Frequently Asked Questions
What rope skills are useful to know?
All of our technical rescue courses utilize basic rope skills. Our courses proceed in small steps that build on each other, and while you don’t need any prior knowledge, you will get more out of your time if you have some basic rope skills and knowledge.
In a nutshell, if you have some familiarity with the following knots, hitches, bends etc. you will be ahead of the game:
- the “Family of 8’s”
- water knot
- double fisherman’s
- muenter
Here’s one of our favourite sites for practicing your knots: Animated Knots by Grog
If you’re really keen, it helps to have some familiarity with the following concepts and systems:
- tensile strengths of rope and webbing
- anchors (simple to complex)
- mechanical advantage (3 to 1, 4 to 1, pig rig)
But our instructors all agree: don’t get caught up in the fancy stuff. Practice your knots so that you tie them quickly, and recognize them when others tie them, and you’ll be in a good position to maximize your learning during the course.
