Adventure Skills
Last updated
Last updated
Be able to complete at least four of the following:
Tarzan Jump
Rope climbing
Tree climbing
Crossing commando bridge and monkey bridge
Crossing the tope (Athura)
Climbing (three perfect grips)
Know about how to use the bowline/bowline on a bite
Know how to prepare for an Adventure Hike, Expedition and Safety Precautions
N.B.: These adventure skills will be covered at the National Level Leadership Training Course for Senior Scouts Organized by the National Programme Department of the Sri Lanka Scout Association, while adopting required safety precautions.
While height is just one of the factors that dictates the safety of a fall (along with falling surface and jump form) it is something you should take into consideration while you plan your jump. Falling from a height of 10 feet or more can result in serious, life-long injury or even death
If you participate in a sport that requires jumping from great heights, then work up to this gradually and take all of the necessary safety precautions. You should also be aware that repeatedly landing jumps from a great height can be as damaging to your spine as getting hit in the head is to your brain.
There have been a few recorded cases of people falling thousands of feet and surviving. Don't use this as an example to go by, however. These are considered miraculous exceptions for a good reason.
A friend is good to have around because he can watch your jump and tell you how it looks. It goes without saying that having a friend watching over you is more helpful if he's already got some fitness knowledge. Perhaps more importantly, the presence of someone nearby will ensure the quickest call for medical attention if you need it for whatever reason.
As you're about to jump, make a point of spotting the place you would like to land. Having a specific place on the ground below you will increase your stability. If you're only aiming for a broad area, you're more likely to lose concentration.
In a jump down to a lower place, you won't want to jump much higher than you already are. Get just enough force to earn you the proper stance and momentum. Keep your elbows close to your body, and tuck your chin in close to your neck. Bend your knees and lunge forward however much you need to. All of this will minimize potential injury.
For the sake of keeping your body straight, keep your eyes fixed forward. This will keep your body from going imbalanced in mid-jump.
Some people may freak out if they see themselves dropping a far-enough distance, so if you're queasy, it's best to keep your eyes off the ground.
Giving your body the freedom to adjust as you meet the ground is essential for preventing injury. Don't lock your knees at any point, and give your muscles the limberness they'll need to counter the force of the land.
Bending the knees will reduce shock. Just make sure your legs aren't bent more than 90 degrees.
Exercising with squats will help your body adjust to this change when it's needed.
If you have a strong upper body, you may be able to climb a rope without even using your feet. And while this is a great Rope Climb Exercise, it is far from easy and not what a beginner should shoot for.
Anyone first learning to climb a rope should learn how to use their feet to assist them and even “brake” on the rope so they don’t slide down and lose ground.
Using your feet can also help conserve your upper body energy if you need to be efficient and do more than just a single climb.
However, you don’t only want to rely on using your feet when you climb. You also want to develop a stronger upper body so that you can climb faster and even work toward the rope climb without your feet.
It is the most basic way to grip the rope with your feet. But it is also the least efficient and helpful and still requires you to use the most upper body strength because your feet can’t solidly brake and lock. However, you can still use your legs a little to push off and may be a good way to progress toward the Upper Body Only Rope Climb.
To do the Gym Class Lock, reach your arms up overhead to grab the rope. Then jump your feet up and grip the rope between your feet, squeezing your feet together hard.
Then push off your feet and reach your hands up higher. Holding tight to the rope, tuck your knees up and again squeeze the rope between your feet.
Continue this way up the rope, squeezing the rope between your feet and then using your legs to push you up as you then pull yourself up to reset your feet.
Again, this is the LEAST efficient of the foot locks and still requires a lot of upper body strength.
It is easy enough to do and isn’t hard to redo if you happen to lose the rope as you are climbing. Plus it is super quick and really allows you to brake and use your legs to climb the rope.
To do the Basic Wrap and Lock, reach your hands up overhead and let the rope fall down the center of your body. Tuck your knees up, and with your dominant foot, step down on the rope as you press up on the loose end with your other foot.
Your feet must be right together and even squeeze together as one presses up and the other presses down. This will “lock” the rope in place.
From here, push up and straighten your legs as you reach up overhead.
The more you tuck your knees up and then lock, the more you can push off your legs to help you climb.
Push off the rope lock and reach up overhead. Then tuck your knees back up and again lock the rope in place.
You can also do this basic wrap and lock with the rope outside your dominant leg instead of between your legs if that is more comfortable. The point is to stomp down on the rope with one foot as you press up and together on the rope with the other foot.
This wrap and lock technique, uses less upper body strength then the Basic Wrap and Lock as long as you don’t lose the rope. If the rope comes unwrapped, you will have to use more upper body strength to re-wrap mid climb whereas it is way easier to grab the rope with the Basic Wrap.
Allow the rope to pass around your right leg and then wrap around the outside of your right foot and under the arch. Pinch the rope against your right foot with your left foot. You should be able to stand on the rope with minimal hand grip.
Pull yourself up on the rope with your hands and hold your position. Unwrap your feet and raise your legs before re-establishing your foot grip and standing up on the rope again.
