Alford Abseilers

aving had a few distant memories of me abseiling a wall over 20 years ago, I thought it would be a relative breeze to get back into an abseil harness and get into training ready for a charitable cause close to my heart…. Instead the experience was more closely described as bordering on a heart attack !!

In my college days we used to call our group of friends the No Fear team… what ever crazy stunt somebody mentioned, you name it we were up for it - mountaineering; abseiling; bungee jumping; parachuting; motor racing… all part of my youth! but now at the age of 38 years, my bravado quickly evaporated as I helped carry some of the abseil equipment from Artists’ Corner carpark and witnessed the spectacular walk up the edge of the cliff above the River Derwent to the lofty limestone crag of High Tor which towers over Matlock Bath.

It was a lovely sunny day and the views were breathtaking. I sorted out my harness and climbing helmet, my Fig 8 descender and rope safety shunt as I watched the more experienced members of the club sorting out all of the rigging ropes and prepared the launch point on the highest buttress of the tor. Not long after watching my new friends disappear off the side attached to a rope it was my turn to step up…gulp! Kitted up in my abseil equipment, I began to feel the anxiety build as this whole situation was quite different to the training wall the club had me abseiling down a few months earlier. What seemed worse is the anxiety was nothing like I remembered from my youth - descending down a tall building for the Marie Curie charity …. this..THIS was REAL ABSEILING and I was freaking out inside.
Take a look at some of the photo’s of the day:

[Show as slideshow]

Abseil Picnic

Canoes

Chat -

Coaching

Control The Fear

Final safety checks

Guest Hse View

High Tor Crag

nce I was on the crag edge and being attached to the descent line I was struggling to keep the shakes away as the adrenalin was “full on”. Struggling to comprehend exactly what the safety officers were saying to me - I was in Self Preservation Mode and the idea of leaning out over nothingness into fresh air was making my heart pound out of my chest.

The journey down the face of High Tor was a difficult one as I struggled to overcome the tightness in my limbs due to intense fear- which strangely evaporated once I dropped off the crag overhang and hung on the rope with my feet dangling and I looked out at the superb view!

After reaching terra firmer I had smiles on my face as I allowed the whole adventure to wash over me. After a bit of chatter amongst the others it was time for a gentle climb back up to throw myself off again… Still lots of fear and adrenalin, but I was looking forward to zipping down the line a little more now.