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Caving into 2011 ! | Izgubljeni Raj 2011 Slovenia Expedition
by Imperial College Caving Club 28 Sep '11

28 Sep '11

Dear Imperial Cavers, We have set out our Autumn Calendar with the following trips: 14-16th Oct -- South Wales (Brecons), OFD + Neath Valley, WSG Hut 28-30th Oct -- South Wales (Llangattock), Aggy, CSS / Whitewalls Hut 11-13th Nov -- SRT Yorkshire Trip, NPC Hut [we have some Leck Fell permits] 25-27th Nov -- SRT Derbyshire Trip, Orpheus Hut [probably do some combination of JH/Peak, Maskhill/Oxlow & Giants Hole] 16-23rd Dec -- Winter Tour, Yorkshire, TBD/TBC [again, we already have some interesting permits, including the extremely pretty & recently discovered Shuttleworth Pot] Club membership has risen slightly to £23 and can be bought online: https://www.imperialcollegeunion.org/caving-46/caving-membership/product.ht… *Freshers Fayre* We will be in Beit Quad again for Freshers Fayre (Tuesday Oct 4th, 11AM-4PM), this time in front of the union bar on the right hand side. Come along to hear tales from the trips last year & plans for this, or stand the other side of the table & speak to the keen new freshers! *Izgubljeni Raj 2011 Slovenia Expedition* We have had a very successful four week expedition this summer to Slovenia. We found over 2.2km of new passage all below -500m in depth, and took the cave to a new deepest point of -888m. All of the exploration took place during underground-camping trips based at X-Ray (-550m). We gave a talk at the national caving conference last weekend, and you can check out the slides, inspect the survey, admire the photos & read the interim report here: http://union.ic.ac.uk/rcc/caving/slovenia/slov2011/ *Sardinia Easter 2011* Also, if you missed our photos + report from the Easter Sardinia trip, it's well worth checking out! <http://union.ic.ac.uk/caving/photo_archive/tours/2011%20-%20sardinia/2011-0…><http://union.ic.ac.uk/caving/photo_archive/tours/2011%20-%20sardinia/2011-0…><http://union.ic.ac.uk/caving/photo_archive/tours/2011%20-%20sardinia/2011-0…>The Sardinia Easter Tour 2011 was a great success, 10 cavers enjoying the delights of Su Palu (and only Su Palu) via a 5-bed camp established at El Alamein. Day trips were made to Disneyland, Mordor and Sand Creek, with swims in the massive sump lake. Photos<http://union.ic.ac.uk/caving/photo_archive/tours/2011%20-%20sardinia/dirind…> | Union Tour Report (3.5mb PDF)<http://union.ic.ac.uk/caving/sardinia/caving_spring_tour_report_2011.pdf> Yours, Jarv -- Imperial College Caving Club http://union.ic.ac.uk/rcc/caving ic.caving [AT] gmail.com

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Pub Meet + Tree training
by Clare Tan 25 Oct '10

25 Oct '10

Alright chaps, You know the drill: *Pub meet* on Tuesday, 7:30pm at the Union; *Tree training* on Wednesday, 1pm at Beit (or Princes Gardens if you're late). Do note that if it is raining heavily all Wednesday afternoon we won't be able to hold any tree training - if in doubt just call me at 07542135310! Some of us will be going to Yorkshire this weekend, where we will finally put into practice the rope techniques we've been practising at tree training! Hopefully there will be a report of the weekend up on the website shortly after we get back... Best, Clare

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Tues - Pub Meet, Wed - Tree Training
by Clare Tan 18 Oct '10

18 Oct '10

Hey guys, We just came back from a stonking weekend to South Wales yesterday, where we introduced 10 new freshers to the wonders of caving! Hopefully everyone enjoyed themselves. Pictures from the weekend: http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/rcc/caving/photo_archive/trips/2010-10-15%20-%20w…<https://icex.imperial.ac.uk/owa/redir.aspx?C=f2a45b3580b24bf994ccb1dc76756d…> We'll be meeting at stores Tuesday night at 6pm to put away kit from the weekend just gone, but for those of you who weren't on the trip and just want to come to the pub meet, we'll hopefully be drinking at the *Union bar by 7ish*! Just a reminder that tree training is on this *Wednesday at 1pm*. We will meet at Beit to grab rope from stores before heading over to Princes Gardens. (Call me at 07542135310 if you don't see anyone!) If you are planning on coming to any Yorkshire/Derbyshire trips, you need to come to these sessions so that you can familiarise yourself with the rope techniques. The caves in Yorks and Derby are all very vertical and heavily rope-based, and we cannot take anyone who hasn't had any rope practice prior to the trip down the caves. The next trip will be on 29-31st Oct and we'll be going up to Yorkshire. At the moment the trip list is pretty full, but if places free up I will let you guys know asap so watch this space! Best Wishes, Clare

