Underground mishaps and other incidents...

[JasonC]

Hopefully incompetence isn't too contagious; this sort of thread is a particularly useful way to work out which individuals are best avoided in a cave ....

Which ones ?  Those who own up to their mistakes and have learned from them, or those that think they never make any ? 

 

[Alex]

Definately a good point Jason.

On a related note here is a water related misshap we had on Joels expedition. We were properly equippted for this particular misshap but still you don't expect it to happen to you.

http://www.brcc.org.uk/reports/pdf-misc/Dachstien.pdf

I found afterwards after checking my footage I was actually filming at the time but mud obscured the lense so I only linked the audio file of the event on the trip report. I also found out I talk to my self alot hehe.

 

[cap n chris]

Those who own up to their mistakes and have learned from them, or those that think they never make any?

Somewhat disingenuous, suggesting there's only two categories. What about:

Those who make mistakes over and over, even though they learn from the previous ones?
Those who make mistakes over and over, and never learn from them?
Those who infrequently make mistakes but which have no epicness to them?
Those who infrequently make mistakes but which are epic-factories?
Those who own up to their mistakes but don't learn from them?
Those who don't own up to their mistakes, but learn from them?
Those who don't own up to their mistakes, but do learn from them?
Those who think they never make any, but actually do?
Those who think they never make any, and actually don't?

er,.... there's probably a load more, too....

My best guess is that Joel was observing that there are people in the world who have one foot on a banana skin and the other over an abyss, occasionally not clipped in with their cowstails, with a flickering dull lamp and a history of disaster on their infamous CV and that such people might be best left to their own devices rather than inviting them on anything too committing.

 

[Alex]

Those who think they never make any, and actually don't?

I don't think anyone does not a make a mistake from time to time, so that catagory can be removed.

 

[Les W]

Those who think they never make any, and actually don't?

I don't think anyone does not a make a mistake from time to time,

:ang:

 

[Alex]

I know it seems like I am on the aforementioned banana skin, unclipped in a disaster zone. But please understand that only the D-ring incident was my fault well  's fault. Everything else has been a matter of luck and considering I have been caving almost every weekend since late 2007. The amount of incidents can be expected due to pure chance.

 

[Elaine]

'tis why I pick a hot caverguy to check my gear over :-[  :ang:

Ok, next question .............  where are they? (Hugh being an exception of course)

I expect they are all running away when they see me look up expectantly with my SRT stuff all in a tangle!

 

[Amy]

'tis why I pick a hot caverguy to check my gear over :-[  :ang:

Ok, next question .............  where are they? (Hugh being an exception of course)

I expect they are all running away when they see me look up expectantly with my SRT stuff all in a tangle!

Uh you had hot caverguys there in the UK...I know...I saw them
As for here, well I'm the only female who consistently does vertical and most the guys are older/married but not all. So I have free pickings of the rest...well and ok it helps my bf is always with me  :kiss2: always there to double check each other's gear  Is it just me or do guys look even sexier in seat harnesses? 

 

[Elaine]

It's just you Amy! lol 

 

[Rhys]

I suppose my most serious incident happened in the Picos de Europa back in 1997; I still get the piss taken about it even now... It was written up here: http://www.oucc.org.uk/expeditions/expedition1997/Medical_incident.html and in SWCC newsletter 120.

Basically, it involved a dry pitch turning wet during a thunderstorm, a very tight rebelay, extinguished carbide flame, dead battery backup, hypothermia, jammers stuck against a knot, climbing onto a ledge, clipping onto the rope with spare gear, cutting the rope and exiting.

I learnt some lessons that night.

Rhys

 

[Tony_B]

Back on topic: I took two work colleagues ? complete newbies ? to SWCC for the weekend, and we went into OFD I. They negotiated the stream with no problem, and when we got to Lowe?s Chain I told them to wait while I climbed up and rigged a ladder and lifeline for them. As I turned round at the top, Colleague 1 (6ft 3in, built like brick outhouse, pretty fit), said ?I reckon I can do that?. I told him to wait where he was but before I could even get the ladder out of the tackle bag he?s hauling himself over the lip.

Colleague 2 (5ft 8in, weedy, not very fit), clearly feeling the pressure, says ?I can do that?. Knowing that he can?t, (and keen to spare his blushes) I tell him forcefully that I?m going to rig it for him and that he should wait, but he?s determined and, to be fair, he gets to the top before I can even unravel the ladder. Just as I reach out to haul him over the lip by his belay belt, he vanishes and there?s a sickening noise as he hits the deck. I peer over and he?s lying in a crumpled heap at the bottom.

I?m thinking: how am I going to initiate a call-out? What if he?s unconscious? What if he?s broken both legs? Or his spine? Or his neck? What if he?s paralysed? But after what seems like ages (but was probably no more than five seconds) he gets up, dusts himself down, and waits rather sheepishly while I rig the ladder and lifeline and get him up. He makes it round the rest of the trip, with no problem, but owns up later in the week that he has a bruise the size of a dinner plate on his backside, and couldn?t walk for two days. He?s nagged me since to take him again, too. 

I still break out into a cold sweat at the mental image of him in a heap on the floor, though.

 

[menacer]

. Just as I reach out to haul him over the lip by his belay belt, he vanishes and there?s a sickening noise as he hits the deck. I peer over and he?s lying in a crumpled heap at the bottom.

LOL Thats reminded of an "incident " 4 of us had at the same place about 20 odd years ago.
We were playing the "lets see if we can jump over the top game." Whilst most of us made it over, Duncan "miss footed" on take off, our hearts stopped a beat, the jump turned into a slow motion roadrunner styley comedy act and Duncan splatted against the opposite side, before he slid slowly back over the edge, arms and hands scrabbling frantically before plunging back into the streamway.
I remember the long pause before someone drew up the courage to say "Duncan?" as we all peared over the edge to see a red faced Duncan, miffed that he's failed the jump.
He gave up caving about a year later and climbs mountains now.

 

[Les W]

I learnt some lessons that night.

:bow: :bow: :bow:

 

[Alex]

I watched or more heard someone fall down a wet pitch on Swinsto just as I was clipping in ready to go down. Tthe impact was so loud that for some strange reason for a brief moment I thought I had fallen. After that millisecond passed I realised I had not moved an inch, I looked down to see one of mates in a heap at the bottom having fallen the last 10ft of the pitch. Luckly despite bruises he was okay, but that certainly was scarey for all concerned.

Glad he was not hurt more so as it was a pull through so not sure how rescue would work, we had two ropes so I guess we could have left one with the party up there while the rest of us went out to get help, but if the rope got stuck....? Either way it would have been a long wait

 

[barrabus]

Either way it would have been a long wait

I am told by those that know that it takes about seven hours to get a stretcher out of Swinsto from the big pitch, either up from the top of the pitch or down from the bottom.

 

[ogof addict]

how does someone fall down the last 10ft of pitch? i must be missing something here.

 

[barrabus]

how does someone fall down the last 10ft of pitch? i must be missing something here.

Presumably either climb down the pitch and fall, or abseil down a rope that is too short and has no knot at the end...

 

[Alex]

None of the above from what I can gather he just lost control on the slick wet rope and plummeted, he was the 3rd or 4th down.

 

[ogof addict]

 

[Amy]

Is bottom belay typical there? It is here unless requested not to have it...and of course first person down doesn't get one.