Final 2008 Notice
Post Office Box 71 This letter will finalize our preparations for the 2008 Bridge Day™ rappel and outline the Bridge Day™ weekend’s activities. Please share all Bridge Day™ Rappel information with the members on your team. You can refer your team members to the website hosted by Jeff Facer, www.bridgedayrappel.com. Thank you for your cooperation and participation.
Please review the following information and call or write if you have any questions or concerns. The information is presented in an ABC format. Accidents We had our first Bridge Day™ Rappel accident five years ago. You can get hurt rappelling off the New River Gorge Bridge. Please come to Bridge Day™ prepared both mentally and physically. Additional People Not Rappelling There is a $40 charge per person for anyone wishing to eat Saturday breakfast, and/or ride the shuttle up and down Fayette Station Road. Shuttle passes will be issued to these people. These people will not be allowed on the catwalk. Please send in the names and fees for these passes. Anchor Your anchor will be two straps placed across the Bridge’s floor beams. Bruce Smith and 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. 10 mm Delta screw links will be provided to connect the D-rings. The straps will be put in place on Friday, October 19. Bruce will discuss the anchoring system during the orientation.
Padding On Rope 1 has made and is selling some special pads that conform to the shape of the catwalk and “W” plates. These pads are not a requirement. A copy of the rope pad sales ad for On Rope 1 is attached. Ascent Request Forms requesting permission to ascend your rope and/or do a tandem rappel are attached. Earlier correspondence had asked that individuals wishing to ascend and/or do a tandem rappel submit a written request outlining qualifications, equipment, etc. Some of you did this, but the information was not complete (i.e., some said they were going to do a tandem rappel but only listed one name). Everyone wishing to do an ascent and/or tandem rappel must submit the new form in detail. This must be done by October 8. Badges A “head” photo in JPEG or TIFF format is required for the Bridge Day™ Rappel badge. The badges are being made now and some of you may be contacted about submitting a new photo. Behavior Every participant is expected to respect the rights of all Bridge Day™ users (i.e., rappellers, jumpers, spectators, vendors). Negative behavior and unsafe actions will not be tolerated, and such behavior will result in your removal from the Bridge Day™ rappelling activities. Breakfast There will be breakfast on Saturday morning beginning at 5:15 AM. Camping Camping at Passages is $10 per person per night. Toilet and shower facilities are available twenty-four hours. We have also added some portable toilets in the campground. You must make reservations and pay in advance. Call 1 800 634-3785. High Line There will be a high line. It will run from the catwalk on the north end of the bridge to the road below. Expect there to be some congestion on the north end of the catwalk. No Smoking Smoking is not allowed on the catwalk. Parking At this time, 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. We will begin walking to the Bridge as a group at 7:15 am. We will issue 3-4 parking passes per team at the orientation. Patience We have twenty-four teams on the Bridge this year. There will be high line riders, law enforcement, and media throughout the day. Please do not be in a hurry. Radio Communication We will have a radio at the top, bottom, and each end of the bridge. Each team is required to have its own radio system. The safety team uses Motorola Talk About radios. They use channel 10 code 6. Please return your radio info on the enclosed form by October 8. Rafting The Gauley will have its final release on Sunday, October 21. The Gauley River is rated the #8 whitewater in the world, 2nd in the US. Passages is offering special discounted whitewater rafting adventures for rappellers and their friends on the Gauley River - Gauley Marathon (both the Upper and Lower) $110; Upper Gauley $85; Lower Gauley $60. Call 1 800 634-3785 for reservations. You can raft the New River on Thursday or Friday, October 18-19, for $43 plus taxes per person. Rap Check Each team should have a team member assist the rappeller hooking into the system and do a safety check before descent. As one person descends, the next rappeller will begin walking out on the catwalk. The catwalk is limited to three people per site. Please use your radio to communicate with your team from your rigging site. The safety team will not be controlling the access to the catwalk. Rappel Site Each rappel site will be remarked on Friday, October 19. Registration Photo ID will be required when you check-in at registration on Friday, October 19, between noon and 5:30 PM. Rigging Three people per team will be allowed on the catwalk to set up the rope. These riggers will be the first ones to rappel down. A member of the safety team must check each rigging before any rope activity begins. Safety Safety is everyone’s responsibility. Safety Officer Bruce Smith is our Safety Officer. He will have a safety team on the catwalk. Please follow the directions of the safety team. Security will be stationed at each end of the bridge. No one will be admitted to the catwalk without a catwalk pass. You can expect to empty your pack and be searched each time you access the catwalk. Attitudes and uncooperative behavior will mean you do not get on the catwalk. Speed Rappel and What is NOT Allowed The following will not be allowed on Bridge Day™: knotted ropes, figure 8's, mini-rack, sandals, upside down rappel, costume accessories (i.e., anthers) that may interfere with other rappellers, “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. Ask questions about anything you are not sure of during the orientation meeting. Tandem Rappel Request Forms requesting permission to ascend your rope and/or do a tandem rappel are attached. Earlier correspondence had asked that individuals wishing to ascend and/or do a tandem rappel submit a written request outlining qualifications, equipment, etc. Some of you did this, but the information was not complete (i.e., some said they were going to do a tandem rappel but only listed one name). Everyone wishing to do an ascent and/or tandem rappel must submit the new form in detail. This must be done by October 8. Team Shuttle Team shuttle vehicles are not be allowed on Fayette Station Road. Team Status The enclosed information is your team. Please check to see that each person’s name is spelled correctly. Please provide any requested information or corrections by October 8. Training The Bridge Day™ rappel is not a training session. Each team was asked to submit a training form outlining recent rappels and what was being done to prepare for Bridge Day™ . Some teams have not done this. You have until October 8. Weather 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. There are NO refunds if the event is changed or canceled for whatever reason. Website Check out Bridge Day™ Rappel info at www.passagestoadventure.com and www.bridgedayrappel.com. Why The new requests have happened as a result of the BASE fatality last year on Bridge Day™ 2006. Thank you! Benjy Simpson |
