2013 BRIDGE DAY RAPPEL Post Office Box 71 Fayetteville, West Virginia

Transcription

1 Photo courtesy Donna Brown 2013 BRIDGE DAY RAPPEL Post Office Box 71 Fayetteville, West Virginia The following will outline our preparations for the 2013 Bridge Day Rappel and the Bridge Day weekend s activities. Please share all this Bridge Day Rappel information with the members of your team. We have tried to this information to everyone who registered to rappel this year. Date Day Time Activities October 17 Thursday 9 AM - 5 PM Rig high line. October 18 Friday 9 AM - 4 PM Noon - 6 PM 7:15 PM October 19 Saturday 5-9 AM 6:30-7 AM 7ish AM? 7-7:30 AM? 8 AM Forms 8:10 AM 9 AM 3 PM 5 PM High line rigging, testing, and VIP riders; rig rappel anchors; hang banners REQUIRED Registration at Bridge Walk, Lansing, WV REQUIRED Orientation TBA - expectations, updates, safety, new info, parking passes Breakfast TBA Cars start parking north of Bridge off Route 19 New River Gorge Bridge closed to traffic. Law enforcement safety check. Walk to Bridge as a group. Three riggers from each team move to north end of Bridge and on to the catwalk to rig ropes. Two ascenders raise the flags at anchor 2. Rappelling begins. Two rappellers lower the flags at anchor 2. Equipment, banners are taken down and off the bridge. Everyone must be off the catwalk. None to be returned.

2 At Registration Everyone will complete and sign a waiver and a paper stating individual 2013 rappels. Everyone will receive a badge and t-shirt. At Orientation The group leader will receive Route 19 parking passes. Please review the following information and if you have any questions and/or concerns. The information is presented in an ABC format. Your ANCHOR will be two straps placed across the Bridge s floor beams. On Rope 1 made these rigging straps w/padding (minimum breaking strength, MBS, approximately 16,000 pounds). The straps meet NFPA and ANSI certification requirements. Two 10 mm Delta screw links will be provided to connect the D-rings. The straps will be put in place on Friday, October 18 by the safety team. Each strap bag has a number and will be used to mark the respective anchors (i.e., anchor 1, anchor 2, 3, 4). We need your help at the end of the day to take down the straps, place in the bag, and give to us at the end of the day. The safety team will assist in getting the straps down. Area Happenings, something to do, include the following: Friday, October 18 All day New River Jetboats All day New River whitewater rafting All day zipline and/or canopy tour at four different locations 5 pm Taste of Bridge Day at Adventures on the Gorge Saturday, October 19 9 am 3 pm Bridge Day Sunday, October 20 All day Bridge Walk All day Gauley River whitewater rafting All day New River Jetboats All day zipline and/or canopy tour at four different locations Ram s Head Rappel Nuttalberg Coal Mining Complex and Town Historic District Arrowhead Trail miles total/moderate to difficult/hiking/biking. ASCENT REQUEST You may choose to ascend your team s rope or request an ascent using our ascending ropes. All decisions regarding ascents will be made by Dr. Pete Hertl and his team who are in charge of the two ascending ropes. The safety team will authorize you to ascend on your team s rope. Extreme Rappels (XTR) is setting up these ropes to allow more people the opportunity to ascend. There is no charge to use the ascending ropes. BEHAVIOR Every participant is expected to respect the rights of all Bridge Day users (i.e., rappellers, jumpers, spectators, vendors, law enforcement). Negative behavior and unsafe actions will not be tolerated, and such behavior will result in your removal from the Bridge Day rappelling activities. BOTTOM PASS Every person beneath the New River Gorge Bridge in the landing areas for the rappellers must have a pass to be there. This is a CSX and NPS requirement. CSX will give you a

3 ticket; NPS may ask you to leave, arrest you, or not let you in the area. You can sign up for a bottom pass at This site will close on Friday, October 4. The bottom pass costs $50 and gives the bearer the following: badge, t-shirt, Saturday breakfast, and access to the shuttle all day. There have only been 24 bottom passes requested as of August 27. A bottom pass will not be available at registration. CAMPING The following B&B s, motels, and campgrounds are located in the area. ACE Adventure Resort Minden Road Oak Hill River Expeditions Appalachian Dr Fayetteville Nest Campground 500 Wood Mountain Road Glen Jean Mountain State Campground Route 19 Ames Heights Road Lansing Rifrafters Campground Route 19 Laurel Creek Road Fayetteville Ray's Campground Hico Breeze Hill Campground Route 19 Lansing Songer Whitewater One Ames Heights Road Lansing Gorge Gateway Center Laurel Creek Road & US Rt. 19 Fayetteville gorgegatewaycentercampingandrv.com Babcock State Park Route 41 Clifftop Rivermen 1 Ames Heights Road Lansing Cooters Camping 137 Cooters Lane Fayetteville Comfort Inn 9020 Fayette Landings Oak Hill 800-FORCHOICE Morris Harvey House B & B 201 W. Maple Avenue Fayetteville County Seat B & B 306 W. Maple Avenue Fayetteville New River Gorge Preserve Laurel Creek Road & US Rt. 19 Fayetteville newrivergorgepreserve.comlodging@newrivergorgepreser ve.com Hawks Nest State Park Route 60 Ansted 800-CALL-WVA Holiday Lodge - New River 340 Oyler Avenue Oak Hill Glen Ferris Inn Route 60 Glen Ferris Quality Inn New River Gorge Laurel Creek Road Fayetteville www.qualityinnnewrivergorge.com Midland Trail Motel Route 60 Ansted Opossum Creek Retreat Opossum Creek Road Lansing Country Road Cabins Route 60 Hico Quality Inn New River Gorge Laurel Creek Road Fayetteville New River Gorge Campground Route 19 Milroy Grose Road Lansing ACE Gear Shop, , on Fayette Station Road. There are NO cabins or RV sites available. The shuttle will be stopping here throughout Bridge Day. New River Gorge Campground, , is approximately two miles north of the New River Gorge Bridge just off Route 19 on the right. The shuttle will be stopping at the New River Gorge Campground throughout Bridge Day. CATWALK ACCESS will be as follows: The rappellers will access the north end of the Bridge sometime before 8 am to rig the rappel ropes. The rappellers will use the Bridge Walk ramp to get on the catwalk until 9 am. After 9:30 am, all rappellers will enter and leave the catwalk on the ramp at the south end of the Bridge. Should weather become an issue, there will be a staging area beneath the catwalk on the south end of the Bridge for the rappellers and others (i.e., media, VIP s). After 3 pm, the rappellers will be allowed to make their respective exits from the catwalk on either the north or south ends of the

