March 2009 - ICU-Caving-Announce

AGM Results 2009
by Jarvist Frost 24 Mar '09

24 Mar '09

Dear all, Many thanks to all those that came to the AGM, the results for those who couldn't make it are: *President:* Alex Herriott *Treasurer:* William French *Secretary:* Paul Hutton Internal Positions: *Foreign Secretary:* James Kirkpatrick *Health & Safety Officer*: Dan Greenwald *Medical Officer:* Tim Osborne *Meets Secretary*: Jarvist Frost *Tackle Officer*: Left open for keen fresher from 2009 intake... Yearly Awards: *For Evans' Sake* (creative use of a bodily fluid): Jana Carga for her mid Gladiator's traverse relieving of bladder pressure, perched above twin 60m pitches on a wedged rock, with one leg through a harness loop for 'safety'. *Herman Herz* (close escape whilst caving): Edmund, for his SE Passage Pot (Flood) mistreatment of a deviation (around a rock flake) as a rebelay, leaving him stranded 10m from the floor attached to the rope. * Summer Plans:* We are going to try and organise a weekend trip on the *25-26th April* (last weekend of Easter Hols). Signup ASAP, we may even have enough people for a full blown minibus, otherwise hired / borrowed cars. It'll get you nicely relaxed in time for exam season, I promise! Destination likely to be either Yorkshire, or North Wales if Dave Wilson can fit us in. Other weekends + etc. TBD for the summer term. And its not too late to get involved with the summer expo: *Brezzvezdna Noč Slovenia 2009:<http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/caving/slovenia/slov2009/>Sat 25th July --> 23rd August (4 weeks) * Your smiling secretary, Jarv

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AGM (Tues 24th March, 6pm ish) | Derbyshire Trip | April/May Plans
by Jarvist Frost 23 Mar '09

23 Mar '09

Dear Cavers, First off, our* AGM is on Tues 24th March (TOMORROW!)*. Turn up to vote or stand for a position. We'll be meeting in store 6pm to clean the gear from the weekend, probably then moving onto a meeting room for a quick vote before retiring gently to the pub to celebrate another great year's caving. We have three official union posts: *President *- Responsible for overall running of the club, generally makes the executive decisions (though can be overruled by treasurer and secretary). *Treasurer* - Looks after the budget, balances the books, applies for the next year's budgets, generally deals with the numerals. *Secretary* - Fairly flexible post - generally books huts, sorts minibuses, coordinates people to trips, sometimes puts together gear orders And three internal positions: *Foreign Secretary*: Organises foreign tours and expeditions, contacts cavers in other countries. *Social Secretary*: Does the social events. *Tackle Meister*: Keeps stores in a vague semblance of order. ---- The Derbyshire Trip this weekend, last minibus trip of the term, was a stunning faff-free success. Super efficient 5 1/2 hrs exchange in Maskhill/Oxlow with 11 peeps, and a quick foray into Peak Cavern on the Sunday, including a cheeky splash of novel exploration. A few Photos: http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/rcc/caving/photo_archive/trips/2009-03-20%20-%20d… Spot the people!: http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/rcc/caving/photo_archive/trips/2009-03-20%20-%20d… ---- Our Easter tour is to the Vercors, France, 9-15th April but we've plans for caving in the UK in later Easter as well. Daren camps, a return to Peak, and some of the harder Yorkshire pots are all plans afoot, though with little travel subsidy left - we'll be in cars, on trains, and hauling gear via bike. Jarv

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Last Trip of Term + Tree Train | Summer Hijinx | Excellent Explo Soc Lecture on Thurs 12th March - If you Fall
by Jarvist Frost 10 Mar '09

