Wanted - Alpine Caving Techniques Book (Hardback)

irnbru

irnbru

Member
Hi,

If anyone has a copy of this (the one by Marbach and Tourte) and wants to sell please send me a PM.
 
B

Blakethwaite

New member
I'd  be tempted to sell you my copy if I could be arsed. I wonder how many people have bought this book & not gained any real benefit from it? Tips on how to stay warm at the bottom of pitches by wresting a colleague? Perhaps some advice on how best to take your tackle sack through a crawl sir?

Some of the stuff might be of use to expedition cavers, I really don't know. But its fairly pointless for day-to-day caving purposes where far better & more user friendly advise can be obtained from sites like this or YouTube, or even better by just going caving...
 
Mike Hopley

Mike Hopley

New member
I found it useful. For example:

One day my central maillon came undone when I was 40 metres above the ground. I had no idea why it happened, and no one could tell me. I found out later, after reading ACT: the rope rubbed it open, because it was the wrong way around.

No one taught me that when I was learning SRT. It's the sort of detail you get from books.

I'm keeping my copy.
 
paul

paul

Moderator
Mike Hopley said:
I found it useful. For example:

One day my central maillon came undone when I was 40 metres above the ground. I had no idea why it happened, and no one could tell me. I found out later, after reading ACT: the rope rubbed it open, because it was the wrong way around.

No one taught me that when I was learning SRT. It's the sort of detail you get from books.

I'm keeping my copy.
Click to expand...

I'll agree with you there. Alpine Caving Techniques is an excellent source of reference for many aspects of caving.
 
Mike Hopley

Mike Hopley

New member
Cap'n Chris said:
I learned masses and masses from my copy. Probably because I actually read it.
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Indeed!

The first time I read it, I didn't understand some things -- like the "weird French SRT setup". It's not that I disagreed; it just didn't make sense to me as a beginner, back when SRT kit felt like wearing a robotic octopus with bizarre tools for arms.

Then I read it again. It's the sort of book that benefits from revisiting. It's dated now in some areas (e.g. lights, cowstail knots), but still the most comprehensive technical caving book I know.
 
cap n chris

cap n chris

Well-known member
... even though it's over a decade old it's still highly relevant in many regards. It has yet to be bettered, imo. It would be good to get an ebook version for in-flight cramming!
 
Alkapton

Alkapton

Member
If you want pdf (reasonaBLE QUALITY SCANS) email me - its hard because web site is down for the forseeable future but I can still provid it if u ask me nice
 
B

Blakethwaite

New member
Cap'n Chris said:
I learned masses and masses from my copy. Probably because I actually read it.
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Yes, have read it as well ta but even though I cave twice a week (albeit only digging), can't say I get a huge amount of use from it.

Looking at Irnbru's previous posts he seems to be a beginner, which is the same point at which I followed a suggestion to buy the book. At that stage, chapters about the use of pontonnieres or sophisticated hauling systems to be crammed aboard flights to alpine caves weren't that essential. As has also been pointed out, the SRT section isn't great. There is better available for free.

Furthermore, some of the sections of more obvious use to a beginner are poor. The knots section in particular could be significantly improved, for example by the inclusion of a demonstration of the wrapping around the hand method of tying an Alpine Butterfly or showing a Bowline tied to a tree etc etc etc...

Not suggesting its a bad book, parts are interesting but at twenty something quid plus postage, I'm not convinced that its an essential buy for a beginner, particularly one who seems to be already connected to a club.

 
Leclused

Leclused

Active member
Mike Hopley said:
I found it useful. For example:

One day my central maillon came undone when I was 40 metres above the ground. I had no idea why it happened, and no one could tell me. I found out later, after reading ACT: the rope rubbed it open, because it was the wrong way around.

No one taught me that when I was learning SRT. It's the sort of detail you get from books.
Click to expand...

Sure the ACT has very valuable info. The ACT and other books are the base for technical caving (imho). 

From my personal experience :
First day - First Lesson of the license "A" course by the WSV (Belgium) : How to put on your gear correctly !!
During this first lesson the above was explained :) However it's now a bit outdated because a lot of us use a twistlock D-ring

A related topic about techniques / standards / courses : http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=13365.msg172296#msg172296

 
Mike Hopley

Mike Hopley

New member
There is better available for free.
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Really? Where?

There is Al Warild's Vertical. This is one of the three best technical caving books, and it's available online for free because Al is made of pure awesome.

Is that what you're talking about, or is there something else I haven't seen?


Not suggesting its a bad book, parts are interesting but at twenty something quid plus postage, I'm not convinced that its an essential buy for a beginner, particularly one who seems to be already connected to a club.
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I agree. It's not essential. You can go caving just fine without reading ACT, and most people do.

You can also borrow it from other club members. Or you can read Vertical instead.


Leclused said:
During this first lesson the above was explained :) However it's now a bit outdated because a lot of us use a twistlock D-ring
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Excellent. That's an advantage of the kind of system you have in Belgium. :) I have rarely seen this attention to detail in the UK.

Any tips for stopping my Petzl Omni Triact from undoing itself? As soon as I weight the harness, the first locking step is undone by the harness loops pressing in, so I'm left with just a twist-lock. Sometimes it then gets stuck in the open position because grit enters the mechanism, and then I'm left with just a snap-gate krab.

This was quite alarming to discover, when I was taking off my kit after a deep trip. Oh look, my harness is held together by a snap-gate...

Is this a known issue, or am I just an aberration? :-[
 
paul

paul

Moderator
Mike Hopley said:
There is better available for free.
Click to expand...

Really? Where?

There is Al Warild's Vertical. This is one of the three best technical caving books, and it's available online for free because Al is made of pure awesome.

Is that what you're talking about, or is there something else I haven't seen?
Click to expand...


That's the problem with some Internet resource, especially of it's free and from an unknown author. It's better to shell out for something which has good advice rather than take a gamble on some spurious free publication which may or may not not offer the best or even safest advice (excluding Al Warild's offering of course).
 
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