Pete K
Well-known member
ELDON HOLE - Update 2/4/15
I popped up to Eldon Hole today and had a look at the ground anchors. Once I?d kicked a bit of soil out the way to expose the base of the posts I gave them all a visual and ?kick? inspection. The following were my observations based on no qualifications but the view of "would I take clients here":
North route ? Both anchors appear in good condition. Removed old rusty maillon that was occupying one hole.
South route ? Single anchor looked in okay condition.
East route ? Both bollards showed signs of corrosion. The base of bollard marked ?C? was particularly bad. Recommend DO NOT USE. Treat bollard ?D? as suspect too.
West route ? Both bollards showed signs of corrosion. The base of bollard marked ?A? was showing large amounts of corrosion. Recommend DO NOT USE. Bollard ?B? should be thought of as suspect too.
The DCA is not the cave police or the HSE. Cavers using any anchor do so at the own risk and should first check that the anchor is suitable for their intended use. Ground anchors especially should be thoroughly scrutinised before use. If someone is happy to take on the job of organising a replacement set of anchors then great, I will happily help as much as I can. If not, I'm in busy work season now and they will be addressed in the autumn.
Pete Knight
DCA Projects
I popped up to Eldon Hole today and had a look at the ground anchors. Once I?d kicked a bit of soil out the way to expose the base of the posts I gave them all a visual and ?kick? inspection. The following were my observations based on no qualifications but the view of "would I take clients here":
North route ? Both anchors appear in good condition. Removed old rusty maillon that was occupying one hole.
South route ? Single anchor looked in okay condition.
East route ? Both bollards showed signs of corrosion. The base of bollard marked ?C? was particularly bad. Recommend DO NOT USE. Treat bollard ?D? as suspect too.
West route ? Both bollards showed signs of corrosion. The base of bollard marked ?A? was showing large amounts of corrosion. Recommend DO NOT USE. Bollard ?B? should be thought of as suspect too.
The DCA is not the cave police or the HSE. Cavers using any anchor do so at the own risk and should first check that the anchor is suitable for their intended use. Ground anchors especially should be thoroughly scrutinised before use. If someone is happy to take on the job of organising a replacement set of anchors then great, I will happily help as much as I can. If not, I'm in busy work season now and they will be addressed in the autumn.
Pete Knight
DCA Projects