10 Mar '09

*Dear Cavers,* We're fast hurtling towards the last trip of the term: *20-22nd March: Derbyshire / TSG* Derbyshire is a great place to go caving - 200m deep exchange trips available for the SRT aficionados, as well as the wet'n'wild "probably the best non-rope trip in the country" Giants Round trip. The hut is a converted chapel right in the heart of Castleton, with a stone's throw of many fine pubs and tea shops. Derbyshire is a couple of hours less drive that Yorks, which is also good... The usual £35 all in, eat as much chilli as you want, cave as long as you fancy, ICCC special! *Wednesday Tree Training / eSoc Garden Party - Wed 11th March http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/scc/esoc/garden.php * Come along to the secret garden (see above) for the midweek pivot of Green Week, and a chance to practice SRT in the friendly trees before your next vertical descent...* Slovenia *Some of us went for a long weekend Winter Mountaineering + Caving to Slovenia, where we did a 700m through trip after a rather scary ice ascent. The place is absolutely stunning. http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/rcc/caving/photo_archive/slovenia/2009-02-Poloska/ Have a look at the photos, and start planning your summer holidays around the: Brezzvezdna Noč 2009 Expedition: Sat 25th July --> 23rd August (4 weeks)<http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/rcc/caving/slovenia/slov2009/> *Summer Hijinx * Summer is fast approaching! After our TGV Tour to the Vercors (9-15th April), caving in late Easter and the summer term will be organised on a much more ad-hoc basis, with last minute hires, trains, planes and bicycles rather than the reliable fortnightly van meets. Which is to say, that if you're interested in coming caving in the summer, you really should get on the chatter mailing list, and make it to some Tuesday meets.* * However, we still do plan, or rather scheme, so here's a vague bill: *Late April:* Long weekend camp in Daren Cilau, hopefully doing something productive (underground camping) *MayDay:* Long weekend in Yorks, to wake the mites from their slumber and tick off some of the 'warm water only' pots. *June:* The BBQ van trip - a camping trip to a minor caving region (perhaps Portland?) with more of an emphasis of BBQs than hours underground. *+ Whatever comes up...* Finally, if you're around on Thurs 12th March, you may be interested in what looks to be an extremely interesting lecture put on by the Explo Soc - 'If You Fall': 'IF YOU FALL......' Adventurer Karen Darke talks about her incredible life in her first UK lecture-tour. *This Thursday 12th March * *7pm* *Room 308 Huxley Building* (please use entrance on Queens Gate) *Tickets now available online here (product name KDINTAD): http://www.imperialcollegeunion.org/exploration-91/category.html* ** *Or buy yours at 1pm in Beit Quad on Tuesdays.* *Prices £4 in advance for Explo members, otherwise £6 on the door (subsidised by club). * *For non-members £10 in advance (available by contacting this email address) or £12 on the door.* *(Join the Exploration club for £2 at imperialcollegeunion.org)* *'I'd always thought I'd rather be dead than paralysed: One slip, one moment and everything changes...'* ** A keen runner and mountaineer before becoming paralysed in a rock-climbing accident in 1993, Karen Darke is a truly remarkable woman, having achieved a series of challenges that most of us would never even attempt. Karen's traumatic fall from a Scottish sea cliff at the age of 21 changed the course of her life forever. Although she had said only the night before that she would rather die than be paralysed, Karen chose to fight preconceived ideas of just what was possible for someone who could feel nothing below their chest. Just four years after her accident, Karen crossed the Tien Shan and Karakoram mountains of Central Asia on a hand bike. This was to be the first of many adventures which would see Karen hand cycle the length of the Japanese archipelago, sea kayak a 1200 mile length of the Canada - Alaska coastline, cross the Indian Himalaya by hand cycle and make a record-breaking 600 kilometre crossing of the Greenland ice cap. Karen's captivating story begins with her accident and tracks her journey of recovery and acceptance through to her evermore daring series of adventures - finally leading her back to the rockface where she faces her fear head on and climbs to the summit of El Capitan in Yosemite after over 4000 pull ups. "What is life if it isn't an adventure? Disabled is a state of mind not a state of body, and I'm constantly amazed by what can be achieved if we set our heart and mind to it. It's all about finding belief, confidence, motivation and commitment. And of course, friends. Then there are no limits." Karen is an extraordinary human being, and a woman who has touched the lives of many through her spirit for adventure. 'If you fall' is her story. *'Karen's captivating story shines a bright light on the meaning of challenge, and on the limitless capabilities of the human spirit.' * Sir Ranulph Fiennes, polar explorer *'Karen Darke's story is about the indomitability of spirit. She has overcome the limitations of paralysis and discovered a life of challenge and adventure that many of us only dream about'* Joe Simpson, mountaineer and author of 'Touching the Void' Event organised by Speakers From the Edge, and hosted by ICU Exploration Club

