Games and pranks to play during caving

[cavingmatt]

Hi Guys am new to the site, nice to meet you all!

A group of us are having a new guy joining us on our next trip. We were talking about any fun games or pranks we can play on him for his first trip. Just to give him an embarrassing welcome to the group and give everyone a laugh.

Anyone have any fun suggestions?

Matt

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Take him through Swildons Sump One then hold a flat stone over his head the other side when he tries to surface. He will never go caving again.

 

[tim.rose2]

It depends how cruel you wish to be, whether you want them to ever coming caving again and how well they can take a bit of pratting about but...

1. I once started to feed my legs into a badger set on route to the cave having convinced them the entrance was quite small. They were shitting themselves about following (I was secretly shitting myself there might actually be a badger in there)!
2. No knee pads.
3. Recommend they carry a banana (or something equally as messy) either in their pocket or under the cradle of their helmet for a snack mid trip. Just make sure they lie on the banana 'a bit'.
4. The obvious cave specifics like sending them the awkward way, whilst everyone else walks round or damming water and releasing at the precise point.
5. Emptying wellies into the entrance as they're climbing out.
6. Tape over their light so it's much dimmer than everyone else's ("sorry, it's an old light I'm lending you which isn't as bright as ours").
7. If you can find one, make them use an FX3 / FX5.
8. Wetsuit in a dry cave.
9. Get them to take their turn with the tackle sack having just filled it with rocks.
10. Hide their towel / change of clothes.
11. Very much cave dependent, but block the way out with a few rocks as you come in last, sent them first on the way back. Similarly add a few rocks to a squeeze for the return. Newbies, will never think to move the rocks!
12. Lie about it being a though trip once you've locked yourselves in / pull ropes down etc.
13. Produce a totally un-readable, complex survey which is vital to finding your way out.

I'll try to think of some other things I definitely haven't done to people in the past.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Nobody can be a " Man of Mendip " without being pushed into Swildons Double Pots .

 

[Fulk]

Note to oneself:

Never go caving with tim.rose2

 

[cavingmatt]

Thank guys! Haha keep these ideas coming!

Just to be clear we definitely do not want anything that might hurt him. But otherwise let us know anything that will embarrass him and give the group a good laugh.

They can definitely take a good bit of ribbing themselves. Both dishing it out and taking it.

 

[bagpuss]

Nobody can be a " Man of Mendip " without being pushed into Swildons Double Pots .

I've only ever fallen in once.. balancing on the top taking a photo...

 

[topcat]

Note to oneself:

Never go caving with tim.rose2

And anyone else who responds to this idiot request

 

[Spaniel on crack]

Pice of string to find the way out, we had a freshser ask this once so we ran with it

If in cwm dwr specifically asking about the tight spaces qualifications by the tight spaces sign

 

[wormster]

Get them to lay a tealight trail to follow out ,.......

 

[caving_fox]

my mates' favourite was to sit in front of the correct way out hole/turning when asking the newbie (ish) to navigate back out. Damming water is always another favourite.

 

[cap n chris]

Don't play pranks on anyone in caves. Ever. Fucking stupid. The sort of thing arseholes do.

 

[Hunter]

Many years ago we took a newby to Mendip.
All through breakfast my mate kept repeating “the condemned ate a hearty breakfast” over and over.
Our newby was an extremely reluctant participant on a trip to Swildons sump and we never saw or heard from him again after that weekend.
Sometimes it only needs words.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Don't play pranks on anyone in caves. Ever. Fucking stupid. The sort of thing arseholes do.

Yes I suppose that I appreciate the sentiment. You do need to weigh up the way people might react to a prank. The good Cap'n is/was an instructor so will take those things seriously. We had pranks in diving like sticking a dog fish up somebodys jacket or hitching on an angry crab. Funny for me was when somebody hit me over the head with a parrot fish. Its teeth got stuck in my hood stitching and I could not get it off. Another party trick was to sit a novice by the grating of the Baygitano smaller boiler then I would get inside through a hole in the top and muck around with the resident conger eel. Humour and modest pranks are part of all things in life but must be carefully considered.

 

[speleokitty3]

Please don't prank the new guy. Its childish, stupid and sometimes dangerous. Remember that its only funny if the person it's aimed at thinks it's funny.

It's stupid, thoughtless and potentially dangerous. We aren't in the primary school playground any more.

 

[Lankyman]

My Dad was an inveterate prankster. When we were kids on a visit to That London we were at Madame Tussauds. There was an upright empty coffin in one of the exhibits and Dad stood inside while my brothers and I were told to to stand in front looking at him. Some more visitors came by and one remarked on how life-like this waxwork was. Then Dad opened his eyes and they jumped a mile. It was a good prank and everyone enjoyed a laugh but I suppose it could have ended in tragedy. Someone could have died or a fight broken out. I'd have had to grab the executioner's axe and lay about myself. Think on the possible unforseen consequences when considering your prank ...

 

[spelfish]

There are good and bad pranks. Few are appropriate for a complete beginner. If you're going to prank someone, choose someone who's done a bit of caving, who's a little over-confident and needs to be taken down a peg.
Good pranks include temporarily damming a stream by sitting in it, then releasing it; or splashing water over the victim in a relatively low airspace passage. Bad pranks would suggest that the 'flood' when you got out of the stream was real or making such waves that the low airspace became a temporary sump. There are lots of alternatives but the same principle applies - keep it funny and not frightening.

 

[Steve Clark]

I kinda agree that outright practical jokes at someone else's expense are a bit naff, particularly with anyone just gaining their confidence underground.

However, 'instructional' pranks can be quite useful with people getting used to the whole process. If someone is learning to rig and packs all the bags but forgets the krabs (and you have noticed this), there is a lot to be gained by secretly carrying them up the hill in a separate bag. Watching their brain process the consequences of the the fact that they've left them in the car and everyone is waiting is an excellent learning point. It further helps when you can then produce the missing kit - gives them confidence that the team around them are paying attention and actually know what they are doing.

I made that example up, but we use similar for diving. A gear & procedure intensive activity where there's loads of scope for forgetting kit or missing a pre-dive step and an even lower chance of winging it and making do without. We would, however, never let it progress into the water, unless we were instructors training new instructors.

 

[Cantclimbtom]

I love pranks. But whether it's all harmless fun and banter, or accidentally it's bullying, depends on the recipient as well as the pranksters.

Since you say they're a new guy. Please Don't prank them, because they're new you have no idea how it'll be received even if it appears ok at the time.

Now in the case of people you've caved with a lot, know well and pranked before and they've pranked you... then absolutely more pranking there!!! But not the new guy.

 

[hannahb]

I genuinely can't tell whether the OP is trolling us or not