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Pub Meet | Slideshow | 15-17th Weekend trip
by Clare Tan 10 Oct '10

10 Oct '10

Hey everyone, Just a quick reminder of all the stuff we have going on this week: *Tuesday Meet | 12th Oct | 7pm | Union Bar* First pub meet of the year, come on down to chat about caving and sign up for trips. We'll try to have a helmet + light with us to advertise our presence, might end up outside if the bar is too crowded. If you can't spot anyone just give me a call at 07542135310. *Caving Slideshow | Wed, 13th Oct | 1pm | Meeting Room 3, East Basement, Union Building* FREE CHEESE & WINE PROVIDED! Perhaps less importantly, come along to see some pretty pictures of caves + caving and not so pretty ones of cavers. We'll tell you everything you might want to know about caving in the UK/abroad and our annual summer expedition to Slovenia, where we discover completely unexplored passage of cave. Do try your best to come for this as most freshers from previous years loved it - it has convinced many a caver to take the plunge into the underground! For those of you who can stay, we'll head on over to Princes Gardens after the talk to practise some rope climbing. *Weekend Trip to South Wales | 15-17th October* Our first weekend trip this year will be to South Wales, where we'll have a wander in the extensive and impressive Ogof Ffynnon Ddu <http://ogof.net/>. No prior experience is necessary, and all equipment, transport, accommodation and food will be provided for you in return for a measly £10! This really is a wonderful introduction to caving and a great way to spend a stress-free weekend out in the country. Places on this trip are very limited and fast disappearing, so drop me an email or show up to one of the events to sign up and secure your spot! All the best, Clare *P.S.* For those of you on Facebook, feel free to check out our lovingly maintained fb page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/London-United-Kingdom/Imperial-College-Caving… --- Imperial College Caving Club: http://union.ic.ac.uk/caving | ic.caving(a)gmail.com

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Welcome to the Caving Club
by Clare Tan 06 Oct '10

06 Oct '10

Dear Future Cavers, It was great seeing you guys at Freshers' Fair and cheers for signing up to the caving club's mailing list! Here's some information on the events we have lined up for you to learn more about caving and to try it out for yourself: *Weekly Pub Meets – Tuesdays, Union Bar, 7pm *We meet every Tuesday at the Union Bar, with the first one this term on *12 **th** October*. This is your first chance to get to know the current members in a more relaxed setting, chat about caving (and everything else) over a pint or two, and sign up for weekend trips. We'll probably be in the corner of the bar, but if the weather's good and the bar is too crowded (since the main pub will not be ready yet) you might find us at one of the tables outside in the quad. In any case, we'll definitely be somewhere in the union – just look for a familiar face! Or give Clare a bell at 07542135310 if you can't spot anyone. *Slideshow Presentation + Free Cheese & Wine! *Our slideshow talk will be on *Wednesday, 13**th** October* at *Meeting Room 3, East Basement, Union Building* at *1pm*. Come look at some pretty pictures and hear us natter on about caving while munching on some cheese and wine! We'll be telling you more about what really happens underground, a typical weekend trip, our plans for the year, and our summer expeditions to Slovenia. For those who can stick around after the talk, we'll be having our first tree training session (see below) immediately after the presentation. *Tree Training – Wednesdays, Princes Gardens, 1pm *As most of our caving is done in rather vertical potholes which we abseil down, we're holding tree training sessions (click for photo<http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/rcc/caving/photo_archive/trips/2004-12-01%20-%20t…>) every Wednesday (starting next week) to teach you the ropework basics before you go underground. It's really informal, and you don't have to bring anything, wear special clothes or pay any fees. Ideally, before your first trip to Yorkshire you would have attended at least one tree training session. We normally meet in *Beit Quad* at *1pm*, but if you're running late just head straight to* Princes Gardens* (where Ethos, Southside/Eastside halls are) and you'll see the ropes up in the trees. *Weekend Trips *Here's our current Autumn calendar: 15-17th Oct: South Wales, Ogof Ffynnon Ddu (Fresher I) 29-31st Oct: Yorkshire, Leck Fell (Fresher II) 12-14th Nov: Yorkshire, Gaping Gill 26-28th Nov: Derbyshire 17-23rd Dec: Winter tour! Our first trip this term will be to South Wales, and it's a great introduction to sports caving. There is no rope work necessary for this particular cave, so you won't need to have attended a tree training session. Places are limited, so come on down to a pub meet or the slideshow presentation to sign up! A £10 deposit will guarantee your place on the trip. The first couple of freshers trips will cost only £10 a trip if you buy membership<http://www.imperialcollegeunion.org/caving-46/caving-membership/>, but thereafter it's £35 a weekend. This price includes everything you need for the weekend – transport, accommodation, food, and equipment, so it's a pretty good deal! If you want to know more about the club or are just curious about caving, the club website <http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/rcc/caving/> is a great place to start. There's a huge amount of information on there, with plenty of FAQs<http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/rcc/caving/new_member.php>, trip reports, and photos for your browsing pleasure. Alternatively, just get in touch with us if you have any queries at all – we'd love to hear from you! The club's email address is ic.caving(a)gmail.com, or you can drop me a text/phone me at 07542135310 and email at cst09(a)ic.ac.uk. Look forward to seeing you guys soon! Best Wishes, Clare Tan (Caving President)

