February 2019 - ICU-Caving-Announce

Last trip this term!
by Imperial College Caving Club 28 Feb '19

28 Feb '19

Hey everyone, We've only got one more trip planned this term! We'll be heading up to *Yorkshire* from *15th-17th March* and staying at the one true hut (NPC). There are some fun trips planned, hopefully including exchanges in Alum and Diccan. Check out this trip report <https://www.union.ic.ac.uk/rcc/caving/article/yorkshire-2018-06-08> which has some great pictures of Alum/Diccan! This trip requires SRT so you'll only be able to come if you've done SRT at tree training or in a cave before! As always, the cost will be £37 and let me know if you'd like to come! Thanks, Diss -- Imperial College Caving Club <http://union.ic.ac.uk/caving>

1 0

Fwd: SLOVENIA 2019 EXPEDITION INFORMATION
by Imperial College Caving Club 24 Feb '19

24 Feb '19

* MIGOVEC 2019 * *(5th July - 11th August)* *TL;DR: Not this time, Freshers.* Hi all, Sign ups for our summer expedition to Slovenia are open! This email is to give you an idea about the expedition and this year's plans but please reply if you want to join us in Slovenia this year, and for how long you will be there. *Basic overview:* Leading up to but primarily in the week after Uni is out and before we leave we will be preparing. This involves: - Oversuit repairing and equipment fettling - Buying very large quantities of food (cheese and chocolate) - Packing the food, equipment and first aid into crates for stacking in the minibus. - Packing personal kit. *5th July* - Minibus laden with fresh faced, clean cavers leaves stores and drives to Dover, boards a ferry to Calais, and then rolls on through continental Europe ( Belgium - Netherlands - Luxembourg - Germany - Austria) arriving in Tolmin, Slovenia 24 hours later. *7th July- 9th August -* EXPEDITIONARY CAVING *10th August -* Minibus departs Tolmin and does the above journey in reverse, arriving at Beit Quad on the 11th where we will unload the minibus, depart home and have a good wash. *Camping: * The expedition has special permission to camp on Migovec (the mountain we cave under). This is significant as camping is not usually allowed in the Julian alps. So on the morning of the 7th we will depart from Ravne, where the roads end, and we leave the minibus with rucksacks full of personal gear and hike up 1km of ascent to the Migovec plateu to pitch our tents. This will be the first of many carries, as now we need to get caving kit, equipment, food etc up onto the mountain. For the first few days this is the main activity (gets your fitness up and those prussiking legs strong!) along with setting up the Bivi(home for the next 4 weeks) and preliminary rigging of the abseil into Primadona. *Please note:* You don’t need your own tent. If you are going to bring your own tent, make sure it’s expedition worthy i.e. storm proof – don’t skimp on a cheap tent unless you like sleeping in puddles. If you are unsure just ask one of the committee/old lags. The communal tents can accommodate several people. *The caving:* This year we return to Primadona branch of the 40+km Migovec system for the fourth year with the primary objective of reaching the deepest known parts of the system, looking for and pushing leads there. As this will be reaching >700m underground we will set up an underground camp to facilitate a serious pushing front, spending up to 3 days underground. The entrance to Primadona features a spectacular 130m abseil over a cliff to reach a snow-filled slope down into the cave. [image: DSC09586.JPG] The snow slope in the entrance and the 2018 camp. *Things you will need:* Here is the rather long annual kit guide for freshers going to Slov, largely copied shamelessly from all previous expedition leaders' emails. Again here there is no TL;DR, you should read it all and make sure you are prepared. *-------------------Equipment-------------------* * Frame Rucksack - >= 60L with good anatomical back! * Rollmat - (a few spare in stores) or lightweight inflatable mattress. * Sleeping bag (3 seasons+ ) - A cheap, big, synthetic is absolutely fine and probably most comfy on the uneven ground. * Tent - make sure you've got something arranged (bring your own/share/ use club tents) * Decent sized durable water bottle - for drinking from. * (Optional) Hiking poles - If you care about the longevity of your knees, or are aged 23+ hiking poles are highly recommended. * (Optional) Dry Bags - Big ones for your clothes/electronics on the surface (tent leaks happen, only idiots let their sleeping bag get wet). Small ones for taking thermals/electronics underground. Bin bags / heavy duty garden sacks are a perfectly acceptable alternative just as a rucksack liner. * (Optional) Personal First Aid kit - club has communal kit, though ideal is to get a crush-proof beaker and assemble your own from spare bits 'n' bobs (include spare contact lenses, personal medication etc.). *-------------------Clothes-------------------* * Walking Socks - 'Coolmax' or similar walking socks - 2 pairs minimum, 4 pairs or more → plenty comfort (personally I take as many as I can). Liner socks are also nice and help protect your boots (Rhys swears by them). * Hiking boots - Ideally find something with a Vibram sole (or equivalent) if you want to not suffer. Break in boots! * Thermals - check Uniqlo for their 'heatmax' range - read materials to check for 'NO COTTON'. 