Hey buddies =)
So...I am really trying for a visit there for about three weeks (covering 3 weekends at least) leading up to Hidden Earth. I'd like to spend a week-ish (inc weekend) in Dales, Mendips, and then of course Wales and HE at the end.
Attempting to find flights...holyshit prices have SKYROCKETED since 2011 when I last looked. I mean, for real! What used to be a $800 venture is now about $1200. That's where I"m hitting the wall...the flight is as always the most expensive part of the trip (unless I finally get a rude nora...but that is beside the point
)
Before I keep looking and attempt to book...will people be /around/ then? Sept 11 - Oct 1/2 or something like that is the time frame I'm looking at.
No guarantees...I have to find a super deal. If anyone finds something from airport HSV to something there cheap, let me know If something falls under $1000 I'll probably book...and under $800 I'll definitely nab it.
But I don't want to be lonely and bored during the week!
I'd like to hit:
Titan
Gaping Gill
GB (and see more this time!)
No wetsuit yet for Swildon's and I think that will be a wetsuit required trip for me, I did get quite cold last time, but I'd love to hit short round in there
Frozen Deep
lots other mendip caves...i like pretties =)
OFD - gah probably could do multiple trips there, lol
dan yr ogof (Sp? that's the one with cloud chamber, right?)
and yar prettymuch anything with pretties =)))
Unlike last time, this time I am coming SRT-trained so that's no longer a limiting factor! I'll be bringing my microrack but if you have a stop you want me to train on and use, I could be convinced of that as well. Never too many tools in my belt! And yes - I am training rebelays and deviations, even working with 9mm EZ bend rope instead of our typical 11mm MaxWear pit rope to try and simulate rope differences best I can. With my frogging breakthroughs I - at this point- would feel comfortable attempting 150ft easy with frog (or more, if broken up in ways that I can stand up off rope between pitches), and my ropewalker is not a classic double bunggee one, and it does do rebelays quite nicely for longer stuff (like say, Titan) No limit to distance on the ropewalker (it's not like you have more than 1/2 mile to climb in a go!). At this point wide umbrella rigged rebelays are difficult in my ropewalker. But that may change as I practice more. Oddly, going up is forever easier than descending past on the umbrella rigging. Go figure. But hey, at least if I can get down, I know I can get up, because up is easier! And of course, this is where I'm at now...after July and El Cap I'll have more time to focus on "alpine-SRT" rather than all the long rope training I"m doing at the moment.
Oh, and I'd love to dig =) And/or survey. I can't seem to get into any project caving groups here, I guess people like to keep their stuff secret or something. But it's something I've always wanted to do.
So...I am really trying for a visit there for about three weeks (covering 3 weekends at least) leading up to Hidden Earth. I'd like to spend a week-ish (inc weekend) in Dales, Mendips, and then of course Wales and HE at the end.
Attempting to find flights...holyshit prices have SKYROCKETED since 2011 when I last looked. I mean, for real! What used to be a $800 venture is now about $1200. That's where I"m hitting the wall...the flight is as always the most expensive part of the trip (unless I finally get a rude nora...but that is beside the point
)Before I keep looking and attempt to book...will people be /around/ then? Sept 11 - Oct 1/2 or something like that is the time frame I'm looking at.
No guarantees...I have to find a super deal. If anyone finds something from airport HSV to something there cheap, let me know
If something falls under $1000 I'll probably book...and under $800 I'll definitely nab it.But I don't want to be lonely and bored during the week!
I'd like to hit:
Titan
Gaping Gill
GB (and see more this time!)
No wetsuit yet for Swildon's and I think that will be a wetsuit required trip for me, I did get quite cold last time, but I'd love to hit short round in there
Frozen Deep
lots other mendip caves...i like pretties =)
OFD - gah probably could do multiple trips there, lol
dan yr ogof (Sp? that's the one with cloud chamber, right?)
and yar prettymuch anything with pretties =)))
Unlike last time, this time I am coming SRT-trained so that's no longer a limiting factor! I'll be bringing my microrack but if you have a stop you want me to train on and use, I could be convinced of that as well. Never too many tools in my belt! And yes - I am training rebelays and deviations, even working with 9mm EZ bend rope instead of our typical 11mm MaxWear pit rope to try and simulate rope differences best I can. With my frogging breakthroughs I - at this point- would feel comfortable attempting 150ft easy with frog (or more, if broken up in ways that I can stand up off rope between pitches), and my ropewalker is not a classic double bunggee one, and it does do rebelays quite nicely for longer stuff (like say, Titan) No limit to distance on the ropewalker (it's not like you have more than 1/2 mile to climb in a go!). At this point wide umbrella rigged rebelays are difficult in my ropewalker. But that may change as I practice more. Oddly, going up is forever easier than descending past on the umbrella rigging. Go figure. But hey, at least if I can get down, I know I can get up, because up is easier!
And of course, this is where I'm at now...after July and El Cap I'll have more time to focus on "alpine-SRT" rather than all the long rope training I"m doing at the moment.Oh, and I'd love to dig =) And/or survey. I can't seem to get into any project caving groups here, I guess people like to keep their stuff secret or something. But it's something I've always wanted to do.
