Croesor Rhosydd - Boat is stuck

[ChrisJC]

Frankly, the boat should be removed, and a big sign placed at the top of the first pitch pointing out the need for 1) a helmet, 2) the ability to prussik, and 3) a boat.

And possibly the need to navigate out through Rhosydd.

There are far too many wazzocks going through assuming it's a straightforward downhill trip with a boat part-way through. Never been into a mine before and therefore have limited ability to retrieve the situation should something go wrong.

I fear this won't be the last callout, and at some point the landowner will wake up and seal the entrance.

Chris.

 

[Edwardov]

Well done NWCRO!

Can anyone help me understand what's happened here please? I am reading that they had to retrace their route due to the boat, and one failed at the final pitch back up. I had read that there was a diversion added to bypass this first abseil. I'm wondering that if there needs to be signage added anywhere, then this potential exit back needs clearly marking?

When you say a diversion, do you mean that there is no height change and you come out at the incline somewhere?

 

[Cantclimbtom]

I am torn in my opinion. One half of me thinks the canoe has great charm, it's a really nice touch. It'd be a terrible shame to remove it.
But... the other half of me agrees with ChrisJC that the route (as it stands) lures in the unprepared and maybe the boat has to go 😟

 

[pwhole]

Another site I know (with some significant risks) has also suffered from perhaps 'less capable' traffic due to the lure of a 'boat' trip, which is bypassed with a 25m rope pitch, and in my opinion safer - at least in terms of a rescue, which would be hard enough, given the territory. There are rusty pieces of ironwork, steel cable, old timbers and a steadily-decreasing incline floor underwater, and an uncontrolled fall into the water around that area could be very nasty, as the water is cold, obviously, and someone's feet could get caught up if they fell in. I always stick to the ropes now, but it's a site I care about, and I'm equally worried about the (many) ramifications of an accident.

 

[Stones]

Well done NWCRO!

Can anyone help me understand what's happened here please? I am reading that they had to retrace their route due to the boat, and one failed at the final pitch back up. I had read that there was a diversion added to bypass this first abseil. I'm wondering that if there needs to be signage added anywhere, then this potential exit back needs clearly marking?

The division that bypasses the first abseil is actually a more difficult route.

 

[cavemanmike]

Apparently they didn’t have the right gear to prussick

 

[Wayland Smith]

Apparently they didn’t have the right gear to prussick

Which says it all about a lot of the groups going in there now!
Unfortunately, with the popularity I don't think that any kind of access control would last very long.
I suspect that Gates would be impossible to keep in place.

 

[RobinGriffiths]

I've always had mixed feelings about the place being equipped with ziplines and the like. But maybe that's some perverse nostalgia on my part for straddling nail encrusted beams and that.

 

[cavemanmike]

It’s just lack of information. Like I said on other post ,I think we need a laminated sign saying FULL SRT kit is required. We used to take our own dingy in back in the day so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to mention that as well. This is one of the reasons why the fisherman’s walk way was taken down. There’s even talk of snakes and ladders being removed because they get highlighted by certain newspapers with lack of information about them 😡😡😡

 

[vanoord]

Apparently they didn’t have the right gear to prussick

Per NWCRO's Facebook page:

"During the course of the incident one of the missing persons managed to exit the system and was able to provide further details to the team." / " ... the second person had become exhausted and was unable to climb the final pitch out of the system, but was otherwise uninjured."

A lot better to call Cave Rescue out and get extracted in a safe manner rather than trying to self-rescue and getting into a lot more trouble.

 

[cavemanmike]

Per NWCRO's Facebook page:

"During the course of the incident one of the missing persons managed to exit the system and was able to provide further details to the team." / " ... the second person had become exhausted and was unable to climb the final pitch out of the system, but was otherwise uninjured."

A lot better to call Cave Rescue out and get extracted in a safe manner rather than trying to self-rescue and getting into a lot more trouble.

It’s even better to have the right gear. Its not rocket science and it not the first time I’ve encountered people in the with the wrong equipment

 

[tomferry]

Where does it say in that report he did not have purrisk equipment ?? I must be missing something says the person was tired that is all. Have you seen another report Mike ?

 

[cavemanmike]

They only had one single pulley and a shunt

Where does it say in that report he did not have purrisk equipment ?? I must be missing something says the person was tired that is all. Have you seen another report Mike ?

they only had a single pulley and a shunt

 

[cavemanmike]

Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying they shouldn’t have been in there just that they should have had the right equipment

 

[Edwardov]

They only had one single pulley and a shunt

they only had a single pulley and a shunt

The only way you could claim to know this is if you were there or you knew someone who was there. And if you or they were indeed there, you know you should not be commenting on incidents.

 

[Cantclimbtom]

North Wales Cave Rescue | incident list

Incidents and callouts attended by North Wales Cave Rescue members.

www.northwalescro.org.uk

Looking in the last 10 years there's 7 CRTT callouts

Nothing 2013 - 2016 until...
Sept 19th 2016 - overdue callout time
Aug 15th 2018 - overdue callout time
Sep 29th 2019 - unable to ascend on retreat
Jan 1st 2022 - overdue callout time
Jan 1st 2022 - overdue callout time (a second unrelated group to above)
Jan 23rd 2022 - overdue callout time, but large group (12) and some escorted out due to fatigue
Aug 19th 2023 - unable to ascend on retreat

It does appear that it's becoming more frequent?

 

[cavemanmike]

Been going in there for over 20 years . I think YouTubers and other media hypes haven’t helped, it’s an easy enough system you just have to respect the environment you are in

 

[Babyhagrid]

Sounds like it needs an up pitch in the middle so people have to bring ascenders 😂

 

[cavemanmike]

Last pitch is up, although only short. They would of struggled with that as its a little awkward to get off at the top

 

[wellyjen]

Last pitch is up, although only short. They would of struggled with that as its a little awkward to get off at the top

There is a bolted climb up as an alternative to the SRT up pitch at the Rhosydd end of the boating lake that could be done with a combination of cowstails, etriers and so on, but if you don't have prussiking gear, then there is a good chance you haven't got the bits/skills to do that safely either.