'expensive'/nice versions are the Helly Hansen LIFA stripes range (~£20). Merino wool ('woolpower' or similar) is probably over-doing it but nice, particularly for dossing on the surface. * SUN HAT - also doubles as a rain hat... ;) * Sun glasses - it's bright up there when the sun is out, look after your eyes. * Warm Hat - or two, cheap acrylic from the market / Primark is perfect * Goretex jacket / waterproof. Cheapest to get a cheap (heavy) goretex or similar for warmth in evenings, and a lightweight waterproof to keep in rucksack (when carrying up / down) in case it rains. * Waterproof trousers - If you like dry legs and boots * (Optional, but very very recommended) Duvet jacket / down jacket - nice to have a super warm layer to put on for when you're sitting around in the evening. Synthetic ones from mountain warehouse are cheap/good but take up space. * (Optional) Synthetic 'wicking' tshirts – super nice and cheap. Makes sweating not unpleasant (and damn will you sweat on the carries up). * (Very Optional) A sturdy pair of jeans. Comfortable and rugged for chillaxing/surface exploring. Many in the club will sternly heed against them, but personally I believe they're wrong. Just don't get them wet. *-------------------Caving-------------------* * Knife - Petzl Spatha or cheaper / smaller / more versatile, a simple swiss army knife, just make sure it locks. * Head Torch - Petzl Tikka is the classic (~£20/30). Or get a cheaper/different brand. Important for walking round at night not just in cave. * Whistle - good for signalling above and underground (you never know).Borrow one of the club's superfriends as last resort (but definitely have these things!) * Thin fleece hat (to wear under helmet) / (balaclava). Very useful when surveying or when waiting for others to bolt an epic traverse. * Fleece neck warmers - or buff (same as above, potentially also just get balaclava) * Gloves - Thick rubberised work gloves are good, (can buy in Slov from farmers market). In general, gloves need to be more rugged and warmer (but less waterproof) than ones we wear in UK. Often people have builders gloves, gardening gloves, or fingerless wool etc. * Cave Thermals - required for UG camp. Bring if you're susceptible to getting cold. * (Optional) Cave pants - highly recommended, synthetic form fitting pants help with comfort, warmth and style. * (Optional) Glove liners – silk/fleece for warmth or comfort. * (Optional) Your own helmet + super-duper expo light. Ideal time to get your own if you're planning on caving a lot in the future. Talk to older members of the club for advice here. Of course all caving kit can be borrowed from the club. Note on clothes: Temperature is from ~just subzero (but feeling lower at altitude, with windchill) to 30C+ in the valleys and Tolmin. Layers are brilliant. Shorts are ace - especially nylon ones. Thermal long trousers + tracksuit bottoms/ 'technical' fast dry trouser outers are typical evening attire, with thermal layers on top + fleece/wool pullover /down jackets. Also **Baby wipes - as we collect rainwater/melt snow to drink, water is scarce and there is non spare to wash. you're only going to smell of dwarf pine smoke anyway. But baby wipes are very nice to keep things clean. *-------------------Entertainment-------------------* * Books/Kindle - Find books with really small text / get an e-Reader. You will have doss days when it's raining / you're recovering from caving and it's nice to lie in tent, doze, pop to Bivi for more cheese + tea, & otherwise spend your day 'getting the chapters in'. * A hobby - Why not learn to sew a reusable tea-bag, devise a better mousetrap, learn to play guitar/ukulele/harmonica/panpipes, write a novella or learn to juggle while on expo? * MP3 player - good for the carries / tent action. Probably bring a cheap/rugged MP3 player. A spare set of earphones would be wise. * Battery pack - we will have a solar power set up but its always good to have an independent supply to recharge your phones/kindles/mp3s for those cloudy days where a drill battery is sucking up all the juice. * Phone – there is some dodgy 3g (but mainly edge (2g)) signal floating around on the mountain so it can be worth bringing a phone to check exam results/tell parents you're not dead etc. *-------------------Things you don't need on mountain-------------------* * Cutlery/Plate (loads on mountain) * Mirror (don't torture yourself) *-------------------Key points-------------------* * Any questions? Ask someone! * Don't worry * All your personal kit not including caving kit should fit into your rucksack. *Questions?* *-How good/fit do I need to be? / I haven't caved much recently...* Expedition caving is naturally risky business. However, don’t be put off. If you have been on the SRT trips with us this year you'll be fine. You won’t be thrown down 700m into the deep right from the start. You will do several shorter bounce (down and up again) trips with an experienced leader first, on re rigging/surveying/kit drops to get yourself acclimatised. *-What is caving like in Slovenia?* We are caving in the Julian Alps - so alpine caving! This means largely more vertical and mostly more spacious than some caves you will have been in in Yorkshire. Also, colder. *-What else is there to do besides caving? * Besides kicking it back in the bivi with a book and pine-smoked tea, as we are camped in the stunning Julian Alps and it would be a shame if you were not to explore the mountains further than the plateau. Many people will do day hikes or longer during the expedition. Also you could explore the old system, visit a few of the ice caves, be roped into assisting Tanguy with cave science or help with a surface dig. Those who stay for the entire expedition will usually drop back down into Tolmin to swim/wash in the Soča, eat pizzas and fresh fruits and drink Laško in the sun for a few days of rest in the middle. *-I can't go for the whole time, how do I... ? * We realise that 5 weeks is a serious commitment, but going for less than two weeks will probably leave you with a shallow experience, this is expeditionary caving and requires a lot of time spent in preparation and planning. If you are joining us late, or leaving early then you will need to organise flights for yourself. See here <https://union.ic.ac.uk/rcc/caving/wiki/expedition-information-for-novices> for information about that, or ask a Dubz bruv on how to get there as cheap as possible. Someone will of course be waiting to greet you in Tolmin and push you up Migovec. So that's all! If you are joining this year, please reply to the email with the dates you expect to be with with us. In a few weeks we will email all those who have replied and ask you to fill in a sign up sheet and send a deposit so we can start buying ropes and metal work :). The deposit also secures minibus seats (of which there are only 9) and communal tent spaces for those that need. In the meantime if you have any questions do not hesitate to ask me, or any others who have been on expo. [image: 40539697_10156713688143057_8194369259384602624_o.jpg] We'll be waiting for you at the sunset spot with cocktails and wine, Arun x -- Imperial College Caving Club <http://union.ic.ac.uk/caving>

