Be warned the fumes off 2402 are fairly violent :p

If 'the powers that be' were convinced that CROW did apply to caving, it is likely that some of them would soon (probably after being leaned on by cavers) issue restrictions to some caves on CROW land that are currently gated. For example, I believe NRW own most of OFD (or at least the land...

Hardly seems fair to blame the BCA for an access agreement arranged, as you say, locally that you find inconvenient? Particularly as the BCA has generally pushed for better and simpler access for all cavers including non-members. Perhaps if the BCA were some centralised superpower it would be...

The public liability element protects the landowner against you being poor, basically. The landowner can be confident that, should you cause them damage or liability while caving on their land, they can sue you and the insurance will pay up what you owe. Without insurance, a landowner might fail...

*role It is entirely reasonable to criticise the work done by a volunteer, or their opinions on how things should or are done. It gets a lot more murky when you start criticising the volunteer themselves. A lot of volunteers are only doing the job because someone has to and they have been...

Being mean doesn't look good on anyone, regardless of the target.

Descending down past a ledge is usually OK, if very thrutchy (basically get right down against the rock and slither down ungracefully). There are still significant hazards from loose rock disturbed by the rope and rope-cutting swings across the edge. I would be extremely hesitant to prusik...

based on experience from someone I know who had one, not very long at all... the mechanism on the slider became rubbish very quickly. However, that might have been a one-off... There is also the Petzl Ball-lock which is available on the Am'D.

Pedant note: The Petzl device being tested in those videos is not the Petzl Connect Adjust, but the Petzl Evolv Adjust which is explicitly not PPE i.e. not a personal anchor but is only positioning equipment. All the diagrams in the manual will show a belay system being used with the Evolv...

And of course that belaying with a Microtraxion gets the 'death death death' symbol in the Petzl manual (they are not intended to be used as belay devices). Same requirement (that you can quickly change over to lowering) applies to hauling (which is permitted and the intended use).

(Edelrid) Spoc and microtraxion look pretty much the same (except for the weight) - basically the same efficiency and features. Nanotraxion is lighter but you lose the ability to lock out the cam. The reality is these are all extremely efficient devices so if you are struggling to haul with a...

I thought the same but I was either wrong or the rules have changed. https://www.iata.org/contentassets/6fea26dd84d24b26a7a1fd5788561d6e/passenger-lithium-battery.pdf So the guidance in that is that 'personal electronic devices' (PEDs) should go in cabin baggage, but they are allowed in...

As a small wriggly person, I'm can get out of Stile Pot pretty quickly. I don't think I've tried going in via Stile. The final open chimney is the only bit that stops me sending students up or down it :P Generally I think for novice trips Small Mammal is probably a bit easier than Bar as there...

I think I am also confusing various rifts in various places (namely the rift that takes you down towards Whitehall, and some other horrible rifts off Whitehall itself).

For some reason nearly all descriptions of the route from Small Mammal to Bar Pot seem to be a little bit light on details... particularly the first bit where there are various places to go (briefly) wrong e.g. (if my memory is correct) when heading away from the pitch heading left rapidly ends...

Portable bag weighing scales are an essential. Carry-on weight can be a problem and if you are bringing a laptop, power bank, multiple headlight batteries etc. you can end up in trouble (I had issues leaving Vietnam when the domestic carrier weighed the carry-on bag and I got rushed to the...

Dig through here or go on UKClimbing and you will read many stories of people trying to take rope, carabiners, SRT kit etc. in hand luggage and having it confiscated. Some people will swear blind it's fine 'I've done it loads of time, it's fine' - until it happens to them (little sympathy is...

you must be thinking of someone else :P I have a large head but not that large...

Agree entirely that a trivial pitch/slope doesn't need a topo if the rope length and suitable description (e.g. 2 resin anchors, 10m rope required) is provided. The problem with doing a really good job is that it makes perfection seem more achievable and indeed unreasonably expected :P

As a (very recent) anchor installer (not with the CNCC) I am aware that installing resin anchors is a fairly substantial faff, as is returning to the installation location later, rigging it, derigging it, and then measuring all the rope lengths... However, the BCA paid for those anchors and it...