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Trip this weekend (6-8th March) - Drunken Cavers: Cake, Cocktails, Caving @ Bull Pot Farm, Yorkshire
by Jarvist Frost 04 Mar '09

04 Mar '09

Dear Cavers, International Woman's day is this weekend - time for a party! So come to Yorkshire with the Drunken Cavers to hang out in Bullpot farm, make epic trips across the Easegill system, eat cake, mix cocktails & set fire to anything you can lay your hands on: http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/rcc/caving/FILES/drunken_cavers.jpg A few places left, email now to avoid disappointment & lack of chocolate cake... Best, Jarv P.S. Andy's photos and Youtube vids of our long weekend in Slovenai: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/andyjurd/Slovenia27Feb2Mar09# And here are the sledging videos, where I received much pain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC_4zBaE6uE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o4yzjgJQA8 Andy

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Snow in Slovenia | Yorks Cocktail Cave Trip (6-8th March) | Derbyshire Caves (20-22nd March)
by Jarvist Frost 02 Mar '09

02 Mar '09

*Snow in Slovenia* Five of us are just back from a stunning long weekend in Slovenia. Our main target of a Mala Boka through-trip was sunk by 11m of fresh snow on Kanin (obscuring the BC4 entrance) and sufficient sun to block the exit siphon with snow melt. So we went to Poloska instead, a mere 700m deep through trip, which involved a rather exciting ascent to 1290m (with child labour Sherpas to carry our ice gear back down!) under stunning Mediterranean sun and a pure blue sky. Many many photos to come, but here's a quick taster - us on the high Planina shortly before putting on our crampons and making our bid for the entrance... http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/rcc/caving/FILES/halfway_to_poloska_jana_carga.jpg Sunday saw sledging in Bohinjska Bistrica (racking up more injuries than the mountaineering / caving) and a relaxing Jacuzzi (again, also racking up more injuries...) Stunning country, stupendous caves everywhere, brilliant local cavers to go undeground with... If this interests you, you will want to know about our summer expedition: ~£150 for 4 weeks of probably the best exploration caving in Europe. This is our beloved Migovec, the mountain whose caves with explore with the JSPDT, under its snowy hat for the winter: http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/rcc/caving/FILES/snowymig.jpg Brezzvezdna Noč 2009: Sat 25th July --> 23rd August http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/rcc/caving/slovenia/slov2009/ *Yorks Cocktail Cave Trip (6-8th March) * Off to Bullpot farm this weekend, the 'party hut' of the Dales. As we don't have to drive to the caves and can instead stumble directly from the hut in Easegill, we have those extra few hours for drinking (tea for me), burning things, playing with the drills and stuffing ourselves silly.* Derbyshire Caves (20-22nd March)* Staying in Castleton, just below the Winnats pass and the caves of the Hope valley. Aim would be to tick off the deepest SRT trip you can do in the UK (Maskhill <-> Oxlow) to prepare for Easter in the Alps & summer in the Julian's. But there's also two brilliant caves for the less experience (Giants and Jackpot), so drag your housemates along...* Tuesday Meet* Should be meeting ~7pm on Tuesday, to return gear from the weekend, pack for the weekend coming and otherwise scheme. RSVP if you're coming so we don't all go home before you turn up... Best, Jarv* *

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