Alex said:
Not sure I deserved that, what I do in my personal trips is none of your bees wax really. Secondly, if I don't do these trips how can you expect me to rescue you from them?
I would happily not solo it but no one I know will come with me like I said. The main difference is I will not be doing it on TV so no one will follow my example, I am not doing it to show off, I just want to see the bottom of the cave and learn it best I can. I happen to enjoy harder caves and I know my own limits, if I don't like something I can always turn back. Soloing is not for everyone and I must admit it makes me more nervous but it's no more dangerous provided you leave a good call out. In-fact with only 1 person I would wager its safer in some respects.
No one to dislodge rocks on you
Less people = less likely to have an accident (odds)
When I am soloing I am that little bit extra careful, and my risk threshold is a lot lower.
The main thing you loose is someone to go out and get help, so a longer wait, which is why I bring stuff with me to keep warm should that happen, which is why such a trip and carrying all the rope and my personal gear would be a bit of an epic, in that cave.
MODS: You may want to split this topic from Mark Wrights post as it's going off topic.
Alex, you are right, what you do on your personal trips is none of my business, however this is the Eurospeleo event and I can't imagine any of the organisers or the local CRO teams taking too kindly to people soloing down any of the rigged caves during the event.
You can rest assured you will never have to rescue me from Quaking.
You might not intend your solo trip down Quaking to be on TV but you can be absolutely sure that if you fell down the first pitch on your way in and were left unconscious until the CRO turned up, which is likley to be many hours even if you did have a 'good callout', then that would be on TV and you can be absolutely sure they would make a point, and a very large one at that, of you being a member of the rescue team.
The main thing you loose by soloing is you don't have anyone there to stabilise your condition before they then contact the CRO so all the extra gear you have taken to keep you warm will be of little use if you are unconscious or otherwise incapacitated.
So, considering all the stick the BCA and CRO have been casting in the direction of Bear Grylls, is a solo trip down Quaking by a rescue team member really setting the best example to those who will be specifically attending the Eurospeleo event?
I'm not knocking solo caving, I do it myself occasionally, but there is a time and a place and I would suggest the 2016 Eurospeleo event isn't it.
Mark