Paul Marvin
Member
My first helmet was a builders helmet , they cost peanuts nowadays had a few different ones since but We like the Camp ones as they are pretty low profile, our diving helmets are the kayak AP400 which do the job lovely .
Who's the Helmet without the helmet???
- Thread starter legendrider
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lumenchild
Member
I'd pay to see someone go barefoot in parry's mountainGraigwen said:Tomferry said:I have heard of sandals used many times before due to their draining properties
The notorious Mole, of the Welsh Mines Society, used to explore mines barefoot. Here he is in action at Nant y Mwyn a decade ago.
tomferry
Well-known member
lumenchild said:I'd pay to see someone go barefoot in parry's mountainGraigwen said:Tomferry said:I have heard of sandals used many times before due to their draining properties
The notorious Mole, of the Welsh Mines Society, used to explore mines barefoot. Here he is in action at Nant y Mwyn a decade ago.
I have not been their but if I remember correctly it has blood red pools ?sulphur ? similar to Cae coch ?
lumenchild
Member
yeah it's pools of colourful Sulphuric AcidTomferry said:lumenchild said:I'd pay to see someone go barefoot in parry's mountainGraigwen said:Tomferry said:I have heard of sandals used many times before due to their draining properties
The notorious Mole, of the Welsh Mines Society, used to explore mines barefoot. Here he is in action at Nant y Mwyn a decade ago.
I have not been their but if I remember correctly it has blood red pools ?sulphur ? similar to Cae coch ?
royfellows
Well-known member
PUG
Parrys Underground Group
Parrys Underground Group
lumenchild
Member
parry's mountain is absolutely stunning, the colours are astoundingly beautiful, there was photos on Adit Now, but i think Adit-now is changing websites to a different provider, but I'm certain you can still find photo's of parrys mountain, i would put it at one of the top 5 places i have ever been, i did a trip down there that was guided and it was great, but i wish i had of taken my camera :-[Tomferry said:Sounds like Cae coch sulphur mine I shall have to put that on my list of places to visit I love stuff like that !!
Paul Marvin
Member
Tomferry said:Sounds like Cae coch sulphur mine I shall have to put that on my list of places to visit I love stuff like that !!
Lypsil at the ready :yucky:
PeteHall said:paul said:
Reminds me of a trip in Ease Gill several years ago. A couple of us were on our way down from Top Sink and caught up with a group around the area of Snail Cavern (if I've got the right name?), shortly before reaching the Minarets.
The group of three were all wearing matching brand new oversuits, helmets and lights, with a brand new harnesses and brand new tackle bag (presumably containing the rest of their brand new SRT kit).
We paused and asked them where they were going and the group leader said they were doing County to Wretched Rabbit, "this is the right way isn't it?"
We offered to take them to Lancaster Hole, as it would not be too much of a detour from our route and it was rigged. I then checked that they had SRT kits and knew how to use them. The leader assured me they would be fine. I described the rebelay and asked if they were ok with that and the leader again assured me they would be fine.
As we were about to set off, one of the group spoke up and said he wasn't too confident about the rebelay and what other options did they have.
It transpired that the "leader" had been lead on a Wretched Rabbit to County trip the week before and had brought his mates along to reverse the trip. Their total SRT experience involved going down the County pitch earlier in the day. The leader hadn't noticed (or at least admitted) that on his previous trip, he'd been travelling in small passages, but was now in a stonking great cavern!
I too them back to Main Line Terminus, where we fortunately bumped into a group who were heading out Wretched Rabbit and kindly agreed to escort the three numpties out. I say three numpties, it was really one numpty and his mates, who, had they not spoken up about not being very confident at SRT, might have ended up in an even worse situation.
Having bought all the kit, I sincerely hope that the two mates found someone more reliable to take them caving in future and I hope that the "leader" realised how lucky he was to have met two groups who were prepared to help them out, otherwise they would have had a long wait for rescue!
The phrase "all the gear, no idea" springs to mind.
Pete
I am really sorry that our new caving kit and presence in the cave caused you so much offence during your heroic through trip.
The week earlier we had been on our first club trip from Spiral Staircase to County Pot. Suitably enthused we planned to repeat the trip on our own. Just before we set off we got talking to an instructed group, the instructor told us about the Manchester By pass route and gave us an explanation. Naively (or as we are numptys in your mind) we thought we would do that as he made it sound good.
