Front Sight Firearms Training Academy - Ropes and Rappel Course

Alright, so this year, I decided to up my game and tackle the world of firearms training, and fulfill my destiny of becoming an expert marksman.  On top of that, I decided it was time I train some swat team skills because, oh I don't know, it's extremely useful for when I'm stuck on the side of a cliff, or need to get out of a burning building.  Which has never happened... so maybe its for me to continue learning survival skills, because it's fun and useful.

With that said, fun and useful are an understatement and a half!  I learned so much, that I need to actually go back and review multiple times.  The entire 4 days of the Ropes and Rappel course you are either learning knots, rigging, or rappelling.  We started off on a 12' wall, and I found that a bit intense since we had 50 mph winds on the first day.  By day 2 we were rappelling off the 45' tower, and that was enough to cause some vertigo, but the trainers were AMAZING and really talked/coached you through it all.

Some things I would have improved upon however, was the belay training.  The trainers do not belay you.  The students do that.  And I found that unnerving.  I want my belay to be trained and ready to catch me if I fall.  I felt there was a lot of room for error, and if you have students belay, there needs to be training in that.  Our training pretty much consisted of one demo.  Then they handed you the rope and put a person's life in your hands.  Technically your life is in your own hands, and if you fall in the first place, it's due to your own human error.  The belay, is there for backup.  But STILL!  I want my back up to be trained.

Other than that, it was an awesome experience.  I gained a ton of insight, and I will go back for this course.

You have a great view of the desert from the class site.  There is also a good balance of classroom time and outside class time, which is good because it's 4 days, 9 hours/day, with 1 lunch break, and a few bathroom breaks.

This tower is multi-functional and you can learn several types of rappels, including the head first rappel.

You totally need a buff to keep the dust out of your mouth and nose.  When that wind picks up, the dust is killer.