Introduction to Partial Suspensions

This class is for folks who know a couple of functional (not strictly decorative) ties and want to start playing with gravity. We will be going over the basics of upline creation/ management, body mechanics, and options to play as you practice.

Doors open at 1115, class stars promptly at 1130. Please arrive before then to ensure minimal disruptions to the learning environment.

Attendance limit: 10 tying pairs, 5 auditors. We will provide plenty of time for one on one instruction to ensure we are creating safe and smooth uplines.

Pre requisites: be comfortable tying a non collapsing single column tie and a non collapsing/ suspendable chest harness (if you are unsure if a harness will be safe to suspend with, please ask TheRawKitty!). We will also create a simple bent leg/ futomomo tie during class suitable to suspend from.

Equipment requirements: 3 load rated climbing carabiners (or 1 carabiner and a ring that is safe to hang from), safety shears, and 6-8 full hanks of jute, nylon, or hemp. Please do not bring any stretchy rope to class, such as cotton or paracord. 1 full hank of POSH (unless you tie with nylon).

Please note that during this class, it will be MANDATORY to use POSH or other synthetic materials for your main upline)! We will have extra POSH lines to borrow during class. Failure to use a POSH or nylon for your main (chest) upline may result in us asking you not to suspend.

You can do what you like on your own time, but during class we will be exemplifying best practices and explaining our rationale. In this case, jute has a breaking strength of about 200-300 pounds, whereas POSH (spun polyester) has a breaking strength of about 1200 pounds. It’s much safer to use POSH for our main upline, so we will.

More on rope material selection.

Masks are optional but recommended.

We look forward to seeing you in class!