How times change...

Pitlamp said:
That would have been before 1967, when the first electric lighting was installed. You must have been really young! ;)
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My memory might be wrong but it could have been 1967. We had emigrated to Canada in 1965 but it hadn't worked out and we came back in summer 1967. I possiby got this guidebook (published in 1967) at the cave on that visit but I might have ordered it from Dalesman later on (with a 2 shilling postal order!). I'd have been 7 on that visit and completely nuts about caves.
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Lankyman said:
On my first proper caving trip to Slovenia (1983 I think) my friend and I definitely got the cold shoulder treatment on first arrival in the Laze area. We were both tall and had fair hair (Colin in particular). It was explained that local people thought we might have been German. Once people realised we were English everyone was fine.
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I had a similar experience while motorcycling in Slovenia (or Jugoslavia as it was then) in June 1982. Leaving the country we went through passport control with smiles from the officers and comments about the Argentinian surrender in the Falklands. However at the customs point a few yards on the officer there gestured for me to go into their car park, presumably for a serious shakedown - possibly because I was riding a BMW motorcycle, albeit me being definitely not tall nor fair. As which point one of passport officers came over and, as far as I understood it, said words to the effect that I was not German but English – at which point we were waved through with smiles.

Perhaps I should add that the Italian border a quarter of a mile down the road was a different story altogether! The Italians, generally sympathising with the Argentinians, were not at all pleased to see us.
 
Lankyman said:
On my first proper caving trip to Slovenia (1983 I think) my friend and I definitely got the cold shoulder treatment on first arrival in the Laze area. We were both tall and had fair hair (Colin in particular). It was explained that local people thought we might have been German. Once people realised we were English everyone was fine. It's sobering to think that 1983 was closer in time to the horrors of the war (which to me felt like history) than the present day.
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My uncle was a translator while in the army, and fought through the Netherlands to Hamburg. He lost his eardrums to a mortar bomb, and became firm friends with several Dutch people. He visited them many times upto the 1980s, and quickly learnt to start a conversation with strangers in English, before switching to German. Most Dutch were of course fluent in the later, but the quality of my uncles language led them to believe he was from the other side of the border. Long memory and a good advert for understanding and unity of equals in the 21st Century
 
wellyjen said:
Fisma also made generators for the caving market at some point. Where reckoned at the time by my caving contemporaries in the late 80s to be better than the Petzl Ariane and on a par with Premier Malham waist generators.
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The Arianne was nothing but trouble, not even Ralph could get one to work. Fisma were preferred, but the Malham was a good second best. One or two used titanium models brought back after a club trip to Czech...
I recall Morticia had a bit of a do going through a choke in Easegill when the feed pipe detached from the headset and managed to ignite. Luckily only sooting of her face and a mild fringe trim 😳
 
cap n chris said:
Wowsers, SRT kit cost an absolute fortune then! Little wonder the Shire didn't grasp it with all three fingers.
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Figure in inflation and typical wages between then and now and SRT kit is significantly cheaper in real terms. I've noticed similar things for rope, krabs etc.
Forty years ago, a screwgate karabiner of basic quality was around £5. The sort that would lock up if you did it up the gate while weighted. Inflation reckons that is £20 to £25 now.
 
Has anyone mentioned how digs and discoveries are regarded and reported these days? Decades ago they seemed to be highly sensitive and subject to secrecy that MI6 would be proud of. If you had a dig you kept schtum until it was all worked out and presented in a journal. Strangers were definitely not welcome. Nowadays, things seem to be a lot more open and progress is even reported as it happens online. Is dig piracy a thing of the past?
 
Clubs used to be a lot more insular, with a lot of rivalry (sometimes unpleasantly so). As a young caver senior members of my own club often made it clear they took a very dim view of my going off caving with mates whose only crime was being in a different club. Nowadays there's a great deal of inter-club co-operation but with folk still being loyal their own clubs. Far, far better! :)
 
Lankyman said:
Has anyone mentioned how digs and discoveries are regarded and reported these days? Decades ago they seemed to be highly sensitive and subject to secrecy that MI6 would be proud of. If you had a dig you kept schtum until it was all worked out and presented in a journal. Strangers were definitely not welcome. Nowadays, things seem to be a lot more open and progress is even reported as it happens online. Is dig piracy a thing of the past?
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There was no social media and journals such as they were quite rudimentary. Platten's "The British Caver" was at least well bound and presented though just typed up and xeroxed. My first cave discovery at Holwell Cavern, found in 1964, appeared in Vol 44 1966.. Little in the way of photos in BC in the 60's Actually very few cavers were using cameras back then. All black and white of course. Alan Coase has a good image of a dinghy in DYO in that edition. BC ran to 100 pages so was probably the most comprehensive journal at the time. In 1966 there was also "The Mendip Caver" from Tony Oldham again fairly rudimentary. Other notable journals in the 60's were The Cottam CG , MNRC and several more. I was Cerberus C C editor in the early 1970's. The benefit of that was I got to name many caves etc found in Fairy Cave Quarry ( Withyhill, Hillwithy, Roses Rift, Prices Purgatory QWUH/HWUH. Drop Out Rift, Domestos Bend ). As regards worrying about " piracy " we never did. Usually it came down to lack of support particulary in horrible digs like The Fairy/Hilliers link ( still horrible ). I would say that I have never dug a " Club Dig " as we just did our own thing and still do. Only where access issues are difficult to we say little. In the Wessex CC there is no such thing as a " Club Dig " anyway.
 
tony from suffolk said:
But many young, attractive women really go for the older man! You know the sort - they sidle up to you at the bar, get you tiddly, then try to have their wicked way with you? No, me neither...
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I did a Shatter trip a while ago. Nice lady in the group just married. A few days later she sends me naughty photos suggesting a meeting whilst hubby was at work. Caving is a dangerous game ! Did I go ? You think about it.
 
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