so what did santa 'actually' bring

[SamT]

Booty =
I got one of those 'Rock pecker' bolt drivers - which I was dead chuffed with. (just need the SDS adapter now to allow spits to be attached.)

Also some nice wild country 'helium' extenders for me climbing rack.
Oh and a tiny hip flask - just fits neat in my arm pocket on my warmbac oversuit.

Bobbins =
Erm - not a lot really. I dont think I got any naff pressies.

 

[mudmonkey]

Helium extenders. Presumably for use in very cold conditions? Or are they for clipping balloons?

And does the flask mean you'll be taking whisky underground?

Those rock peckers are great - much quicker than a conventional driver. Enjoy.

BTW - did your siphon work in the end? Or is the world still underwater?

 

[SamT]

Hmm - entire world is underwater it would seem. Couple of lads went into bagshawe last week and it was in flood again. (snow melt I presume).
Have procured an old fire hose so need to cart that in and see if its long enough.

Of course I would never condone drinking alcohol whist underground (lest your in a celler bar) but I can see a quick nip going down well at a few of the surface digs this winter.

Those rock peckers are great - much quicker than a conventional driver. Enjoy

Is that with the spit adaptor or just a 12mm sds bit.

 

[Cumbrian Neil]

I got a very nice guidebook on the Italian Via Ferratas from my wife... I'm now plotting a trip out there. She also bought me the Extended Edition of The Return of the King... 250 minutes worth not counting all the other crap on there.

The olds (who still live in the UK) sent over some M&S grundies... my wife had been complaining about the state of the ones I have. I have yet to buy American shreddies (I emigrated in 1997 - can you imagine how knackered the old ones are)!! :roll:

CN.

 

[paul]

I got "It's Only a Game" by Jim Eyre - brilliant read! If you haven't read his earlier book, "The Caev Explorers", you don't know what you're missing.

 

[SamT]

I got a very nice guidebook on the Italian Via Ferratas from my wife

Do it - Via ferratas are way cool. Get yourself out to the sella group for close to the road action. The Brenta are a bit more serious - we set off at 8 am for the walk in. reckon we were still about an hour away from the *start* of the via ferrata at about 2pm when a huge lightening storm struck. We bagged it off and ran back down the scree's. You need to plan overnight stays in the (rather nice) refugios if you are considering the brenta.
Canazei was a perfect base for the Sella/marmolade area with possibly the best campsite in the world.
[/raving on about via ferrata]

 

[mudmonkey]

Is that with the spit adaptor or just a 12mm sds bit.

With a drill bit - then swap for the spit for the last few mm if you're using a self-drilling spit to leave the base of the hole nice. Only used one once but was v impressed how easily it goes in compared to a spit - I think the main advantage is that you're using a drill bit which is a much more efficient means of drilling than the end of a spit...

 

[DaveL]

With a drill bit - then swap for the spit for the last few mm if you're using a self-drilling spit to leave the base of the hole nice.

Why use a spit if you don't have to? Spits are made much chunkier than they need to be so as to withstand the strain of hammering. If you're going to drill the hole with a separate drill bit, you can use a much lighter weight bolt sleeve. That means you can drill a much smaller hole for the same size bolt, which is obviously less effort.

[plug] On CUCC's expeditions we use Hilti HKDS anchors, which take an ordinary M8 bolt but need a 10mm dia hole, rather than 12mm as for a spit. Crucially, they don't need the bottom of the hole to be flat; so you can drill all the way with an ordinary drill bit. (We normally use them with power drills, obviously, but they'd work equally well with a rockpecker.) Experience suggests they aren't substantially weaker than spits - which isn't particularly difficult, of course. They're also dirt cheap (particularly if the nice man at Hilti gives you a big discount ). [/plug]

Dave

 

[mudmonkey]

DaveL - see http://www.ukcaving.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=759
for a long thread on this very topic.....

 

[DaveL]

oops - sorry for the duplication then

 

[Stu]

I got "It's Only a Game" by Jim Eyre - brilliant read! If you haven't read his earlier book, "The Caev Explorers", you don't know what you're missing.

Agreed! Fantastic read as suggested on another thread left by me!! I can't help myself from laughing as I tell people of his tale involving navy ratings, strip clubs, coins and a lighter! Fantastic. Does this guy do talks or slideshows?

 

[Cumbrian Neil]

I have a very old looking "Cave Explorers" in hardback... it is now very much out of print and is an excellent read. Mine has been read several times!! A classic of all time!!

Via Ferratas... is the Cortina area any good?? I got the Volume 1 edition published by Cicerone Press out of Milnthorp, Cumbria. I love the idea of exploring those wartime tunnels.

CN.