Winch Meet Question

[graham]

I've met some "cavers" in my time.

How many of them advertise their services as "experts"?

 

[Basher]

I've met some "cavers" in my time.

I'm sure all cavers have met some "cavers" at some time, and probably have been a "caver", or known one once over?
That's life & fine, hopefully most "cavers" will eventually realize they need to seek further underground knowledge & skills through excellent instruction.
Be that knowledge gained by professional guidance, from caver friends, (no quotes), or by joining a caving club etc is up to them.
But, by meeting them, ("cavers"), we (cavers) do have a wonderful opportunity to point them in a proper & sensible direction regards our caving skills & knowledge, maybe lifestyle etc.

Kind regards, Basher

 

[anfieldman]

I just wanted to say that I went to 't' winch meet on Saturday and a bloody brilliant time I had. Went in via Bar Pot and through to the main chamber and out on the winch. All I got from the BPC was plenty of info, friendliness and hot black coffee. My thanks to all concerned.
Big thanks also to Mark Ellis of the Craven Pothole Club for his help, a real gentleman. 

 

[Basher]

Strange that as a few years ago we went up dihedral after asking permission from the winchman at the bottom, we were not members of bradford either, he just said if they ask say you have just joined!  nice pitch though with all the flood lighting and great to watch the winch from the ledge!

shame really as i would gladly pay to go down that route this week.

All Gaping Gill "Marshalls" at the bottom of the shaft will telephone the surface re anyone attempting Dihedral, this is three fold, to make sure the meet Leader on the day approves, to make sure no one is descending and in the way, but ultimately to make sure the person wishing to ascend is a Club Member & capable of ascending the pitch.,  also as expected, telephone communication shall tell the Marshall that a club member is descending Dihedral, and no one else should ascend until the pitch is free, descent by prior approval of meet leader, and only granted to full club members, the meet leaders decision is final and not negotionable!
Just quoting BPC rules, and quite sensible ones?
Bar, Stream, Flood, Dis, Corkys, Small Mammal & Marylin rigged so far (as of 26th May)
Enjoy

Basher

 

[BenM]

Thanks to the Bradford for all their great rigging! (Makes the whole thing a lot easier  )

Had a good trip down on Sunday via Bar, out of Flood!

My dad had a good trip down the t'old winch - and due to the flood lighting we got some decent photos looking back up the shaft! One for the album...

Top job Bradford 

 

[langcliffe]

I was that guest of the BPC down Marylin / Dis on Wednesday - and very grateful I was for being invited on a most pleasant trip.

(Watch the final Marylin pitch though folks; it's never really been sorted out well for safe SRT, although I believe there were some plans for improvements.)

Bar, Stream, Flood, Dis, Corkys, Small Mammal & Marylin rigged so far (as of 26th May)

Having two such prominent members of the northern caving community both using the same spelling, I feel obliged to point out in an attempt to prevent future confusion, that the CPC actually spelt "Marilyn" the rather boring, orthodox way.

 

[anfieldman]

I can't alter my first post but I've been told it was Mark Ollis I should thank, not Ellis.
:-[

 

[Basher]

I was that guest of the BPC down Marylin / Dis on Wednesday - and very grateful I was for being invited on a most pleasant trip.

(Watch the final Marylin pitch though folks; it's never really been sorted out well for safe SRT, although I believe there were some plans for improvements.)

Bar, Stream, Flood, Dis, Corkys, Small Mammal & Marylin rigged so far (as of 26th May)

Having two such prominent members of the northern caving community both using the same spelling, I feel obliged to point out in an attempt to prevent future confusion, that the CPC actually spelt "Marilyn" the rather boring, orthodox way.

Quote greatly accepted, I apologize for mis-spelling "Marylyn" and what a good effort by the CPC in digging Marilyn!
Please be aware that probably from Thursday late afternoon, and certainly Friday morning, all entrances to Gaping Gill shall start to be de-rigged by the Bradford PC.
So, for example, Stream on Fri aft, bring your own gear, and let us get out with ours first.
Cheers til next year,
Basher

 

[Cavegod]

our club is hoping to do diss to marilyn on thursday just after dinner, we will ask tomo but would'nt mind derigging marilyn for you, least we could do for having the entrances rigged and use of your clubs ropes.

