Swiss RopeTrip 2015

9 teams, 5 challenges, 1 plane ticket at stake to Salt Lake City, Utah; the perfect ingredients for an incredibly successful event held on November 14, 2015. The Petzl RopeTrip made a stopover in Milandia-Greifensee (Zurich), where the Swiss qualifiers took place. The competition included an elimination round for two teams tied for second place to determine who would compete in the finals and win a plane ticket to the United States.

A very thorough pre-inspection

After spending day and night setting up the venue, preparations for the Swiss qualifying round for 2015/16 RopeTrip were finally complete on November 14. We were a tired but really excited crew when, at 9:00 on the dot, we opened the doors for both spectators and participants to catch first glimpse of the challenges awaiting them. After signing up each team and holding the first briefing meeting, members of the jury meticulously inspected everyone’s gear. In addition, they verified that every participant’s certification for performing difficult access work was current.

All participants were rope access professionals from a wide variety of industries such as construction, rigging, tree care, and ski lift maintenance. The list of participants included the crème de la crème of Swiss rope access professionals: HOLZER  *  SOBRAL  *  THE ARBORISTES  *  GEO-HOEHENARBEIT  *  VERTICAL ACCESS  *  SYAM SWISS  *  SUGUS  *  ALPVENTURA  *  ALPINWORK. Team BEYOND ACCESS unfortunately had to cancel at the last minute.

Let the games begin!

Participants had to perform 5 tasks in as little time as possible with a maximum of poise and skill. The Assembly, Difficulty, and Rescue challenges were performed by only one person from each team. This allowed captains to showcase the individual skills of their teammates.

For the Assembly challenge, individuals had to install a lighting system to illuminate the sponsor’s logo to perfection.

High up in the bleachers our victim, an 80 kilogram mannequin named Ruth, waited patiently for her rescuer to safely bring her back down to the ground. The Difficulty challenge proved fun and, well, a little wet.

On the obstacle course, participants had to carefully carry a bucket filled with water and ping-pong balls. In addition to a drop of water spilled here and there from the bucket, participants also shed a few drops of sweat.

Perfectly coordinated teamwork was required during the Cross Haul challenge. Each team had to lower a victim to the ground by passing through an exterior window.

During the Speed challenge, participants had to perform a rope ascent and rappel to complete the 10-meter high course; only their times were taken into account. With spectators cheering them on, each team member demonstrated their ability to skillfully move quickly.

The qualifying round was organized so that every team alternated through each different challenge. This way, spectators were always cheering for at least two participants at the same time.

An exciting contest to reach the finals

After completing every challenge, the two top placed teams were supposed to compete head-to-head in the finals – but by the end of the qualifying round, two teams were tied for second place. A speed challenge served as the elimination challenge to determine who would advance to the finals. With the entire venue cheering them on, Mathieu from team SYAM Swiss and Micheal from team SUGUS stood next to their respective ropes ready to start the ascent.

Both participants started strong, but Michael’s rope popped out of its foot clamp, allowing Mathieu to take the lead, which he maintained until the very end. The two teams competing in the finals were THE ABORISTES and SYAM SWISS.

Which team will win a plane ticket to the United States?

The final and deciding challenge: which one of the two teams would win a plan ticket to the United States and a chance to participate in the 2016 international competition in Salt Lake City (Utah, USA) to put their skills to the test against teams from all over the world?

The final challenge required each team to ascend a rope to their victim, and then use a zip-line to lower the victim to the ground. For this challenge, both the stopwatch and the approach were taken into consideration. Every mistake was penalized. Team members were allowed to help each other during the challenge.

At the start of the course, both teams were moving at the same pace, climbing up towards their respective victims, and then carefully lowering them to the ground on a zip-line. At the end of the challenge, one participant from each team was still hanging way up high where the victim was recovered in order to safely complete the rescue. After a few secondson the ground, the remaining team members who had descended on rappel re-ascended the rope to help their teammate. The moment of truth was near, which of the two teams would safely finish the descent first?

For the second time, “The Aborists” won the Swiss qualifying round for the Petzl RopeTrip. Before Pippo Romano’s winning trio received their prize, a raffle was held for guests to win a few gifts provided by sponsors. We would like to take the opportunity to thank company sponsors Carl Stahl, Sobral, Arthur Weber, Attack, Beyond Access, Bosch, as well as Kletterzentrum Milandia who co-organized this event.

At the end of the day, the winning team stood on the top podium spot to receive the grand prize. The other teams extended their heartfelt congratulations to the winning trio, highlighting once again the extremely friendly atmosphere at the event. With the celebration barely underdway, the winners already started to think about preparations for their trip to the United States.

Watch the day’s highlights and Pierrick Hyvon's recap up the event.