Actually, a cozy spot reminiscent of a vacation: The Menach meanders through the green meadow. An old, disused railway bridge, occasionally crossed by a cyclist. The training location in Mitterfels near Straubing invites you to linger. But that's not why the LGA rock team has arrived. On the agenda is an intensive training program from October 10-12 and 23-27, which trains participants to become Level 1 and Level 2 rope access technicians.
The inspection of rocks using rope access technology (SZT) is an essential part of the rock team's work. Often, rocks cannot be adequately assessed from the ground or by drone because they are difficult to see or details such as the fracture pattern cannot be examined from a distance. To assign a well-founded hazard level to rock masses and plan appropriate safety measures, a thorough and close-up investigation using SZT is employed. Accessing with ropes has little to do with sport climbing. Instead of climbing the rock itself, the experts rappel down or ascend using personal protective equipment (PPE) on two ropes.
For nine years, LGA rock experts have been annually trained in the use of PPE specifically for rock inspection. For this year's training, culminating in Level 1 and 2 rope access technician certification, Christoph Rieser, an instructor from the Association of German Mountain and Ski Guides (VDBS), chose the natural stone bridge piers in Mitterfels as the training ground. The program includes both repetitions of previously learned skills and the acquisition of new ones: rappelling and ascending ropes (vertical direction), rope changes and traverses (horizontal direction), overcoming anchors, setting up and using pulley systems, various rescue scenarios for recovering an injured person, knot knowledge, and theoretical units on topics such as material science and fall physics.
On the last day of each training block, a theoretical and practical exam was conducted by state-certified mountain and ski guide Andreas Schanzer, VDBS. Upon passing, participants received Level 1 (October 10-12) and Level 2 (October 23-27) certifications. We are pleased to be accepted into the VDBS as rope access technicians and extend our heartfelt thanks to Christoph Rieser and Andreas Schanzer for the excellent training.
