I don’t think you have anything to apologise for. It would be nice to be moving away from a society of big egos and toxic masculinity where asking for help is immediately jumped upon as being a problem… So what if some people want a guide, paid or voluntary? Let people be.

Rigging guides are suggestions. For a training workshop a number of years ago, I was asked to rig a series of pitches without the topo and for me it was really useful to just look around and rig a safe system using what I found. This top pitch is a great example. It used to be approached from...

I'm not quite sure how it's morally better to risk the health of volunteers than employees? I might have misunderstood your phrasing.. Legally, this isn't quite true either, as even voluntary organisations have obligations to ensure their volunteers are not exposed to undue risks as part of...

Just a note to say it’s been very busy in the Alum pot lane on Saturdays the past couple of weeks. If people can do their best to park sensibly, not blocking access for the local farmer, natural England or the outdoor centre that would be much appreciated. This weekend a small number of cars...

I’d also add that it’s a really niche qualification with small numbers of candidates, so don’t expect the same polished experience of the ML or other outdoor awards with full time staff and trainers running dozens of courses a year. It is however getting much much better. I did my level 1 in...

Typically of course caving sit harnesses are not designed to be used alone. Interestingly in this case the diagrams provided do seem to show it used alone, but in the text it actually clearly states (in French, under SECURITE part 1) ): "This seat harness should not be used alone, combined use...

It’s a local wedding, and a private lane. One day in recent memory isn’t really a big deal.

We had a good look a couple weeks ago at the spot mentioned in the report. It took us a while to find anything unusual for an entrance (often lots of small loose things!). Unless we missed something (always possible) the only ‘loose’ rock seems bedded in, but does have a little play. It’s a...

Sorry to side-track us into what was meant to be a slightly tongue-in-cheek suggestion.. BUT Whilst I agree it wouldn't prevent anyone from suing, this ignores the main reason why people sue in this context - the money. If someone sued me for example, they'd currently be very unlikely to even...

On a lighter note, I've seen more injuries by far, and more 'negligence', in caving hut games and yet we haven't scrabbled around to get insurance for "flaming couch olympics". I suspect your house is at greater risk there! The insurance makes some people feel better, and maybe that is the...

Pulley efficiency is a bit of a misleading concept for us, as it's possible to make a very efficient pulley wheel with a really small diameter sheave (spinny bit). The Spoc might have a similar efficiency, but it has a smaller sheave diameter than the micro, and thus fatter ropes will have to...

To… talk about it? Forums eh?! Madness. Whilst I think it’s a bit silly, I’d rather people walked through the dales or visited sump 1 than trekking up Kilimanjaro whilst trying to convince me they’re doing it “for the children”. Can we agree we dislike those guys more? I would usually politely...

I see far more chat about this than issues in caves!

Whilst the discussion on methods above is useful, ultimately we all make occasional mistakes and on top of that tangles are not uncommon. This is another reminder that a spare rope of sufficient length is needed for all multi-pitch pull-through trips!

Northern Caving Council? I don’t think changing the acronym is too disruptive. It’s not a huge audience! I think it’s a positive and progressive change - so best of luck, people hate those! 😘

My employer has an EN standard helmet testing rig, and whilst you’re right, older helmets break at high impact forces but this isn’t a good metric to use. Modern helmets use a mixture of plastic and elastic deformation when facing a substantial impact. In short you don’t want an indestructible...

By this do you mean they ‘look alright’ after well over 10 years, or do you mean that they saved you from a more serious concussion following a collision with the pavement in a helmet over 10 years old vs the exact same incident that you repeated for testing purposes with a new one? A bike...

I suspect a larger cause of the lack of data for suspension syncope is that typically this does not happen in isolation: there is usually a reason why someone is not moving at all whilst on a rope. That could be hypothermia, could be head injury, could be a medical condition or could be simple...

One of our team attended this event at the weekend and the feedback was fantastic. Really hoping to get on the next one you're running!