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Derbyshire 27-29th November | Winter Tour [Flexible Dates 18-23rd December] | Christmas Curry Tues 15th December
by Jarvist Moore Frost 19 Nov '09

19 Nov '09

Dear Cavers, For weekend 27-29th November we are going to DERBYSHIRE, where the deepest vertical caves in the country lie. We're NOT CAMPING (as that would be ludicrous in the Peaks in winter), but staying in the incredibly nice Orpheus cave hut in the middle of nowhere. Deep caves by day, mince pies in the pubs and roaring fires back at the hut by night. We mislaid our pretty little red organising book at the weekend - so if you've told us you want to come BEFORE THIS WEEKEND, please email us to remind that we promised you a place! Otherwise we'll give your place away and you won't be very happy come Friday night. ==== Winter Tour Dates are _very_ flexible on this! The hut we are staying at is 2km from the Clapham (North Yorkshire) rail station which is in turn on a railway line to Leeds. You can get a single back to London for £15 or so! (just checked the cost for coming back on the 22nd December - though prices will go up very quickly as the advance tickets evaporate) If we have any cash left we can also subsidise train tickets @ 30%. The journey is really nice and only 4hrs: a picturesque traipse across the Dales in a slow train, Leeds train station where you can get some good coffee and is right in the heart of this lovely little city, and then a high speed powerhouse which will see you back in London in 2:35mins. Certainly beats the M6 in a speed limited minibus... Currently we believe the minibus will be going up on Friday night (18th) and coming back in the evening the day before Christmas Eve, to give everyone a chance to wash & pack before heading home for Crimbo. We're taking the 9-seater minibus, so there's plenty of room to stretch out, we can take all the gear + tools we need, and the back can always be used to get changed in when it's snowing! So why do the Winter Tour? The main reason is that there's just so much more time there - without the pressures of getting to Yorkshire & back in a weekend, we can do far longer and more serious caving trips, with much more opportunity for teaching & learning new skills. We'll cave in small groups and be far more self-directed - whether you're interested in long traverses, East Kingsdale classics, bolt climbing / exploration, extremely vertical rope fests or even a tight wet pervert. Cost: We're not actually entirely sure, though we'll do everything we possibly can to keep it well under <£99 for undergrads! We'll do it as some kind of per-day thing to make it fair if you're only there for a few days. ==== Christmas Curry - Tues 15th December Back by popular demand! The traditional yearly get together between the pretty young things and the stacked echelons of older members, loitering in the background just waiting to step forward some random weekend and take you on the trip of your life... We'll probably go to Lahore Kebab House (Tube: Aldgate East, just off Commercial Rd), and if the queue is infinitely long, we'll go around the corner to Tiffin! They'll almost certainly be a few bikers heading there from IC if you want to join a caravan. RSVP if you want to come, as we'll probably try and book closer to the date. To great things via small entrances, Jarv Your smiling-secretary and smooth-gear-changing-minibus-operator

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Confirm your place on trip this weekend | Union Meeting Tuesday (TODAY!) from 7pm | Tree Training Wednesday ~1pm onwards
by Jarvist Moore Frost 10 Nov '09

