An Cosantóir Dec 2014/Jan 2015 www.dfmagazine.ie
34 |
REPoRt by PTE DAVID SMITH, TPT COy, 2 BDE
TRAINING
O
n Sunday 24th August 2014 I arrived at uSAC, Dún uí Mhaoilíosa, galway, as one of 20 students selected for the
three-week 16th Confidence training Instructors (CtI) Course. Skills such as abseiling, traditional rock-climbing
and heavy rope-work are employed to achieve the course aim of teaching students how to instruct in the confi-
dence training environment. the course qualified students as level one CtIs.
Accommodation squared away, we got kitted out with our climbing gear, harnesses, abseil and dynamic rope, hex's,
nuts, helmets, screw gates, extenders, and slings; just some of the gear supplied by the Defence Forces Association of
Mountaineers (DFAM) for the course.
On the Monday morning after a typical army breakfast we were mobile for the exposed, rugged, limestone cliffs of the
Burren and a particular spot known in the guide books as Alladie. Our first abseiling test was less than 90 minutes away
and there was an air of nervous tension in the Transits, although nobody was admitting it.
The group came from all branches of the Defence Forces, Army, Navy and Air Corps, with a good mix of youth and expe-
rience, and everybody had their game face on. The instructors had the abseil system set up and as soon as the brief was
given it was 'over the edge' for each of us.
The Atlantic Ocean was smashing into the rocks below as one by one we lowered
ourselves down the sheer face of the Alladie cliffs. Morale was
high when we all reached the bottom of the cliff and typical
military banter was in full swing.
The rest of the day was spent at Ballyryan Crag learn-
ing various rope systems and attempting some of
the climbs that are graded, named
and described in the climbing
guidebook for the area.