We pre rigged County and set off down Spiral Staircase and eventually reached Snail cavern obviously missing the turn off for Manchester bypass. We had realised that things were not as they should be and were considering our options. Retracing our steps was always an option (even as numptys we could remember that).We would not have needed a rescue, although you saying this makes you sound so much better. We met you on your amazing through trip, your kit was muddy and used so you were obviously incredibly experienced and a cave god, unlike us in our new suits just trying to learn about caving.
We discussed options with you and you mentioned Lancaster hole, a 40m pitch with ?hanging rebelays? (still not found them ?)Yes one of the 3 Numptys changed his mind about going up it.
You kindly took us back 300m to the start of Manchester bypass (you have my genuine thanks for that)where we met the instructor who had suggested the trip to us. All was good and we made our way out with them.
We returned over the next few weekends and repeated the trip until we had it ?dialled? into our numpty brains. We then used this knowledge to slowly learn other routes within the system.
Fast forward a few years, I have given Thousands of people, young and old a positive introduction to caving. I have run numerous training workshops for new and experienced cavers who have all learned something from the numpty. I have even managed some other ?big boy? caving trips.
Also a few years ago we were going from Bar Pot to Main Chamber, on getting to South East pot we heard distressed calls from Flood exit route. A caver was hung up about 15m up. We couldn?t communicate due to high water levels. Soon his tone of voice changed and we were worried for his safety. I committed to prussicing up his rope unsure of what the problem was, on getting closer I saw that he had abseiled below the deviation. (He had also put his handjammer on and weighted that) I was on the rope been held from a 6m drop onto my jammers by a piece of 6mm polypropylene cord.
I rescued him and got him down and he was rushed off to the winch. When I met him later in the tea tent been warmed by CRO, I refrained from calling him a Numpty (it was his first SRT trip ever) I wished him well, hoped he would keep caving and to join our club.
Again I can only apologise that 3 numptys who wanted to learn about caving caused you so much trouble. I am now aware that any ?mistake? whilst caving automatically makes you a Numpty and you must immediately find someone else to cave with.
I thank you for your wisdom and insight into what a proper caver (with all the gear and all the ideas) thinks about others.
Regards
Ian
Paul Marvin
Member
sinker said:Paul Marvin said:Tomferry said:Sounds like Cae coch sulphur mine I shall have to put that on my list of places to visit I love stuff like that !!
Lypsil at the ready :yucky:
It wasn't that bad....only ONE of us contracted leptospirosis....not a bad result....?!
Wellies Phil Wellies protect from the dreaded splash over
BUT only just by about 6mm at the bottom, Sue went over.. when we return will make a fuss of that shot we were looking at near the owl perch 
sinker
New member
Ian P said:PeteHall said:paul said:
Reminds me of a trip in Ease Gill several years ago. A couple of us were on our way down from Top Sink and caught up with a group around the area of Snail Cavern (if I've got the right name?), shortly before reaching the Minarets.
The group of three were all wearing matching brand new oversuits, helmets and lights, with a brand new harnesses and brand new tackle bag (presumably containing the rest of their brand new SRT kit).
We paused and asked them where they were going and the group leader said they were doing County to Wretched Rabbit, "this is the right way isn't it?"
We offered to take them to Lancaster Hole, as it would not be too much of a detour from our route and it was rigged. I then checked that they had SRT kits and knew how to use them. The leader assured me they would be fine. I described the rebelay and asked if they were ok with that and the leader again assured me they would be fine.
As we were about to set off, one of the group spoke up and said he wasn't too confident about the rebelay and what other options did they have.
It transpired that the "leader" had been lead on a Wretched Rabbit to County trip the week before and had brought his mates along to reverse the trip. Their total SRT experience involved going down the County pitch earlier in the day. The leader hadn't noticed (or at least admitted) that on his previous trip, he'd been travelling in small passages, but was now in a stonking great cavern!
I too them back to Main Line Terminus, where we fortunately bumped into a group who were heading out Wretched Rabbit and kindly agreed to escort the three numpties out. I say three numpties, it was really one numpty and his mates, who, had they not spoken up about not being very confident at SRT, might have ended up in an even worse situation.
Having bought all the kit, I sincerely hope that the two mates found someone more reliable to take them caving in future and I hope that the "leader" realised how lucky he was to have met two groups who were prepared to help them out, otherwise they would have had a long wait for rescue!
The phrase "all the gear, no idea" springs to mind.
Pete
I am really sorry that our new caving kit and presence in the cave caused you so much offence during your heroic through trip.
