The Tarzan Course, Toggle Bridge & Death Slide
First-Hand Memoirs: Trainee Accounts
From Bryan Woolnough’s 1943 memoir (‘Achnacarry – Commando Training – 1943’):
"Trainees recount climbing 30–40 ft into trees to attach loops before 'kicking off' into the freezing River Arkaig—often amid live-fire distractions—then crawling across unstable toggle bridges surrounded by snow and wet branches"
From James Dunning’s It Had to Be Tough includes vivid descriptions:
“Crossing the toggle‑bridge, you hung by your arms while walking, only to be yanked off balance by the swaying rope and fall into the water.”
“On the Death Ride you gripped the rope high in the trees, shut your eyes, and let drop into the Arkaig—your wrists looping through the toggles as you swung low across.”
Tarzan course rope obstacles
Developed under Lt Alick Cowieson and CSMI Frickleton, the course tested nerve and agility with:
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Death Ride / Death Slide
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A taut span of toggle rope stretched ~50 ft across the River Arkaig, anchored between 30–40 ft trees.
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Trainees: climb a tree → attach toggle loop over the rope → twist wrist loops around their arms → “ride” by pushing off, sliding across to the opposite bank
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Toggle Bridge
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A series of loops and toggles strung across similar heights; trainees leaned forward supporting their weight via toggle loops while walking across—a balance and upper-body strength challenge .
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High-Line “Cat-Crawls”
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Participants lay prone on a single rope loop at torso level, one leg over and one dangling, inching forward with slow, controlled movement .
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Grappling-Net Drops
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Swinging swings from a rope into a net below—designed to build confidence, maximize control, and challenge reaction skills
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Additional Hazards
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Some setups included live explosions—dubbed “sapins de Noël”—or live small-arms fire above water to simulate combat stress
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Training Objectives & Operational Rationale
Rope work served multiple purposes:
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Tests of Courage & Resilience
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Height, water, explosives, and live-fire components built psychological grit
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Functional Field Mobility
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Techniques like toggle-bridges allowed troops to traverse ravines, rivers, cliffs—preparing commandos for real raids
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Strength & Endurance Assessment
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A 30-foot or more rope climb with combat gear was a stamina benchmark, mirrored in current Royal Marines rope tests
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Tactical Flexibility
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Rope skills enabled commandos to multi-functionalize simple equipment in varied scenarios—bridges, ladders, hauling, defenses, or improvised weapons .
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Toggle Bridge
