Intro to Suspension Part 2: Anatomy of Harness

Suspension pt 2: Harnesses in Suspension

The second class in our suspension series will have us taking our harnesses from the ground to the air!

Once you’ve been trying for a while, you’ll likely have small collection of harnesses that you’ve practiced and enjoy, and may have dreams of flying them. There’s endless awesome designs of rope harnesses to tie, but not all harnesses are created equal for suspension.

In the first half of this class, we will be discussing the key properties that a harness should possess to make it ‘suspension worthy’, and assess some common ties for those qualities. We will also discuss the roles placement and tension play in safety and sustainability. The ideal harness can look different for each person, so we’ll spend some time discussing how the rope bottoms can listen to their body to develop preferences, and keeping communication open between tying partners.

We’ll then use everything we’ve just learned to try out some harnesses! You will tie one of the harnesses you already know, with guidance available for adding additional structure if needed based on the discussed qualities of a suspendable harness, and considering placement and tension alongside your rope bottom.

Once you have something you’re ready to try out, we will load test the harness to see how the structure moves under tension, troubleshooting any issues or undue discomfort. We’ll have time to re-tie using what we learned, or try a second harness that you know if you were satisfied with the first. In the end, you will have a structured, safely suspendable harness that you know how to tie and load, as well as knowledge on how adjust for different bodies.

This class is for partner suspension or self-suspenders. Space is limited based on hardpoints, so there are two types of tickets:

-hardpoint tickets (get one per rigger/self suspender)

-rope bottom tickets (get one per rope bottom)

Prereq: Riggers/self-suspenders should bring to the class the ability to tie:

-one upper body harness (arms in or out)

-one lower body harness (hip harness, booty basket, futomomo, thigh harness, etc.)

You will also need:

-rope kit (you’ll need 4+ ropes likely) with at least one suspension worthy upline rope.

-safety cutting tool

-optionally, your suspension ring/rig, carabiners, etc. (available to borrow if you don’t have any)