Mastering Uplines

Uplines are fundamental to suspension bondage: good upline skills make every suspension safer, easier, and more graceful.

This class will give you everything you need to master uplines for almost any situation, with a focus on a small set of versatile and reliable techniques. We’ll cover attachments, Y hangers, frictions, lock offs, tidying rope ends, and techniques for tying on bamboo.

Rather than simply memorizing techniques, we’ll go deep on understanding how they work, and knowing when to use (or not use) each technique. Our goal is mastery, so we’ll cover drills for improving your technique, tools for assessing your skill level, and guidelines for tying within your skill level.

Note that while this class covers skills that are useful for suspension bondage, it is not a class in how to suspend human beings and nobody will get suspended during this class.

Prerequisites
You should be able to confidently tie a Somerville Bowline.

This class will be most useful to people who are already doing full or partial suspension, or who plan to start soon.

Ticket types
A tying ticket includes use of a hardpoint so you can tie during the class.

An auditing ticket does not include a hardpoint.

Practical details
Students who want to tie will need the following gear:

• One 30' rope suitable for uplines (POSH is strongly recommended)
• Three carabiners
• One climbing sling, or a second length of rope for setting a hardpoint
• A gear bag or other weight to suspend, ideally weighing about 20 pounds