Bear Grylls on tv

[cap n chris]

I noticed at the start of the program a warning displayed suggesting he is a trained professional

He is a BCA award-holder and/or a caving instructor? News to me, but well done to him if he is - you'd have thought BCA would have made more publicity from this potential ambassador by now.

Or perhaps he is not a trained professional.

 

[ah147]

I noticed at the start of the program a warning displayed suggesting he is a trained professional

He is a BCA award-holder and/or a caving instructor? News to me, but well done to him if he is - you'd have thought BCA would have made more publicity from this potential ambassador by now.

Or perhaps he is not a trained professional.

We still need that like button...

 

[mch]

Just read through this thread having not previously bothered because just seeing the name "Bear Grylls" usually just makes me sigh and move on. I note that some people seem to think that the public will be too intelligent not to realise that it is just "entertainment" and won't be moved to try and imitate Grylls' antics. Think again (see ah147's post re Mont Blanc). We live in a dumbed-down society where literally millions of people watch and apparently enjoy shite TV programmes like Mrs Brown's Boys and Britain's Got Talent and where local radio invites people to phone in and discuss whether Jeremy Corbyn should smarten himself up, this apparently being more important than his political views (heard this today - hang your head in shame Radio Sheffield). So I'm afraid that people will try and follow this idiot's example. Sorry - rant over.

 

[badger]

there is a few people who have correctly identified that bear is the chief scout, (unfortunately) and suggestion is that as he is chief scout he must represent scouts (fair point) and therefore all scouts are going to copy him and go down a flooding longchurn, or in fact all rescues from caves must be scouts,
reading through back issues of decent where reports of rescues and indeed the figures for the past years rescues I am unable to find any reference to scouts having to be rescued, I may have missed one as I have only skimmed through the last 10 years.
I know from my scout county that we take safety very seriously, and our kit is up to date.
I would like to say when I am out caving with scouts that all the cave parties I see meet the standards that our county set, very sadly this is definitely not the case.
Our sport has got to rely on young blood to come through, so if not the scouts or the universities where does the cavers in the UK expect to get them from.
So carry on bashing the scouts, carry on telling the whole world that there the cause of the problems, all the young people I know will appreciate it.
Or maybe lets try to encourage our young people, lets educate them and train them properly in caving.
as for Bear, fortunately for the caving world all the scout teams I know do not follow his example.

 

[badger]

by the way I have not seen the programme, don't think I want too.
and more importantly if he had a team of cavers there as experts who where they and why did they let him go underground ill equipped and a cave known to flood?

 

[rhychydwr1]

The Bear is on the box tonight.  ITV 9.00 pm, going to the deepest point in  Britain.  Is it a cave or a mine?  Will tell you tomorrow.

 

[Roger W]

there is a few people who have correctly identified that bear is the chief scout, (unfortunately) and suggestion is that as he is chief scout he must represent scouts (fair point) and therefore all scouts are going to copy him and go down a flooding longchurn, or in fact all rescues from caves must be scouts,
reading through back issues of decent where reports of rescues and indeed the figures for the past years rescues I am unable to find any reference to scouts having to be rescued, I may have missed one as I have only skimmed through the last 10 years.
I know from my scout county that we take safety very seriously, and our kit is up to date.
I would like to say when I am out caving with scouts that all the cave parties I see meet the standards that our county set, very sadly this is definitely not the case.
Our sport has got to rely on young blood to come through, so if not the scouts or the universities where does the cavers in the UK expect to get them from.
So carry on bashing the scouts, carry on telling the whole world that there the cause of the problems, all the young people I know will appreciate it.
Or maybe lets try to encourage our young people, lets educate them and train them properly in caving.
as for Bear, fortunately for the caving world all the scout teams I know do not follow his example.

I don't think people are scout-bashing here, Badger. 

What people are saying is that as Chief Scout, Mr G should be setting a better example - not just to scouts, but to young people everywhere.  Let's encourage the youngsters to venture underground - definitely! - but let's encourage them to do it in a safe and sensible manner.

