Over the Hill
New member
So back to why is caving on the decline? I think I have found another reason apart from all that personal cost of SRT gear for young and low waged people and people being banned on web sites.
After years of doing other stuff then it taking more years to get the shoulder back into caving order following surgery at last in July 2014 with the Earby into Lancaster and out via the main pitch. In December off I went again SRT type caving with young Tom H and his mate Andrew F from the DCC down Shuttleworth Pot.
So with some new gear and back in touch with another older caver we have had the odd the trip since spring 2015 and as we have come across problems like not enough rope we have just got hold of loads more because old cavers do not have time left to dither about costs and the new caving world politics etc.
After last weeks scamper underground we thought better be more reserved and changed our plan of doing Disappointment and out on the GG winch. Main reason as water levels have been up after the weekend the duck could have been a lot tighter than I was at 10.5 Stones (now 12.5 Stones or whatever that is in Euro Talk). So play safe and go and practice a bit of SRT in Yordas.
We dropped the first pitch (left it rigged) leaving the sunshine (expected rain later in the day) to find the onward crawl with quite high and fast flowing water within it. Ok thoughts were we are not coming back so looks OK a few body lengths forward so go with the flow. Through and off to the main pitch, the new CNCC rigging guide seen for the first time that day showed a long sideways traverse on bolts to take you out and away from the quite impressive amount of water thundering on down below, so far so good (so we thought).
Now is this were caving decline kicks in, passed three P hangers going right next one was well out of reach so had to lasso a sling over a rock feature and on to next P hanger. Where now? Two P hangers in view but to both of our aging sets of eyes nothing in between if you are nearer 5.7 ft tall than 6ft plus and the wrong side of ??.
So remember whoever is setting these alternatives to the good old ladder and line, caving is not a one size fits all activity and if you are going to put a bolted route line in a cave like this it needs to be able to be used by all groups of cavers of differing standards to build up confidence and expertise. There may be a hidden P bolt or circus graded move but doing something on sight is far harder than repeating what you did with your mate leading the club trip last month.
It was easier to say bollocks and come up and back out but the fast flowing high water was quite interesting to regain the first pitch.
Out and a look in from the bottom using strong lights failed to pick out the long continuation of bolts as shown in the new guide so I guess caving even in such a short introductory Pot is getting like climbing with the top end giving less and less thought to what props up that pyramid.
After years of doing other stuff then it taking more years to get the shoulder back into caving order following surgery at last in July 2014 with the Earby into Lancaster and out via the main pitch. In December off I went again SRT type caving with young Tom H and his mate Andrew F from the DCC down Shuttleworth Pot.
So with some new gear and back in touch with another older caver we have had the odd the trip since spring 2015 and as we have come across problems like not enough rope we have just got hold of loads more because old cavers do not have time left to dither about costs and the new caving world politics etc.
After last weeks scamper underground we thought better be more reserved and changed our plan of doing Disappointment and out on the GG winch. Main reason as water levels have been up after the weekend the duck could have been a lot tighter than I was at 10.5 Stones (now 12.5 Stones or whatever that is in Euro Talk). So play safe and go and practice a bit of SRT in Yordas.
We dropped the first pitch (left it rigged) leaving the sunshine (expected rain later in the day) to find the onward crawl with quite high and fast flowing water within it. Ok thoughts were we are not coming back so looks OK a few body lengths forward so go with the flow. Through and off to the main pitch, the new CNCC rigging guide seen for the first time that day showed a long sideways traverse on bolts to take you out and away from the quite impressive amount of water thundering on down below, so far so good (so we thought).
Now is this were caving decline kicks in, passed three P hangers going right next one was well out of reach so had to lasso a sling over a rock feature and on to next P hanger. Where now? Two P hangers in view but to both of our aging sets of eyes nothing in between if you are nearer 5.7 ft tall than 6ft plus and the wrong side of ??.
So remember whoever is setting these alternatives to the good old ladder and line, caving is not a one size fits all activity and if you are going to put a bolted route line in a cave like this it needs to be able to be used by all groups of cavers of differing standards to build up confidence and expertise. There may be a hidden P bolt or circus graded move but doing something on sight is far harder than repeating what you did with your mate leading the club trip last month.
It was easier to say bollocks and come up and back out but the fast flowing high water was quite interesting to regain the first pitch.
Out and a look in from the bottom using strong lights failed to pick out the long continuation of bolts as shown in the new guide so I guess caving even in such a short introductory Pot is getting like climbing with the top end giving less and less thought to what props up that pyramid.
