Mon
Grotto Bridge Day 2010
Photo: Brian Masney
General Info
The 30th
anniversary of Bridge Day will mark the 6th consecutive year that
the Mon Grotto has had a rappel team. 24
people have enjoyed hundreds of rappels off the bridge over the past 5
years. We are looking forward to another
successful and thrilling year.
Application Process
You may
complete the application process online at:
https://newriverweb.com/bridgerappel/
You have
received detailed instructions about how to register through the listserv.
Timeline
|
Date |
Time |
Subject |
|
May 21 |
COB |
Deadline For
Applications |
|
June 18 |
|
Lottery Drawing |
|
August |
TBD |
Whiteside Rappel |
|
August 30 |
COB |
Deadline for
substitutions |
|
September |
TBD |
Whiteside Rappel |
|
October 15 |
Noon – 6:00 PM 6:30 PM |
Registration Orientation
Meeting |
|
October 16 |
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM |
Rappel |
|
October 17 |
TBD |
Post Bridge Day
Cave Trip |
Gear
It is
possible to use a standard 12” 6 bar rack for a long rappel. However, you are strongly encouraged to use
an 18” or 24” rack. Long racks provide
the best ride, allow you to use more bars to start out and greatly increase the
efficiency of the team.
Practice Sessions
To
prepare for rappelling at the bridge we will practice at a smaller drop using a
weighted rope. Practice times and
location will be discussed on the list serv.
Most sessions will be on weekday evenings. It is strongly recommended that you attend three
or more practice sessions.
Whiteside Mountain
Whiteside
Mountain near Highlands, NC offers a 650’ rappel and over 2000’ of
exposure. If you have not rappelled the
bridge before you are required to rappel Whiteside. All other members are strongly encouraged to
attend. The team will try to make two
trips to Whiteside this year sometime between late August and early
October. Dates will be posted as they
become available.
Bridge Day
Everyone
is required to register at Passages to Adventure between the hours of 12:00PM
and 6:00PM on Friday, October 15 and is required to attend the safety meeting
starting at 6:30PM. On the morning of
October 16 the rigging team and pull test team will head to the bridge early to
get the rope rigged and approved for use. The remaining members of the team should plan
to be on the bridge ready to go on the catwalk by 9:00AM.
Communication
Everyone
on the team is required to carry a handheld radio to report their status and
know when to get on the catwalk. Please
only make meaningful comments / status reports on the radio.
Rigging Team
The
rigging team will consist of three members who will haul the rope out to our
designated spot, rig the rope, and get the first rappels of the day. Once the first rigging team member is on rope
another team member may get on the catwalk and approach the rig spot.
Pull Test Team
Two
members of the team will need to go to the bottom of the bridge in the morning
to conduct a pull test on the rope.
Historically, two people who plan to ascend will do this.
Derig Team
The
derig team will consist of two teams of two people. One team will go out on the catwalk at the
end of the day and lower the rope to the ground team who will pack the rope
into backpacks and bring it back on the bus to the top of the bridge. By lowering the rope we eliminate the need
for hauling 1200’ of rope and carrying heavy backpacks off the bridge at the
end of the day.
Belay
When you
hit the ground you are required to belay the next person on rope before you
catch the bus back to the top of the bridge.
Information Reporting
Please
keep track of the number of rappels and ascents you get this year as we are
required to report these statistics.