1 0

Derbyshire Trip
by Imperial College Caving Club 13 Feb '19

13 Feb '19

Hey everyone, Our next trip is to *Derbyshire* on the *22nd-24th February. *The cost will be* £37 *which includes food, transport, accommodation and kit hire. We'll be visiting caves with SRT and non-SRT components and it's quite different from Yorkshire caving. Think mud. Check out reports from previous Derbyshire trips on our website (e.g this one <https://www.union.ic.ac.uk/rcc/caving/article/derbyshire-2017-03-10>) for more info. We don't go to Derbyshire very often so do come along if you can - *reply to this email to sign up*! Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, Diss

1 0

Easter Tour
by Imperial College Caving Club 07 Feb '19

07 Feb '19

Hey everyone, It's time to start thinking about Easter tour! If you're not sure what that is - we usually fly to somewhere warm over the Easter holidays for a week of caving/drinking and relaxation. We're planning to visit the *Franche Comte in France* from *23rd-30th March (+/- 1 day)*. The cost should be *£350 ish* and this includes pretty much everything you'll need for the week (flights, accommodation, food etc.). *NB: if you've not been on an SRT trip with us before, you won't be able to come as we'll be visiting some vertical caves. Sorry!* We need to book things pretty quickly so please let me know if you're interested ASAP. Thanks, Diss -- Imperial College Caving Club <http://union.ic.ac.uk/caving>