10 Nov '09

Hi Cavers, We're super booked out for our trip this weekend to Yorkshire - so we'd like everyone who's down on the list to *confirm their place & pay a £10 deposit* . If you can't make any of our physical meetings, an email will do as a last resort - but if you don't get in touch with us, and we can't get in touch with you, don't be surprised if we give your place away to someone on the reserve list... We're meeting Tuesday (Tonight!) in the *Union from ~7pm*. The usual opportunity for beers / soft drinks, and the chance to pop down to stores and pack personal kit ahead of the chaos of Friday night. *Tree-training* on *Wednesday* afternoon from *~1pm. *Preferably you'll have done more than one session of this before heading up to Yorkshire - that way you'll get most out of the weekend, as the caving in Yorkshire is heavily rope orientated. Finally, there's a few photos from our last trip to Abergavenny up on the web: http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/caving/photo_archive/trips/2009-10-30%20-%20wales/ Jarv

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Tues Meet Up
by Alex Herriott 02 Nov '09

02 Nov '09

Hey, just a reminder about the Tuesday meeting. This is a great place to meet the other members of the club and to sign up for trips! I just wanted to say that we had a great trip this weekend and that I hope everyone enjoyed it! Unfortunately we now have the unpleasant job of cleaning up.. But I'm sure alcohol at the union can make that better! I'll be around from 5 at stores for people who have other things to do in the eve, but we could appreciate everyone turning up as some point to help. Just one last point, could everyone please sign up for *membership*. Your membership is what keeps the club running and is what allows us to keep running the great trips that we do! Thanks, Alex

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Tree Training
by Alex Herriott 27 Oct '09

27 Oct '09

Hi guys, Just to let you know that due to meeting and unforseen circumstances the tree training on Wednesday will be at *2pm* instead of the usual 1pm. If you're planning on going to Yorkshie it's important that you go to at least one tree training session. Alex

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Tree Training rained off | Still Spaces on Wales/Aggy Trip (30th Oct - 1st Nov) + Yorks/NPC Trip (13-15th Nov)
by Imperial College Caving Club 21 Oct '09

21 Oct '09

Dear Cavers, * Tree training has been rained off for this Wednesday!* Meeting next *Tuesday 7pm in the Union* as usual, and hopefully Tree training next Wednesday @ 1pm (weather permitting). Steven (a unbiased fresher :) ) has written a nice little report of the weekend trip: http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/rcc/caving/wales/wales-2009-10-16.php We still have fresher spaces on our *Wales/Aggy* Trip (30th Oct - 1st Nov) and *Yorks/NPC* Trip (13-15th Nov). *Aggy* <%20http://www.ogof.org.uk/agen_allwedd.html> http://www.ogof.org.uk/agen_allwedd.html<%20http://www.ogof.org.uk/agen_allwedd.html> Agen Allwedd offers 32km of cave passage which includes some of the most stunning formations and the longest streamway in the country. The beauty of aggy lies in the range of different trips that can be accomplished in the one cave - a hour or two walk to see some pretties, arduous passage through the many streamways, the huge dome of St Pauls chamber. But perhaps the most well known aspect of Aggy in caving circles are the many round trips that one can do without having to tramp back along the same way in. *Yorks *The Yorkshire Dales are certainly ICCC's spiritual home. The stunning fells and peaks are home to literally thousands of highly varied potholes. The caves are predominantly vertical in nature, requiring the use of single rope technique (which is what we practice in the trees on Wednesdays) to safely explore them. Once over this technical hurdle the rewards are fantastic - you'll be flying past underground waterfalls, abseiling into stunning chambers, visiting roaring streamways and seeing beautiful formations. And if the Fell is our spiritual home, the NPC<http://northernpennineclub.org.uk/greenclose/greenclose.htm>is our practical abode. With central heating throughout and a fire in the common room; an enormous kitchen; a fantastically effective drying room; extremely friendly and helpful members; and multiple bedrooms upstairs it makes for a truly 5* base from which to explore some of the most enjoyable caves in the country, no matter what the weather is doing. Drop Alex a text or an email to the club address to book yourself a place, and turn up to tree training / the Tuesday social to stump up a deposit! And don't forget to buy your £20 membership: https://www.imperialcollegeunion.org/caving-46/caving-membership/product.ht…<%20https://www.imperialcollegeunion.org/caving-46/caving-membership/product.html> If you're on facehook you might want to join the Caving group: http://www.facebook.com/pages/London-United-Kingdom/Imperial-College-Caving…<%20http://www.facebook.com/pages/London-United-Kingdom/Imperial-College-Caving-Club-ICCC/173461250075> Best, Jarv Your smiling secretary. -- Imperial College Caving Club http://union.ic.ac.uk/rcc/caving ic.caving [AT] gmail.com

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