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Demonstrate skills with ropes, knots, anchors, and belays for rock
climbing and abseiling
Level
3
Credits
10
Purpose
People credited with this unit standard are able to: demonstrate an
understanding of the uses and care of rock climbing and abseiling gear;
demonstrate skills and understanding of knots and harnesses; demonstrate
the setting up and operation of anchors and belays; construct an abseil
system and abseil on single pitches; and demonstrate abseil rescue
techniques.
Subfield
Outdoor Recreation
Domain
Rock Climbing
Status
Registered
Status date
27 October 2006
Date version published
26 January 2007
Planned review date
31 December 2011
Entry information
Open.
Accreditation
Evaluation of documentation and visit by NZQA and
industry.
Standard setting body (SSB)
Sport, Fitness and Recreation Industry Training
Organisation – Outdoor Recreation
Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP) reference
0102
This AMAP can be accessed at http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/framework/search/index.do.
Special notes
1
Definition
Multi-directional anchor is an anchor that cannot be compromised from any direction.
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2
All activities must comply with relevant environmental, legislative, and/or regulatory
requirements set out in the New Zealand Environmental Care Code, Health and Safety
in Employment Act 1992, Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Compensation Act
2001, and their subsequent amendments. The New Zealand Environmental Care Code
is available from the Department of Conservation, Head Office, PO Box 10420,
Wellington, http://www.doc.govt.nz/.
3
There are minimum assessor requirements for assessment against this unit standard.
The details of these requirements are available on the Sfrito website
http://www.sfrito.org.nz.
Elements and performance criteria
Element 1
Demonstrate an understanding of the uses and care of rock climbing and abseiling gear.
Performance criteria
1.1
The types, properties, and limitations of rock climbing and abseiling gear are
described.
Range
1.2
Care of gear while in use is explained.
Range
1.3
ropes, slings, harnesses, helmets, karabiners, belay and abseiling
devices, rock protection.
surface wear, internal damage, sharp edges, stress fractures.
Methods for checking, recording, cleaning, and care of abseil and climbing gear
are identified.
Range
may include but is not limited to – operational plans,
manufacturer’s recommendations.
1.4
Systems for recording, maintaining, transporting, and storing abseil and
climbing gear are identified according to manufacturer’s recommendations.
1.5
Helmet and harness fitting are described.
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Element 2
Demonstrate skills and understanding of knots and harnesses.
Performance criteria
2.1
Knots are tied and their uses explained.
Range
2.2
must include but is not limited to – figure-eight on a bight, rethreaded figure-eight, tape knot, clove hitch, Italian hitch, double
fisherman’s, half hitch, overhand, Prussik knot, classic, French,
Klemheist.
Harnesses are fitted correctly to ensure safety.
Range
sit, chest, improvised.
Element 3
Demonstrate the setting up and operation of anchors and belays.
Range
top rope anchors for ground belay, top rope anchors for top belay, anchors at
the base of a climb to belay a lead climber.
Performance criteria
3.1
Anchors are selected appropriate for the site.
Range
3.2
Anchors are linked safely and efficiently with appropriate load sharing.
Range
3.3
must include but is not limited to – multi-directional, fail-safe.
Belay systems are demonstrated.
Range
3.4
protection must include fixed, placed, and natural.
belay stances, belay devices, Italian hitch.
Effective management of rope systems in belay situations is demonstrated.
Range
climbing calls, linking anchors to belays, coiling, uncoiling, belayer
focused on climber.
Element 4
Construct an abseil system and abseil on single pitches.
Performance criteria
4.1
An abseil anchor system is set up.
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4.2
Abseil techniques appropriate to the abseil are demonstrated.
Range
4.3
A self-protected abseil is demonstrated.
Range
4.4
retrievable and non-retrievable rope.
must include but is not limited to – Prussik.
Common hazards of abseiling are identified.
Range
hazards must include but are not limited to – anchor failure, falling
off a cliff before attaching a rope, clothing or hair jam, rockfall, not
identifying the end of the rope, lark’s foot of figure-eight.
Element 5
Demonstrate abseil rescue techniques.
Performance criteria
5.1
A jammed abseil device is freed.
5.2
A belay is tied off.
Range
belay plate, Italian hitch.
5.3
An escape from a belay system is demonstrated.
5.4
A fixed rope is ascended.
Range
must include but is not limited to – Prussik.
Please note
Providers must be accredited by the Qualifications Authority, or an inter-institutional body
with delegated authority for quality assurance, before they can report credits from
assessment against unit standards or deliver courses of study leading to that assessment.
Industry Training Organisations must be accredited by the Qualifications Authority before
they can register credits from assessment against unit standards.
Accredited providers and Industry Training Organisations assessing against unit standards
must engage with the moderation system that applies to those standards.
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Accreditation requirements and an outline of the moderation system that applies to this
standard are outlined in the Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP). The
AMAP also includes useful information about special requirements for organisations
wishing to develop education and training programmes, such as minimum qualifications for
tutors and assessors, and special resource requirements.
Comments on this unit standard
Please contact the Sport, Fitness and Recreation Industry Training Organisation Limited
info@sfrito.org.nz if you wish to suggest changes to the content of this unit standard.
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016