1 0

Debts
by Imperial College Caving Club 06 Feb '19

06 Feb '19

Hi all, Just finished the debts from Autumn term and before that, names and amounts are listed below. Please call me out I've got yours wrong! Pay here: https://www.imperialcollegeunion.org/shop/club-society-project-products/cav… CHECC wasn't included in this as I only put it on the website a couple of weeks so felt name and shame was unfair. If you went please pay for it, it's on the shop. Trip listings have been going up before the trip, please do pay before you go! We've had recent money shenanigans with the union so it'll make Easter tour and 3rd term trip plans much easier when the fees are paid. Thanks! Jennifer Sam £115.00 W1('15) + Y2('16) + D1('17) James O' £40.00 Y2('16) Bun £109.00 W0('18) + HE('18) + W2('18) Bhavick £30.00 HE('18) DKP £188.00 HE('18) + W1('18) + Y1('18) + Y2('18) Rhys £66.00 Y1('18) + Y2 ('18) Jarv £77.00 Y6(18) + W0 ('18) Jackhal £111.00 W1('18) + Y2('18) + Y3('18) Peter £147.00 M2(18) + D1(18) + W0('18) + HE('18) Rita £33.00 W2('18) Celia £35.00 M2(18) Ben Richards £37.00 Y1('18) Carl!!! £37.00 W2('18) + Y1('18) Will French £37.00 Y3('18) Sandeep £35.00 Y7(18) Alex Seaton £35.00 Y7(18) Cecilia £35.00 Y7(18) Perry £127.00 Y1('18)(reduced) + Y2 ('18) + Y3('18) +Y5 ('18) Max £37.00 Y3('18) Tom Porter £15.00 D1(18) Jan Evetts £35.00 Y7(18) -- Imperial College Caving Club <http://union.ic.ac.uk/caving> <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> Virus-free. www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>

1 0

Slovenia Expedition Talk TOMORROW
by Imperial College Caving Club 05 Feb '19

05 Feb '19

Hey again everyone, Apologies for all the emails.This is the last one...for now. In case you didn't know, we are holding a talk about our summer expedition to Slovenia *tomorrow* from *12:30-13:30 in Union Meeting room 4*. ICCC have been aiding the JSPDT (the local Slovenian caving club) in the exploration of Sistem Migovec in Triglav National Park, Slovenia, since 1994. This is your chance to found out how you can be amongst the next generation of explorers! This talk is open to all, whether you're interested in caving or have been caving with us for a while and will give you all the info on our Summer Expedition so you can think about whether you want to join us this year or in future! Please make sure you come if you're thinking of joining us this year. Thanks, Diss -- Imperial College Caving Club <http://union.ic.ac.uk/caving>