4 Bridge. The high line participants will use the Bridge Walk ramp on the north end of the Bridge to access the catwalk. The Bridge Day Bridge Walk will be an out and back walk. The walkers will use the Bridge Walk ramp on the north end of the Bridge to access and leave the catwalk. DEVIATIONS are needed at anchors 5 and 6. The drawing provides one illustration for rigging a deviation at these rappel sites. The two rappel teams having anchors 5 and 6 should review this drawing and share with us any questions and/or concerns. Any concerns, issues, lack of equipment, knowledge, etc. can be addressed Friday, October 18 at either the registration or orientation. DIRECTIONS Our headquarters are at 57 Fayette Mine Road in Lansing. We are located at the first exit off US Route 19 after you cross the New River Gorge Bridge northbound. Make a right hand turn then take the first left. This is Bridge Walk. Registration will be here Friday, October 18 from noon until 6 pm. The HIGH LINE will run from the catwalk on the north end of the Bridge to the road below. There will be some congestion on the north end of the catwalk. This is the 14 th year for a Bridge Day high line. Larry Smith and his rigging team will be doing the high line. The ORIENTATION will begin at 7:15 PM on Friday, October 18 which all rappellers must attend. The location will be announced at a later date. Updated information about last minute changes that have been made for Bridge Day (i.e., shuttles, weather forecasts, security, etc.) will be shared. Issues and concerns will be addressed. Please ask questions about anything you are not sure of during the orientation meeting. PARKING will be the same as last year off US Route 19, north end of the Bridge the southbound side. You can begin to park in this area at 6:30 am. The New River Gorge Bridge is scheduled to close at 7 am. Please stay in or around your car until we ask you to line up for the security check. We will begin walking to the Bridge as a group around 7:30 am. We will issue four parking passes per team at the orientation. Some of you staying on Fayette Station Road will not have to drive. The shuttle buses will be making stops throughout the day. Each team is required to have its own RADIO COMMUNICATION. A team member should be with the radio(s) at all times. The safety team uses Motorola Talk About radios, channel 10 code 6. Each group should have a minimum of four (4) radios: 1. on the catwalk at the anchor 2. at the bottom of the rope 3. at the North end of the Bridge Saturday morning, then to the South end of the Bridge 4. a radio that can communicate with our Motorola Talk About radio s. There have been some teams where each team member had a radio. REGISTRATION will be Friday, October 18, between noon and 6 PM at Bridge Walk, 57 Fayette Mine Road, Lansing, West Virginia (same as last year). This is the first exit (make a right turn) after crossing the New River Gorge Bridge northbound. A photo ID will be required. RIGGING There will be no coiling or uncoiling of ropes on the catwalk in the morning or once

5 Bridge Day is over. Ropes must be bagged or the rope can be lowered. SAFETY is everyone s responsibility! Glen Kuehner is our Safety Officer. He will have a safety team on the catwalk. Please follow the directions of the safety team at all times. SECURITY will be stationed at each end of the bridge. No rappellers will be admitted to the catwalk without a catwalk pass. You can expect to empty your pack and be searched each time you go through the security checkpoints. Attitudes and uncooperative behavior will prevent you from accessing the catwalk. The SHUTTLE is again being provided by the Bridge Day Commission. We have been in numerous meetings discussing how to improve the Bridge Day shuttle. The 2012 Bridge Day shuttle was not good. There will be an early am Saturday shuttle from Rivers to the bottom for anyone who needs to be at the bottom. There are no shuttle passes for sale. Each group leader has been ed the TEAM log. Bridge Day is trademarked. The following WILL NOT BE ALLOWED on Bridge Day : knotted ropes, figure 8's, mini-rack, sandals, upside down rappel, costume accessories (i.e., antlers) that may interfere with other rappellers, and speed rappels. Anyone doing what is not allowed will have that team s anchor closed. The individual and the members of that team will not be allowed to continue rappelling or ascending. The safety team will determine what is a speed rappel. Please ask questions about anything you are not sure of during the orientation meeting. A TANDEM RAPPEL is only done on the team rope; hopefully, with the full support of all the team s members. The Bridge Day rappel is not a TRAINING session. Inclement WEATHER may force the delay or cancellation of all Bridge Day activities. Some of you may remember that one year Bridge Day was canceled the morning of the event. We stopped the rappelling due to horizontal rain early afternoon a few years ago. There are NO refunds if the event is changed or canceled for any reason. THANK YOU for your acceptance, cooperation, patience, and participation. We help offer the Bridge Day Rappel for a number of reasons with the number one motive being the smiles we see, the enjoyment you display, and the gratitude of knowing it was a job worth doing. We look forward to again sharing with you Bridge Day, the underside of the New River Gorge Bridge, the fall colors of the New River Gorge, and the excitement of rappelling from the Bridge. Benjy Simpson Rappel Coordinator