylon leg with latchway system, to give us a great variety of four different installed fall arrest systems. We’ve also installed a large section of steel tube into the arches at around 6 metres height. This is great for teaching aid climbing and rigging, particularly pull-throughs, and has been specified to take a point load of 6kN at any point with minimal deflection.

We’re also continually expanding our kit store, with special focus on the ever expanding range of devices. With recent Petzl and IRATA statements regarding the Shunt, its essential all operatives, ans especially Level 3s, are experienced and knowledgeable on a variety of descenders and back-up devices.

Over the coming months we will be running courses on the following weeks:

January: 9th – 13th Fully Booked,   23rd – 27th

February: 6th – 10th,  20th – 24th,   27th – 2nd

March: 5th – 9th,   19th – 23rd,   26th – 30th

April: 16th – 20th,   23rd – 27th

May: 14th – 18th,   28th – 1st

Remember, if the week you want isn’t listed give us a call. We will run a course as long as we have two bookings, so there is a good chance we can put on an extra course.

For the next few months we’ve got IRATA training courses scheduled on the following dates:

19th – 23rd Sept
3rd – 7th Oct
17th – 21st Oct
31st Oct – 4th Nov
14th – 18th Nov
28th Nov – 2nd Dec

All weeks training cover all IRATA Levels 1,2 & 3. The basic schedule is a course every other week up until Christmas, but from current enquiries we’ll likely be adding a few extra dates too, so get in touch if the week you fancy isn’t listed.

Top caving photographer Robbie Shone dropped in last week to practice his wide-angle techniques on our cavernous interior. The field-of-view in both of these pictures is somewhere over 180 degrees! Click on the pic for a bigger view.

And here’s Aide demonstrating some techniques for rescue from a diagonal tensioned line.