 

[langcliffe]

May I also say, do not descend any entrance to GG if not an experienced caver, with etiquette and manners in your pocket first.
Last year We, BPC that is went to descend Bar Pot, to check out the very severe wear on the ropes we endure on this particular entrance.
Approaching the big pitch, some "Caving Guide/Instructor" was "mentoring" another 2 persons up the pitch, needless to say we waited until all were up & out the way, here the story starts, on traversing out to the edge of the big pitch, I could not lift the rope enough to thread my rack!!
Basher

Your pleas were in vain, Basher. I went down Stream Passage earlier today to find that some pratt had dumped several kilos of stones in the rope bag at the bottom of the last pitch. I experienced the same difficulties as you did in threading the descender, and feeding the rope on the way down.

Ever if one doesn't have a pantin on one's ankle, it's still not exactly difficult to learn to grip the rope between one's feet when prussiking up the first few metres...

It also didn't do the rope bag much good - the stitching was starting to come away.

 

[ianball11]

I've never heard of rocks in tackle sacks before, seems a little odd, continuously loading a rope for days, is that not bad for it

Ian  B.

 

[cave junky]

Glad to hear that many people enjoyed the opportunity to explore the Gaping Gill system without having to carry ropes and things up the hill. Just a word of warning for people doing this in the future. Most of the entrances are rigged for nearly 2 weeks and in this time see alot of activity. This year on detackling 1 entrance the sheath on a rope had gone right through on a rub point. If you are using these ropes please treat them as you would your own and inspect them for damage and report any to the winch controller so ropes can be removed.
Hope to see some of you back there next year. I have to say after 3 weeks on the fell it is a little strange getting backing into this internet lark 
Ally

 

[graham]

I've never heard of rocks in tackle sacks before, seems a little odd, continuously loading a rope for days, is that not bad for it

Ian  B.

Doesn't matter a damn when the bag and rope are the property of the BPC and not of the tit that loaded it up.

 

[Basher]

Glad to hear that many people enjoyed the opportunity to explore the Gaping Gill system without having to carry ropes and things up the hill. Just a word of warning for people doing this in the future. Most of the entrances are rigged for nearly 2 weeks and in this time see alot of activity. This year on detackling 1 entrance the sheath on a rope had gone right through on a rub point. If you are using these ropes please treat them as you would your own and inspect them for damage and report any to the winch controller so ropes can be removed.
Hope to see some of you back there next year. I have to say after 3 weeks on the fell it is a little strange getting backing into this internet lark 
Ally

Well said Ally,
just another thing to bear in mind for the next Bradford meet in 2009, or the Craven in August this year.
All the non cavers paying a winch fee, are the ones paying for all that rope, for you cavers to descend or ascend whatever entrances are rigged.
Please be nice to them, talk to them, answer their questions with enthusiasm.
The more we do, the more will come to the winch meets....
therefore the BPC & CPC will be able to spend more on tackle!! For the entrances only accessible by cavers!
Nice thought when all benefit, Public meets cavers on route, has nice, honest conversation, has trip down GG on winch, comes back again with more friends they have told about it.
I know there are the queues to descend and ascend from the Main Chamber, and these are well communicated to people, but whilst people are waiting for the winch and their turn to descend or ascend, a chat from a caver would be very welcome, tell them some history about the system, what it is really like, break the common perception of tight, squalid passage everywhere, ok lie about The Font & Henslers, focus on Stream chamber etc.  maybe encourage them to take up caving, who knows, we should all benefit from it, so let's try?

cheers
Basher 

 

[Les W]

ok lie about The Font & Henslers,

There is no crawling, honest mate. 

 

[Cavedrone]

And the duck in Disappointment was warm and had radox in it and was genuinely a pleasant experience  :yucky:

But I quite agree with the sentiment.