Reference link for more variations of Rope Climbing:
Clothing—No baggy clothing, jewelry removed, and long hair tucked in
Harness/Helmets—Properly fitted helmets; belay and buckles attached per manufacturer
Environment—Program areas free from obstructions; people on ground in safe location
Connections—Belay system connections and all rigging checked and rechecked
Knots—Properly tied, dressed, and backed up with a safety knot
The Swiss Seat is also often referred to as a rappel seat, as it’s purpose is to serve as an emergency rappelling harness. A Swiss Seat can also be used to transport an injured victim to safety if no rappelling harness is available to them.
Recommending that before carrying a 12 ft. section of rope for a Swiss Seat, you see if it’s the right amount of rope for you.
These are the minimum requirements to climb a tree. 1. Have at least one locking carabiner. Make sure you have one that is made for climbing! They can hold 25kN (That's about 5,600 pounds) 2. Have about 15 feet of 3/4 inch rope. This will be used for the harness. It is important that is thick, because this makes for a more comfortable, satisfying harness (Unless you have a real harness) 3. Depending on the height of your tree, you will need rope that is as long as twice the height of the tree. (Use equation below) My equation! h = height of tree r = length of rope needed r = 2h + 10 (IE. 30' tall tree = at least 70' of rope) 4. A tree of course! Make sure that it is some sort of oak. Oaks are very strong, large trees, with few branches at their bases. Find a good-sized tree that is about 25-50' tall.
A carabiner or karabiner is a specialized type of shackle, a metal loop with a spring-loaded gate used to quickly and reversibly connect components, most notably in safety-critical systems. Carabiners are widely used in rope-intensive activities such as climbing, arboriculture, caving, sailing, hot air ballooning, rope rescue, construction, industrial rope work, window cleaning, whitewater rescue, and acrobatics. They are predominantly made from both steel and aluminium.
The rope bridge can be used to move personnel and equipment over obstacles. There are several methods of accomplishing this
The soldier lies on top of the rope with the upstream foot hooked on the rope and the knee bent close to the buttocks; the downstream leg hangs straight to maintain balance. He progresses by pulling with his hands and arms. To recover if he falls over, the soldier hooks one leg and the opposite arm over the rope, and then pushes down with the other hand to regain position.
Only one man at a time is allowed on the bridge while conducting a commando crawl.
The soldier hangs below the rope suspended by his hands with both heels crossed over the rope. He pulls with his hands and arms, and pushes with his feet to make progress.
Two techniques help you get the most out of any hold:
Squeeze only as hard as you need to stay on a hold. Squeezing as hard as you can exhausts forearms prematurely and you’ll feel “pumped” because so much blood flow is directed to arms when they’re tensed.
Focus on the direction you want to pull. To get the strongest and easiest grip, pull perpendicular to the hold. Line your weight up with that direction of pull and you’ll be less likely to come off the rock.
Jugs are big, open holds that you can get your whole hand around. Jugs are most people’s favorite because they’re so easy to grip and they provide an excellent rest
Edges are the most common holds you find. They can be tiny dime edges (barely wide enough for the toe of your shoe), long cuts in the wall (room for both hands) or huge ledges (big enough to boost your whole body onto at the top of a climb).
Edges can face any direction on the wall, so make sure you nail the direction of pull.
A crimp is a very small edge that’s only big enough for the pads of your fingers. By getting your body weight closer to the wall, you can get a better angle on this tiny hold and you’ll have a better chance of staying connected to it.
You can hold a crimp in two ways:
Full crimp or closed crimp: You have sharp angles in your knuckles and your thumb is tucked over your fingers for extra power. This position is stressful on finger tendons, so be careful.
Open grip: Your fingertips are on the edge and the rest of your hand is draped onto the wall. This grip places less strain on your tendons, so it should be your go-to grip unless you need the power of a full crimp.
A pinch is exactly what it sounds like—any piece of rock that you can pinch with your thumb on one side and your fingers on the other. Because your thumb adds so much gripping power, use it any time you can get it on a hold.
Slopers are big bulges with no positive angle for your hands to grip. They can be tricky, but good technique will have you climbing slopey routes in no time:
Body position is key: Keep your weight directly opposed to the direction of pull, strive for a low center of gravity and maintain body tension to stay balanced as you make your move.
Feel for features that offer a little extra grip: Dimples or small bulges are helpful. Once you find your position, get your whole hand in contact to maximize friction, and keep it still as you move through to the next hold.
Pockets are holes in the rock. They can be so small that you can barely fit one finger, or wide enough to fit your whole hand. Your middle finger is strongest; so make sure you use it if you only have room for one or two fingers.
A pocket can take pretty much any direction of pull, so you can use whatever technique you want. Just be careful not to over-strain the tendons in your fingers.
Like the name implies, an undercling is any hold you grip from the bottom so you can pull up. One key to a good undercling is to find good, high footholds so you can maintain body tension as you reach for the next hold.
A flake is a piece of rock that has detached from the wall, leaving a crack between it and the bigger rock. You can jam some flakes just like a crack, but it’s often easier to just to wrap your hands around it and lay back off the edge.
