Abseiling
Activity Scope
This heights activity involves the participant descending down a vertical surface while they control their descent and speed using a belay device. The Outdoor Leader has the participant on a back-up belay system to ensure constant control and safety at all times.
Activity Objectives
Being aware of and dealing with fear, trusting others, benefits of stepping out of ‘comfort zone’, peer support, balance, strength and using muscles in different ways.
Age Limitations
Grade 7+ (age 11+). Alterations to age limits must be done in consultation with Camp Management AND an activity specific risk assessment completed.
Staff Ratio
- 1 Outdoor Leader
- 1 responsible person to supervise participants who are not actively participating in the activity (i.e. waiting for their turn)
Outdoor Leader Skills
Lead Challenge Course - high elements skill set or similar qualification, and current first aid.
Risk Assessment
View Risk Assessment document (PDF)
Level of Risk After Mitigation: Low
Client Group Leader/Teacher Expectations
- Watch briefing, assist when necessary, and manage behaviour
- Responsible for group safety in case of an emergency
- Assist participants with PPE
- Assist participants with ascending ladder, ensuring undertaken ABC checks prior to ascending
Participant Requirements
- Shirt that covers the midriff area (preferably long sleeved with collar)
- Pants that are a minimum of knee length (no skirts or dresses)
- Long hair secured in low ponytail
- Ideally remove jewellery
- Empty pockets and remove attached objects (i.e. scarves, cameras, mobile phones, etc.)
Australian Curriculum
This activity may target a number of the "Content Descriptions" across a number of different subject areas. At our site, we've determined that abseiling is best suited for students in grade 7 and above.
Year 7 & 8
Links to HPE Australian Curriculum content descriptors (v.9)
| Strand: Personal, social and community health | |
| Sub-strand: Interacting with others | |
| Examine the roles of respect, empathy, power and coercion in developing respectful relationships | AC9HP8P04 |
| Analyse factors that influence emotional responses and devise strategies to selfmanage emotions | AC9HP8P06 |
| Sub-strand: Making healthy and safe choices | |
| Explain and apply skills and strategies to communicate assertively and respectfully when seeking, giving or denying consent | AC9HP8P07 |
| Movement and physical activity | |
| Sub-strand: Making active choices | |
| Participate in physical activities designed to improve fitness and wellbeing to investigate the impact of regular participation on health, fitness and wellbeing | AC9HP8M04 |
| Participate in physical activities that utilise community spaces and outdoor settings, and evaluate strategies to support increased use of these spaces | AC9HP8M05 |
| Design and justify strategies to increase physical activity levels to achieve health and wellbeing outcomes | AC9HP8M06 |
| Sub-strand: Learning through movement | |
| Propose and evaluate movement strategies and skills that would be most effective in different movement situations | AC9HP8M07 |
| Practise and apply leadership, collaboration and group decision-making processes when participating in a range of physical activities | AC9HP8M09 |
Year 9 & 10
Links to HPE Australian Curriculum content descriptors (v.9)
| Personal, social and community health | |
| Sub-strand: Identities and change | |
| Refine, evaluate and adapt strategies for managing changes and transitions | AC9HP10P02 |
| Sub-strand: Interacting with others | |
| Evaluate the influence of respect, empathy, power and coercion on establishing and maintaining respectful relationships | AC9HP10P04 |
| Evaluate emotional responses in different situations to refine strategies for managing emotions | AC9HP10P06 |
| Examine how strategies, such as communicating choices, seeking, giving and denying consent, and expressing opinions and needs can support the development of respectful relationships, including sexual relationships | AC9HP10P07 |
| Sub-strand: Making healthy and safe choices | |
| Plan, rehearse and evaluate strategies for managing situations where their own or others’ health, safety or wellbeing may be at risk | AC9HP10P08 |
| Plan, justify and critique strategies to enhance their own and others’ health, safety, relationships and wellbeing | AC9HP10P10 |
| Movement and physical activity | |
| Sub-strand: Moving our bodies | |
| Analyse, adapt and refine their own and others’ movement skills in a range of challenging movement situations to enhance performance | AC9HP10M01 |
| Create and refine movement strategies to achieve successful outcomes across a range of challenging movement situations | AC9HP10M02 |
| Apply movement concepts in new or challenging movement situations and analyse the impact each concept has on movement outcomes | AC9HP10M03 |
| Sub-strand: Learning through movement | |
| Transfer and adapt skills and strategies from previous experiences to create successful outcomes in unfamiliar movement situations | AC9HP10M07 |
| Demonstrate fair play and reflect on how ethical behaviour can influence physical activity outcomes for individuals and groups | AC9HP10M08 |