1 0

AGM 12th March
by Imperial College Caving Club 05 Feb '19

05 Feb '19

Hey everyone, Looks like it's time to start thinking about next year's committee... I tried to insert the "oh that's terrifying" gif here, but apparently that makes the email too big for mailman to handle. Sad. *The Annual General Meeting will take place on Tuesday 12th March in the Union Bar from 7 pm!* At the AGM we will present reports on the activities of the club, followed by elections for the new committee and the presentation of awards. __________________________________ Lets kick off with the more tedious aspect: *the reports. *The president and treasurer will boast of their achievements whilst carefully glossing over their failures. They will give you a well rounded view of what was done in the previous year and what the aims are for the next. __________________________________ Now the *elections*… as per our constitution they are definitely by single transferable vote. All full members of the club are eligible to vote. Although they are not mandatory to attend, attendance is strongly recommended if you are a club member. Voting is fun! Also, you can run for any position on the committee, nominations are open as of now. *Major and obvious Caveat: *you can't run for a position if you're not going to be studying at Imperial for the whole of next year. Positions run from August 1st to July 31st - the overlap with Slovenia is coincidentally and carefully planned. Traditionally the retiring president must hide underground for the night whilst the new president stalks the surface, lusting for blood. So if you're going to stay at Imperial next year then you should definitely run for a position. Below are the descriptions - contact the person in brackets for more information. We don't usually do formal manifestos or anything but if you'd like to let the mailing list know you're running, reply to this email with info and we can pass it on! *President (Diss):* The roles of the president depends a great deal on the committee, and how good the president is at delegating. At the end of the day, the president makes most of the decisions by the time honoured tradition of arbitrary totalitarianism. 1. 6.4 The President shall organise trips; setting the dates, booking the minibuses, deciding which caves to do.. 6.5 The President shall be responsible for communicating upcoming trips to members and keeping track of the trip participants.. 6.6 The President shall be responsible for arranging drivers to come on trips and ensuring that people capable of driving union buses take the tests so they can do so.. 6.7 The President shall be responsible for deciding what new equipment needs to be purchased each year.. 6.8 The President shall be responsible for representing the club to our management group and the union in general.. *Treasurer (Jennifer):* The treasurer has quite an involved job. Main things involve paying the huts, paying for equipment, keeping track of debts and budgeting. 1. 6.9 The Junior Treasurer shall be responsible for day to day finances.. 6.10 The Junior Treasurer shall ensure that people pay for trips and any other services or goods they purchase from the club.. 6.11 The Junior Treasurer shall be responsible for budgeting each year.. *Secretary (Jack)* Apply for permits, book huts, reserve rooms at the Union - email makes it easy, so if you're on top of your inbox, this'll be a breeze. 1. 6.12 The Secretary shall acquire hut bookings and cave permits as requested by the president.. 2. 6.13 The Secretary shall be responsible for organising Harlington and other grant applications for the club.. 3. 6.14 The Secretary shall represent us to the Council of Higher Education Caving Clubs, the British Caving Association and any other caving organisations outside the union.. 6.15 The Secretary shall be responsible for the upkeep of the club website.. *Tackle Master (James**):* Stores comprises of 20% gear and 80% mud. Are you brave enough to swing that ratio (in either direction)? Equipment is important - anticipating the needs of the club and purchasing appropriately is vital to the running of the club. You'll work closely with the president and treasurer. 1. 6.16 The Tackle Master shall ensure equipment is stored and maintained correctly. 2. 6.17 The Tackle Master shall ensure equipment is safe to use. 3. 6.18 The Tackle Master shall perform yearly inventory of caving stores. *Medical Officer (Arun)* The official description: 1. 6.19 The Medical Officer shall be responsible for purchasing new medicines and first aid equipment. 2. 6.20 The Medical Officer shall maintain first aid kits. *Health and safety (Arun)* 6.19 The Health and Safety Officer shall ensure that new members are sufficiently proficient at caving to practise the sport safely. 6.20 The Health and Safety Officer shall ensure that reckless and dangerous behaviour is brought to the attention of the president. *Tours Secretary (Nobody as such but speak to Diss/JackHal for info)* Rhys made this role up some years ago because he was terrified of relinquishing power. He set a powerful precedent, organising a massively overfunded three week expedition to the other side of the world. It seems the only requirement for the role is a unique approach to fulfilling it. *Our Annual General Meeting will take place on Tuesday 12th March in the Union Bar from 7 pm!* __________________________________ *Awards:* The club will choose the most worthy of the two following awards. Look carefully. It could be you or your neighbour. If so, don't hesitate, nominate them! *For Evans Sake: Creative Use of Bodily Fluids* Named in honour of the two brothers who dragged ICCC kicking & screaming up to its current international exploration glory, while retaining an ever present connection with their bodily needs. Awarded for most creative use of a bodily fluid. The award consists of 'Bob the Turd', a large coprolite (fossilised crap) found by Goaty in the Moroccon High-Atlas and dating from the Jurassic era, most likely produced by a Shark. *Herman Herz: Lucky Escape while Caving* Named after a mohican-wearing old-lag who stopped caving the day his nine lives were used up. Awarded for lucky escapes while caving - *As flies to wanton boys are we to the caving gods.* (Gloucester, as he prepares to jump off a cliff without his descender rigged properly). __________________________________ I will stand as *Returning Officer* this year so feel free to reply to this email with any questions you have. And just in case you missed it the previous two times... *Our Annual General Meeting will take place on Tuesday 12th March in the Union Bar from 7 pm!* Yours 'til the final vote, Diss -- Imperial College Caving Club <http://union.ic.ac.uk/caving> -- Imperial College Caving Club <http://union.ic.ac.uk/caving>

1 0

Spaces left on Y5!
by Imperial College Caving Club 04 Feb '19

04 Feb '19

Hey humans, There are still a few spaces left for the trip to Yorkshire this weekend! We'll be going to some fun SRT caves and staying at the NPC (our second home) so it should be a good time. Let me know if you want to come as soon as possible so we can arrange kit packing! Thanks, Diss -- Imperial College Caving Club <http://union.ic.ac.uk/caving>

1 0