4 Day Skills-based course
Fermanagh (The Hub) 
 
Open to member that have completed the cave leader course, vertical leader course and have led many club trips.
 
Workshops are limited to 2ppl
 
Club / Group Leader Workshop
This workshop is aimed at people who are responsible for a club or group and want to gain the knowledge to safely bring novices and beginners into a range of caves, and to pass on skills using best practice.
The workshop runs as a four-day course or can be split across two weekends.
Ratio: 1:2
 
After completing the course, trainees must put the training into practice by gathering a small group of cavers (3–4 people) and organising a two-day trip. They will be assessed throughout to ensure they meet a safe leading standard.
Ratio for assessment: 1:1 plus their group
Price: £300
Topics Covered
Kit and Equipment
Checking SRT kit
Fitting an SRT harness and understanding its setup
Questions and answers on SRT gear and its uses
Personal caving gear and benefits
What to bring into a cave
Comfort sack, its contents, and how to use it
Planning and Preparation
Trip planning
Callouts
Weather forecasts and catchment areas
Local knowledge and research
Medical information: who needs to know and when
Cave rescue considerations
Guidebooks and surveys
Compass work underground
Route finding
Surface navigation
Gaining knowledge of local caves
Cave Awareness and Safety
Formations, geology, how caves are formed
Cave life and conservation
Spotting safe areas within a cave
Flooding effects
Loose rock, false floors, and other hazards
Maintaining line of sight in a group
Leader positioning and awareness
Passing on Skills
Use of cowstails and clipping points
Preventing and solving issues at anchors or re-belays
Traverse lines and their uses
Safe descent, traverse, and ascent for beginners
How to advance skills in a controlled manner
Devices used and reasons for choosing them
Breaking krab: use and purpose
Re-belays up and down
Mid-rope changeovers and when they may be required
Prussiking up and down
Passing a knot and when it may be necessary
Rigging skills, bag packing, planning, and rescue equipment
Assisting or rescuing a person and knowing when it is needed
Climbs, Slopes, and Slip Hazards
How to aid and keep cavers safe
Handlines, assisted lines, and belays
Choosing the right method and setting it up
Use of naturals and bolts
Understanding bolt placements and types
Ladders and Line Methods
Setting up a ladder and correct techniques
Benefits and limitations of ladders
Use of releasable abseils
Ladder use with a safety line
How this helps new cavers progress toward SRT safely
Rescue and Assisting a Tired Caver
Types of rescues, when and why
Assisted hauls and aiding a tired caver
Spare rope lower and cut
Spare rope mid-rope cut and lower
Snatch and lower / bring / change
Hauling methods
Haul-to-lower and lower-to-haul
Traverse haul and group haul
Counterbalance skills
Use of advanced systems
Anchors and Y-hangs
Types of Y-hangs and their uses
Knot selection and best practice
Always planning for rescue at each pitch
Knot Knowledge
Bowlines
Fusion knot
Double figure-eight and bunny ears
Yosemite finish: why it is not recommended
Stoppers and safety overhand knots
Rigging
Best knots for safe group rigging
Loop lengths at re-belays and why they matter
Novice-friendly and group-friendly rigging
Protocols for passing up and down
Avoiding and solving issues
Using slings or cord at anchors and re-belays
High Y-hangs: when they are safe
Master point on a Y-hang and why it is used
Redirecting the abseil line and how
Setting up an assist point and where to clip
Releasable deviations and their purpose
Extra krab at deviations: when and how
HMS on the master point: when and why
Starting from a solid natural anchor or two bolts
Keeping loops small unless necessary
When equalising matters
Rigging out of water, avoiding rope rub and sharp edges
When it is acceptable to rig over rock
Bring the kit you would bring into a cave with you.
The club can supply these if you're new to caving.