Hi all,

Oh boy, the third trip email this week: Winter Tour is coming up! This trip will require SRT as most of the caves in Yorkshire are vertical (and arguably the best in the UK!). We are also planning a rope rescue training course for 6 people (most probably) on the Monday, held by one of the most experienced cavers in the UK, and a good friend of the club (and all cavers really). You do not need to stay the entire duration of the tour however you will need to organise your own transport if you are not on the minibus. Get in touch if you want advice on that – we might be able to help out with getting to train stations etc.

When: Friday 16/12/2022 at 17:00 to Thursday 22/12/2022 at 16:00

Where: Yorkshire Dales National Park – Northern Pennine Club, Greenclose House, Clapham, Lancaster LA2 8HW

Membership: you need membership to join the tour (£30.00) (membership lasts the entire year)

Price:  Will vary depending on how long you stay, but a rough estimate would be approximately £120 for someone staying the entire time. If this is your first trip with us, the membership fee will be taken off of the trip price (i.e. it will cost £30 less than usual)

This trip requires ‘single rope technique’ (SRT) – you must have completed all of the techniques at tree training before the trip. If you have not yet completed everything but intend to before the tour you can still sign up, but please know that if you are not able to complete all the techniques your spot may be revoked as it is not safe for members to use ropes in cave before they are confident in the tree. Note that it usually takes at least 2 tree training sessions to learn everything. Tree training sessions are run in Prince’s Gardens just in front of Ethos sports centre, every Wednesday 1-5pm but you can stay for as long as you like. See the PS for the list of required techniques, and if you’re unsure check the SRT guide attached, and if you’re still unsure just send us a quick email.

Sign up: Please reply to this email if you would like to come! You must understand that the activities done contain an inherent risk that you are accepting. Please tell us your full name, which days you would like to join the tour, any dietary requirements, any medical conditions, an emergency contact number for your next of kin and anything else you think we need to know over the course of the weekend. Spots will be given on a first-come-first-served basis.

(Members who have access to our accounts spreadsheet, please add your name there, no need to reply to this email.)

We will meet in stores on Tuesday (13/12) at 17:00 to pack kit. You do not need any equipment of your own, we will provide everything you could possibly need in a cave. It is likely to be quite cold so a thermal base layer will be useful if you get cold easily, but its not a requirement. Please also remember a sleeping bag for the hut – if you don’t have one, let us know when packing kit and we can provide one. 

How the trip works:

We will set off in the minibus on Friday evening around 17:30 from outside Beit Halls, heading for Greenclose. COVID restrictions are very relaxed by now, so it is not a requirement to show a negative LFD test, however it is recommended that if you have symptoms resembling COVID you do a lateral flow test before leaving on Friday. The shop will hopefully be delivered to the cottage for us so we’ll just stop on the way to get some drinks and Friday’s dinner. On caving days we’ll cook breakfast and choose groups and caves whilst eating and aim to be underground at precisely 12:01. We’ll then cave for however long we want really, anywhere from 2 to 9 hours, before returning to the hut, cooking dinner and relaxing in the armchairs by the fire. Not everyone will cave every day – rest days or walks are common.

On Monday we plan to do a rope rescue course with Tony Seddon, an experienced caver and cave-diver, who will teach 6 of us vital skills for emergency situations. Those not on the course can do a usual day’s caving (or rest day if they prefer).

On Thursday 22nd we’ll head off early back to London, reaching Beit Quad just before 4pm to hand in the minibus key by the 4pm deadline.

Also: Pub every Tuesday (around 6pm at the union bar/568), and tree (rope) training runs every Wednesday 1-5pm (but you can stay as long as you like) in Princes Gardens. Huge thanks again to Una for creating the SRT guide attached.

Yours till the last ice-stiffened double-fig-8,

Matti Mitropoulos

ICCC Committee

PS - Techniques that members must have done at least once before attending the trip:

Ascending (Prussiking)

Descending

Changeover (switching from ascending to descending gear safely)

Deviation (passing a karabiner that pulls the rope out of the way of obstacles on the way up and down)

Rebelay (changing from one rope to another while suspended)