The week earlier we had been on our first club trip from Spiral Staircase to County Pot. Suitably enthused we planned to repeat the trip on our own. Just before we set off we got talking to an instructed group, the instructor told us about the Manchester By pass route and gave us an explanation. Naively (or as we are numptys in your mind) we thought we would do that as he made it sound good.
We pre rigged County and set off down Spiral Staircase and eventually reached Snail cavern obviously missing the turn off for Manchester bypass. We had realised that things were not as they should be and were considering our options. Retracing our steps was always an option (even as numptys we could remember that).We would not have needed a rescue, although you saying this makes you sound so much better. We met you on your amazing through trip, your kit was muddy and used so you were obviously incredibly experienced and a cave god, unlike us in our new suits just trying to learn about caving.
We discussed options with you and you mentioned Lancaster hole, a 40m pitch with ?hanging rebelays? (still not found them ?)Yes one of the 3 Numptys changed his mind about going up it.
You kindly took us back 300m to the start of Manchester bypass (you have my genuine thanks for that)where we met the instructor who had suggested the trip to us. All was good and we made our way out with them.
We returned over the next few weekends and repeated the trip until we had it ?dialled? into our numpty brains. We then used this knowledge to slowly learn other routes within the system.
Fast forward a few years, I have given Thousands of people, young and old a positive introduction to caving. I have run numerous training workshops for new and experienced cavers who have all learned something from the numpty. I have even managed some other ?big boy? caving trips.
Also a few years ago we were going from Bar Pot to Main Chamber, on getting to South East pot we heard distressed calls from Flood exit route. A caver was hung up about 15m up. We couldn?t communicate due to high water levels. Soon his tone of voice changed and we were worried for his safety. I committed to prussicing up his rope unsure of what the problem was, on getting closer I saw that he had abseiled below the deviation. (He had also put his handjammer on and weighted that) I was on the rope been held from a 6m drop onto my jammers by a piece of 6mm polypropylene cord.
I rescued him and got him down and he was rushed off to the winch. When I met him later in the tea tent been warmed by CRO, I refrained from calling him a Numpty (it was his first SRT trip ever) I wished him well, hoped he would keep caving and to join our club.
Again I can only apologise that 3 numptys who wanted to learn about caving caused you so much trouble. I am now aware that any ?mistake? whilst caving automatically makes you a Numpty and you must immediately find someone else to cave with.
I thank you for your wisdom and insight into what a proper caver (with all the gear and all the ideas) thinks about others.
Regards
Ian
Nice one, love it. "Old fashioned elitist cavers" eh....?!
Enough to make you want to disappear down a mine and avoid all the political handbags
tomferry
Well-known member
lumenchild said:parry's mountain is absolutely stunning, the colours are astoundingly beautiful, there was photos on Adit Now, but i think Adit-now is changing websites to a different provider, but I'm certain you can still find photo's of parrys mountain, i would put it at one of the top 5 places i have ever been, i did a trip down there that was guided and it was great, but i wish i had of taken my camera :-[Tomferry said:Sounds like Cae coch sulphur mine I shall have to put that on my list of places to visit I love stuff like that !!
Sounds very good please don?t tell me any more because if I tell the lads I am extending the list of places we must go to they shall :spank: it?s already extremely long
Cantclimbtom
Well-known member
I'm completely split on the topic of competence. One half of me remembers my first rock climb, I'd saved up for a rope and borrowed a tiny amount of random kit (no helmets obviously, 1 harness, etc) and went with a mate, I was at pains to tell him to bring trainers but only when we got there he revealed the only footwear he had were the leather soles winkle picker Chelsea boots he was wearing and he thought they'd be sturdy so best choice. We went up the ordinary route idwal slab. Frozen puddles and black ice at top, I slipped and went ar5e over t1t hit my head and came to righ on an edge (off rope of course). My first trip in a mine was nowhere near that bad but was definitely have-a-go with a mate who didn't climb abseil srt etc, he was a quick learner.
The other half of me is horrified and wants to buy those guys the cheapest helmet from Screwfix.
Bravo to their adventure. Nill points, to not getting a Screwfix helmet.
The other half of me is horrified and wants to buy those guys the cheapest helmet from Screwfix.
Bravo to their adventure. Nill points, to not getting a Screwfix helmet.
Speleofish
Active member
Like Tom, I'm split on this one. Like me, I suspect a number of people on this forum started with less than perfect kit and limited supervision (both caving and climbing) - and probably had more and better adventures as a result. It would be very hypocritical for me to be criticise too much....
Paul Marvin
Member
Digit said:
Too right Bro !!