 

[ah147]

I've never heard a single caver seriously bash young people trying to do outdoor pursuits.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PaulW]

behaviour like this is bringing
the Scout movement into disrepute .   

I don't know if it is just my memory but, if there was a report on tv about a group getting stuck/trapped due to flooding you could make a bet that it would be the Scouts. Perhaps Bear is just carrying on the tradition 

 

[cap n chris]

so if not the scouts or the universities where does the cavers in the UK expect to get them from.

Er, possibly the biggest sector introducing people to caving in the entire nation? Professionally led caving. Just a thought.

 

[Amy]

He did an episode on caving in Alabama. And I know the canyon they filmed at. The opening scene drop-off I have rappelled right near there. Walk 20-40 ft away from the cliff, hit the county road And then a couple minutes in? ya I'm pretty sure that is the tree near our landing zone when we rappel Weaver's Point. There are bolts at the top and everything for it. He was always within 100 ft of a major road (and they got a ticket at the end, when he jumped onto a moving log truck!) and he went caving because "it was a shortcut through the mountain that cut off miles of his journey so it was worth the risk" Because yes we all know all caves just go straight through the mountain (I can't ID the cave, but my guess is with how it was filmed, he was never far in and they went in and out the same entrance).

it's all on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRcYrc5Q7uw
Actual cave part is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agixKaLxUgc

 

[crickleymal]

behaviour like this is bringing
the Scout movement into disrepute .   

I don't know if it is just my memory but, if there was a report on tv about a group getting stuck/trapped due to flooding you could make a bet that it would be the Scouts. Perhaps Bear is just carrying on the tradition 

I'm not knocking the scouts as such but back in the 1980s and 90s there were quite a few incidents with scouts getting trapped by floodwater and the incident with the cubs was not made up.

 

[cap n chris]

I'm not knocking the scouts as such but back in the 1980s and 90s there were quite a few incidents with scouts getting trapped by floodwater and the incident with the cubs was not made up.

Was one of them this (remarkably impressive/chilling) one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhXBbQfAk2w

 

[PaulW]

Cave leadership in scouting has changed dramatically (for the better) since then

 

[cap n chris]

That's good to hear. 

Professionally instructed cave leadership has improved too; iirc the HSE has recategorised it as a low risk pursuit because of the safety record.

 

[crickleymal]

I'm not knocking the scouts as such but back in the 1980s and 90s there were quite a few incidents with scouts getting trapped by floodwater and the incident with the cubs was not made up.

Was one of them this (remarkably impressive/chilling) one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhXBbQfAk2w

I can't remember exact details from 30 years ago. Most of the ones that I vaguely remember were more to do with failing to check the weather forecast before entering a cave that was liable to flood.

 

[ianball11]

iirc the HSE has recategorised it as a low risk pursuit because of the safety record.

Assuming that's from high risk to low risk, then that's awesome! 

 

[SamT]

iirc the HSE has recategorised it as a low risk pursuit because of the safety record.

Assuming that's from high risk to low risk, then that's awesome!

Should I contact my life insurance folks and get a reduction on my premium then??

 

[cap n chris]

Professionally instructed cave leadership has improved too; iirc the HSE has recategorised it as a low risk pursuit because of the safety record.

 

[badger]

I can't remember exact details from 30 years ago. Most of the ones that I vaguely remember were more to do with failing to check the weather forecast before entering a cave that was liable to flood.
[/quote]

In our county one of the first questions asked would be weather forecast, you not got one then failed straight away.

and wish I could remember 30 years ago

fortunately I think the standard of cave leader has vastly improved in scouting, the accessors now have to have LCLMA qualifications (plug there for you chris) which hopefully what they learn then filters down to scout cave leaders.

and hopefully scout caving teams show our young people the correct way we should operate underground and not follow the example shown by our chief scout,

more to the point which caver/cavers let Bear Gryls go underground in this manner and with water rising in said cave?