Caving and piercing

[SimplePurist]

Bit of a random one, but I am thinking of getting a facial piercing, but considering I am going to be caving most weekends I imagine it would not be good for infections, and keeping it dry .
Does anyone have any experience with fresh piercings and caving?

 

[Tim Pickering]

Retired body piercer, here.
You'd be best planning it for when you have some time off from caving to at least give it a bit of time for the initial healing stage to get underway. What facial piercing were you thinking of getting (some are a little more resilient than others)?

 

[mrodoc]

The late Jim Eyre recommended cavers getting both ears pierced so in the event of a rescue they could be nailed to a plank and pulled out.

 

[Leclused]

I don't think caving and piercings are a match. There is a story (not sure if it is an urban legend or not) that there was a problem during and guided tour with a girl during a descent on rope. She screamed of pain because she had a piercing on her intimate bodyparts that got jammed by the bands of the harnass.

If a facial piercing is catched by a descender the effects will be painfull. It will be more painfull then when (long) hair are catched by a descender imo.

 

[Chocolate fireguard]

The late Jim Eyre recommended cavers getting both ears pierced so in the event of a rescue they could be nailed to a plank and pulled out.

Was that Jim Eyre?

 

[mrodoc]

Was that Jim Eyre?

So I am told!

 

[Chocolate fireguard]

You might be right.
I just felt it was a bit earlier, perhaps Bob Leakey or Ken Pearce.

 

[Cantclimbtom]

You might be right.
I just felt it was a bit earlier, perhaps Bob Leakey or Ken Pearce.

It'd be fitting if it was someone called Pearce

Years ago I worked in Industrial roped access, a colleague got nipples pierced (proudly told everyone he worked with), on a different job... I didn't have to witness it, one of them had some argument with a chest harness somehow, and the chest harness won the fight. Ouch!!
Sure if he'd put a bit of zinc tape over them when working he could have avoided that. Once fully healed I can't imagine there'd be any problems give or take using tape and nipples.

 

[JasonC]

Well, I know I'm swimming against the tide here, but to anyone considering a facial piercing, I would just say "please don't!". Other than discreet earrings, every piercing I've seen just looks like uglification. Why do it?

 

[Babyhagrid]

Nipple piercings can affect squeeze machine performance. But tape can mitigate this a bit.

 

[steviet_scg]

You might be right.
I just felt it was a bit earlier, perhaps Bob Leakey or Ken Pearce.

Attributed to George Cornes in 'Race Against Time' by Jim Eyre and John Frankland - p171

"At the other end of the spectrum of what should be done was the opinion of an old caving character, George Cornes many years ago. He suggested that all cavers should be made to wear two ear rings (long before these were fashionable amongst extrovert young men). The reason for this was quite simple, if they were injured they could be quite easily nailed to a plank of wood and dragged out"

 

[Roger W]

i suppose a suitable nose ring could always be used as an attachment point for an ascender/descender in an emergency?

 

[shotlighter]

i suppose a suitable nose ring could always be used as an attachment point for an ascender/descender in an emergency?

Or with the addition of some cord, for "assisting" someone through a tight bit perhaps?

 

[AR]

Some of us may remember the Jim Rose Circus Sideshow from the early 1990s - the above comments bring Mr. Lifto to mind, particularly the part of his act where he lifted up a household iron attached to his Prince Albert...

 

[pwhole]

Don't make me dig out my Modern Primitives book from RE/SEARCH - there's a few 'modifications' in there that would probably change some minds

https://www.researchpubs.com/shop/p/modern-primitives

I spent a very pleasant day in the company of V.Vale some thirty years ago in San Francisco, strolling around North Beach, and meeting his mates, including sculptor Mark Pauline, who did a U-turn on his Harley to come over and talk to us, and invite us to his latest explosives-fest the week after. Great times. Glad Vale's still going.

Anyway, I would also recommend no piercings for caving

 

[Boy Engineer]

Don't make me dig out my Modern Primitives book from RE/SEARCH - there's a few 'modifications' in there that would probably change some minds

https://www.researchpubs.com/shop/p/modern-primitives

I spent a very pleasant day in the company of V.Vale some thirty years ago in San Francisco, strolling around North Beach, and meeting his mates, including sculptor Mark Pauline, who did a U-turn on his Harley to come over and talk to us, and invite us to his latest explosives-fest the week after. Great times. Glad Vale's still going.

Anyway, I would also recommend no piercings for caving

Reading through the link, I nearly choked on my sweet potato fries* when I got to “re-routing their genitals”. This is a thing??

*don’t judge me. We’ve had the granddaughters for the day and needed comfort food.

 

[pwhole]

All I can state is that this was a thing when the book was published in the early 90s. So it probably is now! At least you didn't see the pictures

 

[Fulk]

"not to mention branding itself with hot metal"

 

[mrodoc]

Attributed to George Cornes in 'Race Against Time' by Jim Eyre and John Frankland - p171

"At the other end of the spectrum of what should be done was the opinion of an old caving character, George Cornes many years ago. He suggested that all cavers should be made to wear two ear rings (long before these were fashionable amongst extrovert young men). The reason for this was quite simple, if they were injured they could be quite easily nailed to a plank of wood and dragged out"

Thanks for finding the primary source!

 

[Lankyman]

i suppose a suitable nose ring could always be used as an attachment point for an ascender/descender in an emergency?

Surely a foreskin piercing would be much more practical, being closer to the centre of gravity?